Artificial Intelligence is suddenly everywhere: in our phones, our workplaces, our health care systems, our news feeds, and even our conversations. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about “AI”? Is it a tool, a companion, a threat, a breakthrough — or some mixture of all four? Dr. Stephanie Dick will offer a clear, accessible introduction to the current AI moment: what AI is, how we arrived here, and why recent developments feel so different from earlier technologies.
This is a free, all ages, public lecture where we will explore how AI is changing the ways we live, work, learn, create, make decisions, and relate to one another. Rather than treating AI as eithermagic or menace, Dr. Dick will invite thoughtful reflection on how we can understand it, use it wisely, and shape its role in our shared future.
Stephanie Dick is an expert on AI and a historian of mathematics and technology with a PhD from Harvard University. With over fifteen years of research experience, she examines what AI is, what it does, and how its use is changing our world, our work, and ourselves. Within academia, Stephanie studies and teaches the critical and cultural history of computing, AI, and mathematics and their impact on science, statecraft, and society. Beyond the university, she delivers lectures, workshops, and strategic guidance for AI adopters, investors, and regulators. Stephanie is a frequent speaker on AI and the future of work, AI governance, and the society impacts of emerging technologies, sharing her expertise internationally in diverse venues from boardrooms to public radio.
Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Dick, Assistant Professor, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 — A free public lecture
Times: 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Venue: Raven’s Cry Theatre, Sechelt
