Economist Hanson to speak on robots in our future

Renowned economist and futurist Robin Hanson will speak on the future of artificial intelligence, describing a 22nd-century scenario where robots “rule the earth,” in an upcoming Tullock Lecture, sponsored by the Information Economy Project (IEP) in Clemson University’s College of Business. The lecture is Monday, Feb. 27, 5-6:30 p.m., in 382 Sirrine Hall.

Robin Hanson

Hanson, an economist affiliated with George Mason University and Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, has a background in computer science, has been a leading developer of prediction markets, and has given TED talks. His book, The Age of Em: Work, Love, and Life when Robots Rule the Earth (Princeton, 2016), has been hailed as a provocative attempt to describe the social and economic challenges posed by emerging technologies.

Hanson explores the implications of whole-brain emulation and how scientific advancements in robots will rock economies in social institutions over the coming century. He contends models of human brains can be built that will out-perform, in some ways, their organic prototypes. This will, in turn, bring revolutionary changes in health, culture and the marketplace, altering the way people live, work and love.

The IEP is directed by Thomas W. Hazlett, H.H. Macaulay Endowed Professor of Economics. For more information on the lecture or the activities of the IEP, go to https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/iep/index.html. Please direct additional questions to Kyra Palange at kpalang@g.clemson.edu.