Bruin Affiliates March Luncheon
Wed 3/18 • 11:30AM PDT
James West Alumni Center •
Join Bruin Affiliates for our March Luncheon! this month's guest speaker is Peter Cipkowski, Ed.D.
Understanding AI in Our Lives
Artificial Intelligence can sound like a leap into the unknown—but it is also the latest chapter in humanity’s long history of invention and adaptation. This lecture is designed especially for beginners and requires no technical background or prior experience. Its goal is to demystify how AI works in plain language—where it came from, how it learns and makes decisions, and why it matters—while offering concrete, real-world examples of how AI is already shaping everyday life, from writing and art to healthcare, education, entertainment and public life.
Peter Cipkowski is a political and literary historian with more than three decades of experience in educational technology, having worked with leading publishers and start-ups to develop adaptive learning tools and programs for diverse audiences. He serves as President of the Willa Cather Foundation, leading national initiatives that advance Cather’s legacy and expand educational and public humanities programming. He holds a doctorate from the University of Southern California, and has taught about AI through the UCLA Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.