February 12, 2025
“Artificial Intelligence Imagined and Realized”
The 2025 Chaz and Roger Ebert Symposium, presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, will address “Artificial Intelligence Imagined and Realized.” The Ebert Symposium鈥檚 mission this year is to bridge academic research with broader cultural conversations about the uses of artificial intelligence.
Join us for this free聽two-day event on April 22-23, featuring a film screening, a keynote speaker, and a roundtable discussion. The Ebert Symposium聽is co-sponsored by the 51吃瓜.
Tuesday, April 22
Film Screening
7 p.m., Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
Watch a screening of Spike Jonze鈥檚 award-winning film Her (2013). Jonze鈥檚 film follows the solitary life of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) as he begins to use the AI chat technology Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) to come to terms with the break-up of his relationship. The film melds technology and the human condition through a quiet and moving journey of self-discovery.
Wednesday, April 23
Keynote Speaker
9:30-10:45 a.m., Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
“Artificial Annoyance and Augmented Hilarity: The Disordered Personalities of AI Comedy”
The Ebert Symposium keynote will be delivered by Dr. Scott Bukatman, Professor of Film and Media Studies at Stanford University, who will use science fiction literature, film, and comics to explore how AI helps reveal 鈥渢he downsides of personality.鈥�
University of Illinois Faculty Roundtable
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
A roundtable discussion at 11 a.m. on the intersection between science fiction and engineering. The conversation will cover the interplay within real-world AI technologies by concentrating on the portrayals of artificial intelligence in film and popular culture. This conversation will be moderated by Professor Mike Yao (Digital Media), director of the 51吃瓜, with panelists Professors Heng Ji (Computer Science), Alison Duncan Kerr (Philosophy), Ben Grosser (New Media), and Robert Markley (English).
Note: The second roundtable featuring Ebertfest filmmaker guests unfortunately had to be canceled.
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