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Artificial intelligence, democracy and the future of civilization: The crucial conversation between Yoshua Bengio and Yuval Noah Harari now streaming free of charge on YouTube

Montreal, June 1, 2023 — As of today, C2 Montréal and its partner Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute will make the crucial conversation held between Professor Yoshua Bengio and Professor Yuval Noah Harari on May 24 at C2 Montréal available to everyone. Streaming in its entirety on Professor Harari’s YouTube page, this conversation, hosted by CTV News Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos, raised vital and urgent issues for the future of humanity, and it became clear to all involved that it should be shared widely.

“At the end of the talk, everyone was impressed by the extraordinary intelligence of our speakers and was shocked by the alarm they were sounding before us,” said Jacques-André Dupont, Interim CEO of C2. “As did our partner Mila, we knew this conference was going to be significant, and the crowd’s reaction only confirmed this. It was obvious to us that C2 Montréal should do everything it could to make this conversation available on a global scale. It’s too important.”

Professor Bengio, one of the pioneers of AI, and Professor Harari, a world-renowned historian and author, are co-signatories of the open letter released March 29 calling for a six-month pause on the development of powerful generative AI models. This was the impetus for C2 Montréal to have them meet for their first public conversation, because while the recent acceleration of these AI models and applications has allowed us to foresee the immense possibilities this technology offers, it also raises major ethical and philosophical questions.


In this exchange, they explore their visions for the future, where hope for a better world based on technologies working for the common good intersects with the all-too-real fear that this progress could be monopolized and jeopardize the fate of humanity.

“This conference comes at a time when we are witnessing an unprecedented acceleration of the capabilities of major generative AI models, whose potentially harmful consequences for society have many experts worried,” said Prof. Yoshua Bengio.

“Governments must understand that from the moment AI has mastered language, it is the very core of democracy that is threatened, and it is therefore urgent to take action to protect our institutions and citizens. We must accelerate the implementation of legislative and regulatory safeguards both at the national and international level in a way that will allow us to quickly adapt in an agile manner to scientific, technological and societal changes to come.”


Link to watch the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKopbyIPo6Y

About C2 Montréal

C2 Montréal is Canada’s premier creative-business event, an annual happening in the heart of Montréal that welcomes over 5,000 participants to an engaging, three-day immersive experience. A thought-provoking playground for business creativity and innovation, each edition features 100-plus personalities, speakers and field-leading professionals from around the world.

Our award-winning team of experts delivers a signature experience that fosters meaningful connections and unlocks opportunity. C2MTL is an exceptional partner for value creation and growth, generating more than $650 million in economic impact annually. A global flagship for business creativity and innovation, we elevate our partners by strategically positioning their brand and offering unmatched client-hosting and team-building experiences.

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Source: C2

For more information:

PHILIP VANDEN BRANDE | Vice President, Partner & Executive Publicist, annexe

phil@annexe.media | +1 438 402 7391

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