Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Integrative research. Human-centred solutions. We're a U of T institute working to ensure that powerful technologies make the world better—for everyone.
- How does AI change how we create knowledge? SRI Faculty Affiliate @paologranata.bsky.social discusses his new book Generative Knowledge, arguing that AI should be understood as a co-creative partner—reshaping learning, research, and creativity itself. srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2026-pa...
- Read SRI Faculty Affiliate @travislacroix.bsky.social on why AI alignment both a technical and political problem. In a recent interview, LaCroix discusses his new book and what it means to align AI with justice, power, and community. 🔗 Read more: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2026-tr...
- A new paper co-authored by SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social examines “gradual disempowerment”: how incremental AI deployment could steadily reduce human influence over the economy, culture, and the state—without a single abrupt takeover. 80000Hours feature: 80000hours.org/podcast/epis...
- ⏰Reminder: Applications for the 2026 SRI Graduate Fellowships close Feb 8. U of T grad students researching the social impacts of technology are encouraged to apply. 📄 Read the call + apply: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2026-ca...
- 🤖This week in the SRI Seminar Series, @bradknox.bsky.social (@utaustin.bsky.social): “Harmful traits of AI companions.” What risks emerge when people form bonded relationships with AI—and how do design choices shape those harms? 📅 Wed Jan 28 | 12:30–2 PM 🔗 www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- A handful of companies. Unprecedented resources. Global consequences. Join us March 11th at @utoronto.ca for an in-person conversation with @karenhao.bsky.social, author of the NYT bestseller Empire of AI. 🎟️ Tickets available now: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/events-archi...
- This week in the SRI Seminar Series: Saadia Gabriel (UCLA) “Human in the machine: Towards community-grounded AI reasoning.” How do we align LLMs with human and community values in high-stakes settings? 🗓️ Wed, January 21 -- 12:30–2:00 p.m. 🔗 www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- This week in the Winter 2026 SRI Seminar Series: @saffron.bsky.social, “Beyond the benchmark.” Why do standard AI benchmarks fail to capture real-world impact—and how can we do better? 📅 Wednesday, January 14 ⏰ 12:30–2:00 p.m. 🔗 www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina... #AI #AIGovernance #ResponsibleAI
- New op-ed: SRI Executive Director Monique Crichlow reflects on Canada's AI strategy—and why science must stay at the heart of AI policy, not just adoption and growth. Read more: sciencepolicy.ca/posts/ai-and...
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- ✨ 12 Days of SRI! Day 12 ✨ We close 2025 reflecting on 🇨🇦 Prime Minister @mark-carney.bsky.social's visit to the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, emphasizing Canada’s pivotal role in shaping AI’s future. His message: “Build boldly, stay true to our values, & steward AI for the public good.”
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 11✨ Can AI chatbots safely act as “therapists”—or are users being misled by a dangerous regulatory gap? This year, SRI outlined why urgent action is needed—and what smart regulation could look like. 📘 Read the policy brief: tinyurl.com/5bxcfh7n
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 10✨ Celebrating Bruce Schneier, SRIs visiting senior policy fellow, who joined our community to advance work on digital trust, governance & the future of AI. Read his AI & Trust talk + our interview 📘Talk: tinyurl.com/2zb5j9zw 🗂️Interview: tinyurl.com/4mwyxfr2
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 8✨ Celebrating Bruce Schneier, SRIs visiting senior policy fellow, who joined our community to advance work on digital trust, governance & the future of AI. Read his AI & Trust talk + our interview 📘Talk: tinyurl.com/2zb5j9zw 🗂️Interview: tinyurl.com/4mwyxfr2
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 9✨ This year SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social advanced work on dangerous capability evaluations, post-AGI futures, and impacts of rapidly improving AI. 📘Post-AGI workshop srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/agiwork... 📰 Op-ed in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...
- Deepfakes are getting harder to spot—and easier to weaponize. SRI Faculty Affiliate Shion Guha shares cues: “too perfect” faces, impossible visual glitches, and audio that’s slightly off. @uoftcompsci.bsky.social @uoftmedicine.bsky.social uoftmedmagazine.utoronto.ca/2026-winter/...
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 8✨ SRI Research Lead Sheila McIlraith was named a 2025 AI2050 Senior Fellow by @schmidtsciences.bsky.social ences, recognizing her leadership in human-compatible AI. Read more: tinyurl.com/ycyhbjcy @uoftcompsci.bsky.social
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 7✨ SRI experts visited Paris this year to strengthen international action towards AI; at the Paris AI Action summit, Research Lead Beth Coleman led the roundtable discussion “Building Trust in AI: A Multifaceted Approach.” 📺 Recap: tinyurl.com/bddssezh
- Join SRI’s interdisciplinary community of scholars shaping the future of technology & society. The 2026 Graduate Fellowship call is now live. 📄 Apply by Feb 8, 2026: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2026-ca...
