Amplifying Benefits and Addressing Risks
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way humans think, work, and interact—but is it adapting to us, or are we adapting to it?
This Leading Edge webinar explores the dynamic relationship between AI and human behavior, uncovering how algorithms influence decision-making, shape societal norms, and even alter cognitive processes. We’ll dive into the opportunities AI presents—from enhancing productivity to personalizing experiences—while also confronting the risks, including bias, dependency, and ethical dilemmas. Join us as we examine the delicate balance of human-AI collaboration and discuss strategies to harness its potential responsibly.
Registration Fee: Complimentary
Irina Sigalovsky is Director of MIT Corporate Relations where she builds mutually beneficial partnerships between corporations and MIT.
Dr. Sigalovsky comes to MIT with 10 years of international experience in innovation strategy, technology forecasting and external innovation. Prior to MIT, Irina worked at GEN3 Partners, Inc. as a senior principal collaborating with Fortune 1000 companies to focus their innovation investments, execute strategic innovation agendas, and develop business globally. Throughout her career, Irina has taught at Tufts University, MIT Sloan, X-Prize Lab@MIT, MIT HST, Boston and Harvard Universities.
Irina earned her B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the MIT/Harvard Medical School Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST).
Visiting Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab Founder, Flybits
Hossein Rahnama is a Professor at the MIT Media Lab and Toronto Metropolitan University. He is also the Founder of Flybits, an Ai/ Data Science company. His research is focused on the design of Human-AI Systems, data governance, human-computer interaction, and the design of mission critical Ai systems. He has published more than 50 papers and holds 16 patents in computer and data science. He previously served as a council member at NSERC (National Science and Research Engineering Council of Canada) and is currently on the board of directors of Canadian Science Publishing and Havergal College. He is the head of the SAIPIEN program at MIT Media Lab and a founding fellow at the MIT Connection Science Group, and one of the Global Directors of MIT Media Lab’s City Science Group. He was on the MIT Technology Review Global TR35 list (2012), Isadore Sharp Outstanding Graduate Award (2013), Smithsonian Innovator to Watch (2013), and Canada's Top 40 under 40 (2017).
This talk explores the transformative potential of Perspective-Aware AI (PAI) and the emergence of Human-AI agents as a paradigm shift in intelligent systems. Moving beyond traditional AI, PAI focuses on understanding and representing diverse human viewpoints to foster true human-AI symbiosis. We introduce Chronicles, a novel software engineering innovation that uniquely blends human expertise with AI's computational power. These reasoning-ready digital models enable a new era where AI is not designed to replace human capabilities but to fundamentally augment them.
We share our optimistic vision for the future, powered by these advancements. Imagine a world where individuals can explore and learn unbound by physical limitations, with their representative Human-AI agents collaborating seamlessly and executing tasks on their behalf. This talk will highlight the profound impact of PAI and Human-AI agents on the future of work, education, and collaboration, as well as their potential to revolutionize critical sectors such as cities, finance, robotics, and healthcare, paving the way for a more promising and interconnected future.
Research Scientist, MIT Media Lab Visiting Researcher, Google
Dr. Nataliya Kos'myna is a Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group and a Visiting Researcher at Google.
She has over 15 years of experience in developing and designing end-to-end brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Coming from a background in artificial intelligence, neuroscience and human-computer interaction (HCI), she is passionate about the idea of creating a partnership between AI and human intelligence, a fusion of the machine with the human brain.
Dr. Kos'myna obtained her Ph.D in 2015 in the domain of non-invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). Most of her projects are focused around BCIs in the context of consumer grade applications. Kos'myna is a public speaker, author of multiple research papers and reviewer of numerous professional journals and conferences. Dr. Kosmyna often collaborates with teams from Boston Dynamics, Microsoft Research, NASA, Meta. Dr. Kos'myna's solutions are successfully deployed in the classrooms, workspaces, aerospace and hospitals.
Dr. Kos'myna won multiple awards for her work, among which is L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science award she received in 2016. Nataliya was also named as one of 10 Top French Talent 2017 from MIT Innovators Under 35. She has served as one of 24 international experts (Ad Hoc Expert Group - AHEG) for UNESCO to help prepare a first draft of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology. The final text of the Recommendation will be presented for adoption in November 2025 at the 43rd session of the General Conference. She is currently serving as on the Expert Advisory Group on Neurotechnology and Children for UNICEF.
Since 2016 Dr. Kos'myna is also interested in closed-loop systems using real-time biofeedback to enhance and augment human performance, particularly attention and focus. At Fluid Interfacesgroup @MIT Media Lab, Dr. Kos'myna works on designing and testing novel hardware solutions and paradigms for different applications (such as learning, driving) and user groups. Her work was covered in more than 100 TV appearances, radio and other news outlets all around the world.
For millions of years, human intelligence set the standard. But now, the lightning pace of tech has left us gasping, struggling to keep up with our own cognitive demands. AI has pushed civilization into overdrive, yet what we are ultimately doing is burning terawatts of power on data centers and excluding humans from this growth. We have built systems that are prefixed ‘smart’, but not smart enough to break free from their own inefficiency.
In this talk, Nataliya Kos'myna will argue that we need to start creating more seamless AI interfacing directly with our brains, achieving the same outcomes with the brain’s energy consumption levels.
Technology should amplify our creativity, not snuff it out. It should fuel social interactions, not isolate us. The goal is not to replace human thought, but to propel us into a Type II civilization.
Instead, we are trapped in a dystopian remix of 1984 — 2024’s version — where digital censorship and surveillance threaten to choke innovation in nations that refuse to play along.
This talk will explore critical questions: What should define ownership in the age of AI and at what cost?
It is time to reclaim the conversation—because true evolution should never be about creating more artificial intelligence. It is about evolving the most powerful source of intelligence: Your mind.