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Specialized Research at USC

USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study

Events and Exhibitions

Event

Polymathic Pizza: The Polymathic Salon ~ Open Community, Open Conversation

Time: 5pm

Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, DML 241

Add to Calendar Polymathic Pizza: The Polymathic Salon ~ Open Community, Open Conversation 05:00 pm 06:30 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Event

Sora

Time: noon

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar Sora OpenAI&#039;s Sora is an advanced AI video generation platform that leverages cutting-edge machine learning techniques to create realistic and dynamic video content. AI video generation platforms like Sora will transform media production, clearly. But perhaps more importantly, they represent a new way for machines to ‘understand’ the world. While Large Language Models produce human-like language, AI video generation platforms, in order to create highly realistic videos, utilize advanced machine learning to build up a nuanced understanding of how objects and environments should naturally behave. This comprehensive General World Model enables them to accurately predict and simulate complex physical interactions within a scene, ensuring that the generated content is both convincing and true to real-world physics.<br /> <br /> Topics for discussion during this conversation might include: What are the potential benefits and challenges of using AI-generated video content? To what extent can General World Models be said to &quot;understand&quot; the physical world, and how does this differ from human understanding? How might biases in the training data for General World Models (akin to that of Large Language Models) affect their ability to accurately and ethically simulate the world? 12:00 pm 01:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Event

Quadrants 1 and 2

Time: 5pm

Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, DML 241

Add to Calendar Quadrants 1 and 2 05:00 pm 07:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Event

AI Companionship

Time: noon

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar AI Companionship Sherry Turkle, an MIT sociologist of technology and psychologist, has called our increasing reliance on chatbots for companionship, “the greatest assault on empathy.” Dubbed ‘artificial intimacy,’ she and others have bemoaned the way these technologies create illusions of companionship without the challenges and rewards of real human interaction, potentially diminishing our ability to empathize with others and undermining the development of meaningful interpersonal relationships. Still, AI companionship offers direct benefits such as providing consistent and personalized emotional support and companionship to individuals who may feel isolated, offering a non-judgmental and accessible platform for interaction.<br /> <br /> Topics for discussion during this conversation might include: What are the potential long-term psychological impacts of relying on AI companionship? How might it influence how we relate to other humans and alter what we expect of them? What is so appealing about AI companionship and the emotional support of chatbots and AI avatars? Is the swift current adoption of AI companionship by many the direct result of our growing dependency on technology for social interaction in the past few decades? 12:00 pm 01:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Workshops

Workshop

Intro to Image Editing with Photoshop

Time: 3pm

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar Intro to Image Editing with Photoshop Learn the basics of photo editing with Photoshop, including a brief look at the history and context of the practice. Attendees will get to meet other polymaths, receive a short demonstration, and start practicing their photoshop skills with a guided challenge.<br /> <br /> A key skill in the modern digital age, image editing is used everywhere, from advertising, digital art, meme-making, resume-making, and much more. Both in and out of industry, Adobe’s Photoshop has become the premier tool for image editing, while new features continue to put it at the forefront of the discipline. <br /> <br /> Join us at the Ahmanson Lab for a hands-on workshop that will welcome students of all backgrounds.<br /> 03:00 pm 04:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Workshop

Intro to Image Editing with Photoshop

Time: 3pm

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar Intro to Image Editing with Photoshop Learn the basics of photo editing with Photoshop, including a brief look at the history and context of the practice. Attendees will get to meet other polymaths, receive a short demonstration, and start practicing their photoshop skills with a guided challenge.<br /> <br /> A key skill in the modern digital age, image editing is used everywhere, from advertising, digital art, meme-making, resume-making, and much more. Both in and out of industry, Adobe’s Photoshop has become the premier tool for image editing, while new features continue to put it at the forefront of the discipline. <br /> <br /> Join us at the Ahmanson Lab for a hands-on workshop that will welcome students of all backgrounds.<br /> 03:00 pm 04:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Workshop

Intro to Vector Graphics with Illustrator

Time: 3pm

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar Intro to Vector Graphics with Illustrator Learn the basics of vector graphic design with Illustrator, including a brief look at the history and context of the practice. Attendees will get to meet other polymaths, receive a short demonstration, and start practicing their design skills with a guided challenge.<br /> <br /> Graphic Design is an interdisciplinary field where art meets technology, and vector graphics are a clear example of that. Vector graphics are infinitely scalable, geometric computer graphics that are often preferred in engineering, architecture, logo design, branding, and typography. For this, Adobe Illustrator is an industry standard tool.<br /> <br /> Join us at the Ahmanson Lab for a hands-on workshop that will welcome students of all backgrounds.<br /> 03:00 pm 04:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public

Workshop

Intro to 3D Modeling with Blender

Time: 3pm

Ahmanson Lab | Leavey Library, 3rd floor (LVL 301)

Add to Calendar Intro to 3D Modeling with Blender Learn the basics of 3D Modeling with Blender, including a brief look at the history and context of the practice. Attendees will get to meet other polymaths, receive a short demonstration, and start practicing their modeling skills with a guided challenge.<br /> <br /> Used everywhere from engineering, graphic design, game development, heritage conservation, and film, 3D modeling is a powerful and versatile tool in the digital landscape. Blender is a free and open source tool that has gained significant support and traction in recent years, now even competing with industry-standard tools like Maya and 3ds Max. <br /> <br /> Join us at the Ahmanson Lab for a hands-on workshop that will welcome students of all backgrounds.<br /> 03:00 pm 04:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public