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- Location
- 5707 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, 60637
- Date
- Oct 12, 2026
- Time
- 12:00pm – 1:15pm CST
- Program Pritzker Fellows Seminars
THIS SEMINAR IS OPEN TO CURRENT UCHICAGO STUDENTS ONLY
Monday, October 12
12:00 - 1:15 pm
This opening session establishes a shared foundation for the rest of the seminar. What are modern AI systems, how do they work, why have capabilities advanced so quickly, and what should we make of forecasts about future progress? The session will introduce key concepts including machine learning, foundation models, generative AI, agents, and autonomy, with an emphasis on the level of technical understanding needed to engage seriously with policy and strategy questions. We’ll also explore one of the seminar's central themes: uncertainty. Governments increasingly must make decisions today based on expectations about what AI may be capable of tomorrow. Understanding the competing forecasts about AI's future (and the assumptions underlying them) is therefore essential to understanding the national security challenges and opportunities that will be discussed throughout the seminar.
Key Questions
What distinguishes modern foundation models from earlier forms of AI?
Why have capabilities advanced so quickly?
What are the key inputs to AI progress?
How should policymakers think about uncertainty and forecasting?
Special Guest: Dean Ball (via Zoom), Head of Strategic Futures at OpenAI
Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact the IOP Fellows Team at iopfellows@uchicago.edu.