Lecture of a Lifetime
A dynamic demonstration of academic talent and achievement, celebrating a distinguished career of learning, exploration and discovery.
Understanding Human Identity through AI-Inspired Biometric Research
Dr. Marina L. Gavrilova, PhD'99
Over the past decade, innovations in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) domains have been introduced with accelerating pace, creating very real challenges to the way we make informed decisions. At the same time, standards on the development of ethical and trustworthy AI-powered decision-making systems remain in their infancy.Â
Join professor Dr. Marina L. Gavrilova, PhD’99, for an insightful discussion about the core challenges and ethical considerations brought about by the development of AI-powered transformative technologies.
Gavrilova’s Lecture of a Lifetime will go back to the origins of her innovative research in biometric system development and information fusion. Concurrently, it will examine the societal changes brought on by the transformative new technologies. Learn from real-world examples drawn from public health, behavioural studies, social media and cybersecurity. Gavrilova will not only highlight the immense potential of generative AI for new innovations, but also its risks to data privacy, trust and ethical decision-making. She will conclude by outlining emerging challenges the society currently faces and inspirational words directed to the next generation of innovators who will tackle those challenges in the future.
Event details
Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (MT).Â
Doors open and reception begins at 4 p.m.
Location: In-person (MacEwan Hall AB)Â
Registration for this event is now closed.
About the speaker
Dr. Marina L. Gavrilova, PhD’99, is a world-renowned professor within the Faculty of Science at the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½. She serves as co-director of the Biometric Technology Laboratory and holds a Research Excellence Chair in Trustworthy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Her research focuses on how biometric data reshapes our understanding of human identity and the development of ethical decision-making systems for cybersecurity and health care.Â
Gavrilova has authored more than 300 influential publications including bestselling books and award-winning articles, has launched conferences, founded a scientific journal, and delivered more than 100 keynotes worldwide. She's recognized for introducing new ways of combining complex data from multiple sources, unravelling intricate relationships between human emotions and social interactions and pioneering the field of social behavioural biometrics. Over the course of her career, she has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Order of the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ and the Killam Annual Professorship. Her research has been featured in prominent media outlets and exhibitions, connecting modern biometric security with the discoveries of Newton, Einstein and Darwin. Her scientific career was profiled in a National Film Board Canada documentary and in bibliographic books dedicated to leading Canadian scientists and worldwide outstanding women in artificial intelligence. As a public figure and a role model to many, including her two sons, Gavrilova has sparked a passion for science and technology in many aspiring scholars.
Experience ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½
This is a fantastic opportunity for our university to reach out to the wider community and share the work of our incredible thought leaders right here in the city.
Dr. Ed McCauley
President and Vice-Chancellor