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This week we hosted two library workshops. The first, led by Zahra, was a hands-on session where participants learnt how to create effective prompts that lead to useful AI responses.

The second, delivered by Peter, was an introduction to the recent phenomenon of generative artificial intelligence, including tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. In this workshop he discussed ’the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ of today’s AI tools and some advice in navigating the AI landscape.

This week, Ontario Tech launched the Mindful Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (MAIRI), a new, interdisciplinary hub that positions Canada at the forefront of ethical, people-first AI. The institute is tasked with a thoughtful, intentional and inclusive approach to AI research and innovation that supports humanity and global flourishing.

Following on from ACSOS, Peter, Nathan and Stavros, travelled down to Kyoto for the Artificial Life Conference.

Here, Stavros presented the summary: The institution bootstrapping problem and the psychological roots of institutions at the ALIFE & SOCIETY IX special session, describing how by incorporating perception into evolutionary game theory, an unlikely solution to the institution bootstrapping problem emerges.

A productive start to 2025 culminated in multiple accepted works at the 6th IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS).

Kicking off the week at the 12th International Workshop on Self-Improving System Integration (SISSY'25):

This week, Master’s student Ainaz Alavi performed in Meladramma-AI, the world’s first AI adaptation of an opera.

Premiered at Ontario Tech University’s historic Regent Theatre in Oshawa on September 21, Meladramma-AI brought together live singers, dancers, concert pianist and AI-driven creativity to transform opera for a new century.

This week, Peter was interviewed by CBC Radio to discuss how AI-powered glasses are helping people with vision loss navigate the world around them.

Peter weighed in on the price of independence and the limitations of such technologies, highlighting the importance for end-users to be aware of the risks, noting that AI systems will and do fail sometimes, and that people need to be able to make informed trust decisions in different situations. He argued that with current technology, users are often presented with a false choice between privacy and independence, and that technology need not be designed in this way. Peter concludes his interview with a hopeful future for assistive technologies, suggesting focus ought to be placed on inclusive design to empower individuals toward fluid and independent lives.

This week, Nathan, Zahra, and Ainaz delivered a workshop entitled *Beating an AI Wizard: Can You Get AI to Tell You the Secret Password?  for Oshawa Public Libraries.

The aim of this workshop was to defeat an AI Wizard who holds a series of passwords. Before tackling the grand challenge, participants first explored concepts of Artificial Intellgience, Large Language Models, Guardrails and Prompt Engineering. They were introduced to a range of case-studies that highlight the gaps in security, and completed an activity to foster their jailbreaking skills, all in effort of bolstering their chances of taking down Gandalf!