10/03/2025
The Westport Library to Host Daylong Conversation on Artificial Intelligence with ‘AI & Us: A Civic Symposium’
Presented by Verso University, The Westport Library’s Lifelong Learning and Education Initiative
Saturday, October 11, 12-5:30 pm
Trefz Forum
Westport, CT - In the 2018 paper “How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the World”, technology innovation researcher Darrel M. West posits that artificial intelligence (AI) is characterized by three qualities: intentionality, intelligence, and adaptability.
On Saturday, October 11, these qualities and their implications across law, business, healthcare, education, technology, and civic life will be explored in depth at AI & Us: A Civic Symposium, a public forum presented by Verso University, The Westport Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative.
The event will run from 12 to 5:30 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum, spanning three respective sessions (12-1:30 pm, 2-3:30 pm, and 4-5:30 pm). Tickets are $10 per session or $25 for all sessions. A student rate of $15 for all sessions is also available and will be honored with a valid student ID upon entry. Click here to purchase tickets.
From questions of ethics, medicine, and cybersecurity to the everyday impact of AI in Connecticut, this symposium invites attendees to examine how AI is shaping the future — and what it means for our communities. The event will offer multiple perspectives — from policymakers and technologists to journalists and academics. Each session will include an audience Q&A, fostering open dialogue and public insight.
From 12 to 1:30 pm, Scott J. Shapiro, Yale Law School professor and author of Fancy Bear Goes Phishing, will lead the procession with a discussion of AI’s role in legal reasoning, government ethics, and cybersecurity alongside Kevin Nguyen, features editor at The Verge and author of Mỹ Documents.
Following the opening keynote conversation is a stacked panel of world-class experts offering their insights on AI and its impact in Connecticut. From 2 to 3:30 pm, a cross-sector conversation moderated by Connecticut Mirror AI journalist Angela Eichhorst will examine the ways in which AI is shaping the state’s innovation landscape, higher education, healthcare, workforce, and legislation.
Panelists in conversation with Eichhorst include Vahid Behzadan, co-founder of the Connecticut AI Alliance; Dr. Suzanne J. Rose, executive director of research for Stamford Health; Dr. Barry Stein, chief clinical innovation officer and chief medical informatics officer at Hartford HealthCare; Connecticut State Senator James Maroney; and Jessica M. Dodge, director of innovation and entrepreneurship of Connecticut Economic & Community Development at the Connecticut Office of Innovation.
The final session of the day will kick off at 4 pm with closing reflections from Kate Crawford, one of AI’s leading scholars of artificial intelligence and its material impacts. Crawford is a research professor at the University of Southern California, senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research New York, and author of Atlas of AI. She was named one of the world's most influential people in AI by TIME100.
Nguyen will join Crawford in conversation, broadening the lens and connecting the day’s conversations to urgent global and ethical contexts.
As AI transforms the world around us, understanding its functions and impact is no longer optional — it’s essential. AI & Us: A Civic Symposium invites members of the community to engage directly with leading thinkers and practitioners, raising questions that will help chart a path toward a secure and informed future.
Verso University is The Westport Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, functioning as a year-round series of high-level classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning — and above all, learning for a lifetime. These programs cover a wide variety of topics appealing to all ages and interests, from younger patrons to ones with more experience.
AI & Us is Verso University’s first-ever half-day public forum.
Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.
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Event Details:
AI & Us: A Civic Symposium
Saturday, October 11
12–5:30 pm
Trefz Forum, The Westport Library
Event & Ticket Page: https://westportlibrary.org/ai-us-a-civic-symposium/
Story Link: https://westportlibrary.org/the-westport-library-joins-national-conversation-on-artificial-intelligence-with-ai-us-a-civic-symposium-presented-by-verso-university/