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- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 6✨ The 2025 SRI Seminar Series brought together researchers from across disciplines to unpack the year’s biggest AI questions. Catch up on the conversations shaping the future of AI: www.youtube.com/@SchwartzRei...
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 5✨ Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2025 gathered researchers & policymakers at U of T to explore the future of AI governance, safety, and accountability. 📽️ Watch conference videos: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/absolut... #AI #AISafety #AIGovernance #AIResearch #AIEthics
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 4✨ SRI Director David Lie joined global experts at the @un.org workshop on responsible AI for peace & security. Highlights: robotics in defense, ethics in engineering (E3I), and the need for global coordination on AI safety. 🌍: security.csl.toronto.edu/blog/2025/05...
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 3✨ AI is reshaping the foundations of democracy. This year, SRI’s policy team examined how AI is transforming rights, governance, civic life, and sovereignty—and what it will take to ensure democratic values endure. 📘: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/democracy-re...
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 2✨ At this year’s Technophilosophy Soiree, scholars and community members explored one of AI’s most human questions: can we have genuine relationships with AI companions? 🎥 Watch: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/technop... @karinavold.bsky.social @uoftcompsci.bsky.social
- ✨12 Days of SRI! Day 1✨ 2025 was a milestone year for Geoffrey Hinton! Highlights included: 👑 Awarded the 2025 @qeprize.bsky.social Prize for Engineering: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2025-hi... 📻 Featured on @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social with Jon Stewart : www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrK3...
- 🗳️ Today at 12:30 PM: @semrasevi.bsky.social vi (U of T / Munk School) “Chatbot voting advice applications inform but seldom sway young unaligned voters.” AI can teach voters—but can it persuade them? 🔗: www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina... #AI #Democracy #CivicTech #UofT
- 🗳️ This week in the fall SRI Seminar Series: @semrasevi.bsky.social (U of T / Munk School) “Chatbot voting advice applications inform but seldom sway young unaligned voters.” 📅 Wed, Nov 26 | 12:30–2 PM (online) 🔗https://tinyurl.com/2zttdx6c
- 📢 Week 7 of the fall SRI Seminar Series has arrived on VOD. 🗣️ Talk: Lucy Suchman, “Closed worlds and the constitutive outsides of artificial intelligence” 🎙️ Moderator: Sheila McIlraith, @uoftcompsci.bsky.social 📼 Watch the full recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_4-...
- @mark-carney.bsky.social visited U of T, meeting with @vectorinstitute.ai and SRI researchers. He highlighted Canada’s historic investment in AI development, oversight, and stewardship—and the need for all Canadians to “take care of each other.” 📷 with SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social
- 🔔 Week 6 of the fall SRI Seminar Series has arrived on VOD. 🗣️ Talk: Peter Salib (@uhlaw.bsky.social): AI rights for human safety 🎙️ Moderator: @theannasu.bsky.social, @uoftlaw.bsky.social 📼 Watch the full recording: youtu.be/ZPSQdskoA9Q?...
- AI therapy bots are on the rise. ✅ Can lower barriers to care ❌ Can fail in moments of crisis Our new brief outlines recommendations for how to close the regulatory gap before harm outweighs potential benefits. srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/2025-th...
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- 📢 ICYMI: “There will be systems much smarter than us that may not be aligned with us.” — David Duvenaud Read our recap and watch the full SRI Seminar on dangerous capability evaluations, AI safety, and alignment: tinyurl.com/yj9bm5f4 #AI #AIsafety #Alignment #UofT @davidduvenaud.bsky.social
- 💡This week in the SRI Seminar Series: Lucy Suchman (Lancaster) — “Closed worlds and the constitutive outsides of artificial intelligence” 📆 Wed, Nov 5 - 12:30-2:00 PM ET | Free online 🔗 www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina... Moderator: Sheila McIlraith, @uoftcompsci.bsky.social
- 📣 Week 5 of the fall SRI Seminar Series has arrived on VOD SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social (University of Toronto Department of Computer Science, @vectorinstitute.ai) for “The big picture of LLM dangerous capability evals.” 🎙️Moderator: Sheila McIlraith 📼 Watch here: youtu.be/zvIN7PnVuy4?...
