We are all scared of the robots overtaking us. Is this a gross generalization? Of course. But if horror movies (*cough* M3GAN) have offered us any insight into humankind, it’s that a lot of us are a little bit skeptical of what has been dubbed artificial intelligence (AI) even though we use it every day, from opening our phones with facial recognition to asking Alexa to play our favorite jams. In most cases, you could even say we take AI for granted without truly understanding what it is or how it works. That’s what the Museum of Science & History is seeking to rectify, with two new exhibitions opening this week: “Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & the Machine” and “Web of Innovation: AI in Memphis.”
The “Artificial Intelligence” exhibition has traveled throughout the country and features interactive displays that will demonstrate, for instance, how a computer recognizes faces or how a self-driving vehicle navigates a street. “It really tries to explain how the human brain and how computers interact in the world, and how our brains and AI will work in the future,” says Raka Nandi, director of exhibits and collections. “Visitors will learn about the history of AI, what it is, what it isn’t. … AI is really the way in which we try to make machines behave and think like humans.”
To accompany the traveling exhibition, MoSH has also curated “Web of Innovation,” which highlights the use of AI technology among local entrepreneurs and researchers, such as those at the Institute for Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and even FedEx. “We tend to think that all of this is happening on the West Coast, but right here in Memphis there are innovators who are doing a lot of good stuff that is making the city better,” Nandi says. “We’re hoping that the local component, as well as the traveling one, inspires young people to focus on career-connected learning and to really think about how AI is part of their daily world and also how it’ll be a big part of their life in the future.”
Nandi adds that the museum hopes people of all ages will see and enjoy the exhibit with all its interactives that make complex ideas much more accessible (and fun). Prior to working on these exhibitions, Nandi admits that even she didn’t know much about AI. “I think we all feel like we understand AI, but we don’t,” she says.
By the time visitors leave the exhibits, Nandi hopes that they will also consider philosophical questions that might be raised. “Machines are using complex mathematical equations to recognize things, to make decisions,” she says. “But it’s just that — it’s math. It’s not a moral code. It’s not societal cues; it’s not social cues. Those are all human ways of thinking that cannot be mimicked by a machine.”
“Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & the Machine” and “Web of Innovation: AI in Memphis,” Museum of Science & History, Sunday, January 22 – May 6.
