Edison Public Library
Where is AI in 2026 and Where is it Going?
2026-06-13 11:00:00
2026-06-13 12:30:00
America/New_York
Where is AI in 2026 and Where is it Going?
In the past 8 months, AI has advanced at a pace that stunned even leading experts. These systems aren’t science fiction anymore—they’re reshaping work, relationships, and even crime.
Main Library - Meeting Room
Saturday, June 13
11:00am - 12:30pm
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2026-06-13 11:00:00
2026-06-13 12:30:00
America/New_York
Where is AI in 2026 and Where is it Going?
In the past 8 months, AI has advanced at a pace that stunned even leading experts. These systems aren’t science fiction anymore—they’re reshaping work, relationships, and even crime.
Main Library - Meeting Room
Main Library
Meeting RoomIn the past 8 months, AI has advanced at a pace that stunned even leading experts. These systems aren’t science fiction anymore—they’re reshaping work, relationships, and even crime.
This workshop explores where AI may be in the next 1–5 years and what that means for your daily life. Together, we’ll tackle urgent questions like:
- Jobs: Could AI lead to mass unemployment—or entirely new kinds of work?
- Crime: How might AI supercharge scams, hacking, and even physical crime?
- Companions: Will people form deep emotional bonds—or even romantic relationships—with AI assistants?
- Society: How do top researchers think these trends will shape our future?
What you’ll get:
- A fast-paced, beginner-friendly overview of today’s most powerful AI systems
- Live demos that reveal both the breakthroughs and the risks
- An interactive forecasting exercise where you’ll test your own predictions about AI’s impact
Come ready to explore a future arriving faster than most people realize—one that could transform not just how we work, but how we trust, connect, and even love.
Open to adults. Registration is suggested but not required and begins June 1.
Please note this is a hybrid event. Attendees are welcome to attend in person in the upper level meeting room at the Main Library or to join remotely via Google Meet.
About our presenter
Changlin Li, Executive Director of the AI Safety Awareness Project, began his career at the Systemized Intelligence Lab at Bridgewater Associates for 5 years before joining Vowel.com (now acquired by Zapier) as a founding engineer for 4 years. Along the way he did a stint at the Recurse Center in New York City studying formal verification of software and then another stint at the Recurse Center with a focus on modern AI and AI safety. He holds an A.B. in Mathematics with a Secondary Concentration in Comparative Religion from Harvard University.
About our partner
The AI Safety Awareness Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded on the belief that a safe AI future is one where the traditional pillars of U.S. society have a seat at the table in deciding the direction of AI. The AI Safety Awareness Project (AISAP) want to be there for the first step: education and skills-building, so that Americans have the necessary expertise and awareness to direct our AI future. They run workshops and education programs for a variety of community groups and public institutions including law enforcement agencies, libraries, churches, universities, as well as the general public. AISAP partners with industry experts to inform organizations about frontier AI research and developments, including topics as diverse as workforce augmentation and displacement, AI agents and companions, cybercrime, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), and loss of control risk.
For more information about AISAP, please visit https://aisafetyawarenessproject.org/
Main Library
Hours
About the branch
The Main Library on Plainfield Avenue next to the Edison Train Station. The library offers an extensive children’s room, a Meeting Room/Event Space, and a dedicated Maker Space.