2026 Sewell Social Justice Lecture: AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation

Sylvester Johnson explores AI as a force that can entrench systemic control or catalyze human agency. Lecture 1pm; Optional Workshop 3pm. Register here! AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation: Lecture: 1-2:30 pm Join us in person to explore how AI can be both a force of control and a powerful ally in the fight for freedom. Dr. Johnson will dive into the ways technology shapes society, from surveillance to activism, and discuss how to harness AI for positive change. Optional Workshop: 3-4:30 pm Please join us for Dr. Johnson’s optional workshop after the lecture. We’ll explore more deeply the implications of AI for social justice and identify ways to take action in our communities. Summary: AI introduces profound risks to privacy, the integrity of information, and collective well-being. We will critically examine the tension between state-sponsored surveillance, which poses an existential threat to civil liberties, and the rise of democratized civic technology fueled by the plummeting costs of computing and expanding access to information. Ultimately, Dr. Johnson details the building of an automated infrastructure of oppression and how we can leverage these powerful tools to create a new era of resistance and liberation. Event link: https://www.firstunitarianportland.org/event/2026-sewell/

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