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torontosri.bsky.social
Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
@torontosri.bsky.social
Integrative research. Human-centred solutions. We're a U of T institute working to ensure that powerful technologies make the world better—for everyone.
🤖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...
January 27, 2026 at 4:20 PM
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...
SRI Presents Empire of AI: Karen Hao — Schwartz Reisman Institute
Join us for this in-person event as Karen Hao draws on her global reporting and insider access to discuss the implications of AI’s rapid deployment, the erosion of democratic norms, and the need to ...
srinstitute.utoronto.ca
January 22, 2026 at 3:47 PM
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...
January 19, 2026 at 4:49 PM
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
January 12, 2026 at 3:26 PM
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...
January 7, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton is advancing his AI Safety advocacy work through @torontosri.bsky.social, thanks to a generous gift from the Good Ventures foundation.

Learn more: bit.ly/4aPgHcK
January 7, 2026 at 2:48 PM
✨ 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.”
December 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
✨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
Therapy bots: Regulating the future of AI-enabled mental health support — Schwartz Reisman Institute
AI therapy chatbots promise accessible mental health support—but without proper oversight, they risk misleading users and causing harm. The Schwartz Reisman Institute’s new policy brief outlines how C...
tinyurl.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
✨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
December 18, 2025 at 8:51 PM
✨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
December 18, 2025 at 8:50 PM
✨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...
David Duvenaud reflects on post-AGI workshop — Schwartz Reisman Institute
SRI Chair David Duvenaud shares reflections from the Post-AGI workshop, highlighting the value of diverse perspectives and the challenges of envisioning post-AGI trajectories.
srinstitute.utoronto.ca
December 17, 2025 at 3:33 PM
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/...
Standing up for science
UofTMed Magazine
uoftmedmagazine.utoronto.ca
December 17, 2025 at 2:50 PM
✨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
December 16, 2025 at 9:42 PM
✨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
December 15, 2025 at 9:02 PM
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...
Call for 2026 Schwartz Reisman Institute Graduate Fellows now open — Schwartz Reisman Institute
The Schwartz Reisman Institute is now accepting applications for its 2026 Graduate Fellowships, supporting U of T researchers advancing responsible, human-centred approaches to AI and emerging technol...
srinstitute.utoronto.ca
December 15, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
What makes an AI a good companion? 🤖
Join Brad Knox from UT Austin on Jan. 28 for a deep dive into reinforcement learning, human feedback and the traits that shape socially interactive AI agents.

Register now for @torontosri.bsky.social's Seminar Series: www.eventbrite.ca/e/sri-semina...
December 12, 2025 at 3:04 PM
✨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...
December 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
✨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
December 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
✨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...
December 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
✨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...
Democracy rewired: Safeguarding democratic values in the age of AI — Schwartz Reisman Institute
An essay series by the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. This series is authored by the policy team at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at the University...
srinstitute.utoronto.ca
December 9, 2025 at 9:51 PM
✨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
srinstitute.utoronto.ca
December 8, 2025 at 7:52 PM
✨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...
December 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
🗳️ 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
November 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
🗳️ 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
November 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
📢 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-...
Lucy Suchman | Closed worlds and the constitutive outsides of artificial intelligence
YouTube video by Schwartz Reisman Institute
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:48 PM