VCARA Lecture 10/30/18: AI Bot “Professor/Librarian” Combats Fake News

VCARA Blog

Published: September 19, 2018 by Alyse Dunavant-Jones

Join VCARA and archivist Shannon Bohle (Archivist Llewellyn in Second Life) for a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot lecture on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 @ 6pm SLT (Pacific).

This event will take place at the VCARA Amphitheatre on the iSchool Island in Second Life (SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SJSU%20SLIS/47/83/33).
We will also simulcast the event in Zoom for those who cannot join us in Second Life: https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/926315807

Shannon’s AI bot, Plutchik, will give a demonstration lecture entitled “Astronauts and DNA: Twin Studies are Just the Beginning”. Plutchik will discuss a NASA-conducted DNA study using twin astronauts. When reporting results of the study, NASA made a serious error that was repeated by many major news organizations such that the error, many would say, graduated to “fake news”.
Plutchik will explain this error, teach the audience about the actual science called epigenomics, and suggest ways that AI (like itself) could be used to help combat fake news in the future.

Plutchik is the first AI agent to deliver a fully automated lecture like a professor. This includes delivering a talk in voice, changing slides, initiating videos, using appropriate gestures and facial expressions, and using 3D educational objects during a talk.
For a preview of Plutchik in action, check out the video: Plutchik Bot Demo, Emotional Embodied AI Agent on Shannon’s YouTube channel.

Shannon Bohle, MLIS, CDS (Cantab), FRAS, AHIP, completed her Master of Library & Information Science degree in 2005 from Kent State University. Her archival background includes experience with NASA Glenn Research Center & Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. She is presently working toward a degree at Johns Hopkins University and is the Owner/President of Archivopedia.

Her avatar, Archivist Llewellyn was a finalist for the Linden Prize in 2010 for her creation of the Neil A. Armstrong Library & Archives in Second Life in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech. It was the first virtual world library to be registered with the Library of Congress.


For information about joining VCARA in Second Life, please refer to our VCARA for Newbies blog post. To request an orientation to Second Life and VCARA, please email Dr. Pat Franks (patricia.franks@sjsu.edu). To follow VCARA on social media, check out our VCARA on Social Media page. To visit VCARA in Second Life, use the iSchool Island SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SJSU%20SLIS/45/123/33

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