- Global security expert Bruce Schneier joins SRI and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy as a visiting senior policy fellow. His work on AI, trust, and governance will help shape how we build secure, human-centred technologies. 🔗 Read more: srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/technop...
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- 🖥️ Video of @rcalo.bsky.social's SRI Seminar Series talk is now online. In “Law and technology: A methodical approach”, Calo explores how law can navigate the unique challenges posed by technology. 📼 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFX1...
- What does AI ethics look like beyond Silicon Valley? 🌏 Join Ishtiaque Ahmed (@uoftcompsci.bsky.social) as he explores how communities across the Global South shape—and challenge—the ethics of AI. 📅 Nov 12 🔗https://www.youtube.com/live/jLpOB2Q9KzI?si=15cL21POyOsRAEYI @uoftethics.bsky.social
- Day 1 of Who’s Afraid of AI? kicks off today at the University of Toronto. We’re proud to support this conference exploring the social, ethical, and creative implications of AI, featuring SRI Advisory Board member Geoffrey Hinton’s keynote. toronto2025.ai
- ⏰Today in the fall SRI Seminar Series! 12:30-2:00 PM ET🔹Peter Salib (@uhlaw.bsky.social): AI rights for human safety Moderator: @theannasu.bsky.social, @uoftlaw.bsky.social Join live → www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- It’s almost here. Who’s Afraid of AI? (Oct. 23–24 at the University of Toronto) will bring together a range of scholars, artists, and researchers for a rare interdisciplinary conversation about the futures of intelligence. 🔗Join the waitlist: tinyurl.com/bdjsdycm
- 📢 This week in the SRI Seminar Series: @petersalib.bsky.social on "AI rights for human safety" 📅 Wednesday, Oct 22 | 12:30 ET | Online 🎤 Moderator: @theannasu.bsky.social, @uoftlaw.bsky.social 🔗 www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- 📼 Video of Anastasia Kuzminykh’s fall SRI Seminar Series session is now online! 💡 In “The power of discussion: Designing useful communication with AI agents”, Kuzminykh discusses the role of conversation architecture in supporting efficient human-AI collaboration. ▶️ Watch: youtu.be/fpL546QeAlE
- 🗓️ Today at 12:30 PM ET! Join SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social for “The big picture of LLM dangerous capability evals.” This special seminar is co-hosted with @uoftcompsci.bsky.social’s C.C. “Kelly” Gotlieb Distinguished Lecture Series. 🔗 Register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- Video of Hamsa Bastani’s fall SRI Seminar Series session is now online! In “Unpacking the unintended consequences of AI in education”, Bastani shares the results from the first large-scale field experiment deploying generative AI tutors in high school math classrooms. ▶️ Watch: youtu.be/YjkfsKzoNJE
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- SRI Advisory Board member Geoffrey Hinton appeared on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart to discuss where AI stands—and where it might lead us. “AI: What Could Go Wrong? with Geoffrey Hinton” is live now. ▶ Listen here 👇 link.chtbl.com/AIWhatCouldG... @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social
- Canada helped shape the AI revolution. Now it’s time to ask: how can AI serve humanity’s future? SRI is a proud sponsor of Who’s Afraid of AI? (Oct. 23–24 at U of T), bringing the debate to centre stage. Register 👉 bmolab.artsci.utoronto.ca?page_id=4423
- The fall SRI Seminar Series continues TODAY at 12:30 PM ET with @rcalo.bsky.social (@uwlaw.bsky.social). "Law and technology — a methodical approach" Join live → www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
- What comes after AGI? SRI Chair @davidduvenaud.bsky.social convened leading researchers & policymakers to explore possible futures beyond artificial general intelligence—and why no one yet has a plausible path where human interests remain protected. tinyurl.com/yrs5cj79 @uoftcompsci.bsky.social
- 💡Up next in the fall SRI Seminar Series: @rcalo.bsky.social (@uwlaw.bsky.social) — “Law and technology: A methodical approach” Wed, Oct 8 12:30 PM ET | Free online 🔗https://tinyurl.com/3rsnvcbc
- Can AI be a friend? At the third Technophilosophy Soirée, led by @karinavold.bsky.social, SRI brought together scholars to ask how AI companionship is changing the way we connect, empathize and understand each other. 🎥→ tinyurl.com/ys4wdzeb #AIethics @minzlicht.bsky.social @uoftethics.bsky.social
- 📢 The recording of Jeff Clune’s fall SRI Seminar Series session is now online! In “Open-ended and AI-generating algorithms in the era of foundation models”, Clune shows how foundation models can power open-ended discovery and lifelong learning. ▶️ Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIHA...
