Annual Baylor Business Ethics Forum to Address ‘Ethics of Artificial Intelligence’

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WACO, Texas (Oct. 22, 2018) – This year’s Dale P. Jones Business Ethics Forum, hosted by Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, will feature focused conversations and activities on “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.”

The annual forum, scheduled Oct. 23 through Nov. 16, will feature a variety of panel discussions with academic and industry professionals, keynote luncheons and events featuring business leaders – including Baylor Regent Emeritus Drayton McLane Jr., B.B.A. ’58, chairman of McLane Group – and three ethics competitions. This year’s 12th Annual M.B.A. National Case Competition in Ethical Leadership welcomes teams from 12 universities from across the nation. Events will be hosted in the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, 1621 S. Third St.

Mitchell Neubert, Ph.D., professor of management and The Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business, said this year’s theme is designed for students, speakers and attendees to consider the peris and potential of artificial intelligence.

“Artificial intelligence, like other technologies, is so integrated into our work and personal lives that we rarely give it a second thought,” Neubert said. “However, artificial intelligence has been designed by someone with a moral point of view that dictates how the technology operates and makes decisions. Unwittingly, many of us have given over our ethics to the man or woman behind the machine.”

The events schedule includes:

Thursday, Oct. 25

Industry Panel Discussion: “AI and Ethics”
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: McClinton Auditorium, Foster 240
Participants: Sujatha Kashyap, program director of cognitive systems performance, IBM Research; George Montañez, assistant professor of computer science, Harvey Mudd College; and Sujatha Perepa, Watson Solution Delivery Architect, IBM Watson
Moderator: Robert J. Marks II, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Baylor University

Friday, Oct. 26

13th Annual Hankamer Business Ethics Case Competition – open to Baylor Business undergraduate and graduate student teams

M.B.A. Ethics Luncheon: "Which Ethics? AI Ethics in Light of Micah 6:8"
Time: 11:30 a.m. (by invitation only)
Location: Paul and Jane Meyer Conference Center, Foster 250
Speaker: George Montañez, assistant professor of computer science, Harvey Mudd College

Panel Discussion: “Theology of AI for Business”
Time: 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Location: McClinton Auditorium, Foster 240
Participants: Paul Golata, engineer, adjunct professor and author; Brandon Lackey, co-founder of Drone Pilots Network; Robert Verrill, Dominican priest and Baylor philosophy doctoral candidate
Moderator: Rebecca A. Kennedy, assistant dean for spiritual life and missions, Baylor University

Thursday, Nov. 1 – Friday, Nov. 2

Ethics SLAM Competition – Preliminary Round
Business 1101 students compete in the Ethics SLAM Competition, the purpose of which is to make students aware of the importance of being prepared for everyday ethical challenges and to develop useful skills to handle these situations.

Tuesday, Nov. 6

Keynote: “The Ethics of AI…How Hard Can That Be?” by Michael Stewart, chairman and CEO of Lucid
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Paul and Jane Meyer Conference Center, Foster 250

Thursday, Nov. 8

Keynote: “AI and Our Well-being” by Donna Harris, co-founder of 1776
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Paul and Jane Meyer Conference Center, Foster 250

Thursday, Nov. 8 - Friday, Nov. 9

12th Annual M.B.A. National Case Competition in Ethical Leadership
Participating Universities: Auburn University, Baylor University, Brigham Young University, Iowa State University, Louisiana State University, Oklahoma State University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, University of Georgia, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh

Friday, Nov. 9

Ben Williams Distinguished Speaker Series Luncheon: “New Frontiers for Ethical Leadership” by Drayton McLane, Jr., chairman, McLane Group
Time: 11:30 a.m. (by invitation only)
Location: Paul and Jane Meyer Conference Center, Foster 250

Thursday, Nov. 15 – Friday, Nov. 16

Ethics SLAM Competition – Finals Round
A set of finalists from Business 1101 respond to scenarios representing everyday ethical challenges. An audience vote determines who earns the top awards in this live competition.

Dale P. Jones Business Forum sponsors include The Dale P. Jones Ethics Endowment; The Barnabas Foundation; ConocoPhillips; The Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business Endowment; and The James S. Kemper Foundation.

For more information and speaker biographies, visit the Dale P. Jones Business Ethics Forum website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business provides a rigorous academic experience, consisting of classroom and hands-on learning, guided by Christian commitment and a global perspective. Recognized nationally for several programs, including entrepreneurship and accounting, the school offers 24 undergraduate and 13 graduate areas of study. Visit www.baylor.edu/business and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Baylor_Business.