Free talk: The crisis of human collective decision-making in a social media world (Professor Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington)
- Tue 10 February 2026
- 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Online and in person
University of Otago
Archway 3 Lecture Theatre
Dunedin
Zoom details:
Meeting ID: 918 8123 2652
Password: 974314
Individually and collectively, we have evolved to scour our natural and social environments for useful information and social connection. What happens when the scale of human communication is radically transformed in the span of a generation, and our mechanisms for creating collective understanding are upended? What happens when this entire process is engineered by machine learning algorithms to get people to click on advertisements? What happens when large language models such as ChatGPT enter this global conversation with massive volumes of customised text indistinguishable from that produced by humans?
In this talk, Professor Carl Bergstrom will look at what social media and information technology more generally are doing to society; consider how we ended up here; examine where AI chatbots are taking us; and explore some possible suggestions for what we can do about it all.
Carl Bergstrom is a Professor of Biology at the University of Washington. Trained in mathematical evolutionary biology, he studies how information flows across biology, science, and society – from communication and genomic information to the influence of scientific institutions and large-scale networks. Recently, his work has focused on social media, AI, and the spread of disinformation.