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Mieke DE KETELAERE

Mieke DE KETELAERE

Adjunct Professor

VLERICK BUSINESS SCHOOL

AI for Society

Geertrui Mieke De Ketelaere is Adjunct Professor at Vlerick Business School. She holds a master degree in civil and industrial engineering and specialised in robotics and artificial intelligence during her studies. Over the last 28 years, she has worked for several multinationals on all aspects of data and analytics (IBM, Microsoft, SAP, SAS, etc). From a business consulting point of view, she is specialised in defining the AI business canvas, from potential value to predefined risks. With her understanding of the hindsight, insight and foresight of AI technologies, she also frequently acts as an expert and coach behind the scenes. In her public presentations and recent book, Mieke puts the focus on the demystification of the hype around AI. The State Secretary of Digitalisation, Mathieu Michel, appointed Mieke as "Digital Mind" in 2020. In 2022 and 2023, Mieke was runner-up in the selection "ICT Personality of the Year" in Belgium. Today, Mieke continues to share her vision on the future of AI as speaker on international radio, television and conferences. In case we don’t find a spot to talk this week, this was the abstract I proposed: Triggered by the recent Belgian suicide case, this session explores the "Banality of Evil" in the context of the recent AI companion chatbots powered by generative AI. In the session, it will become clear that the loneliness epidemic in society combined with uncontrolled AI development can lead to harmful interactions with chatbots. The observation of self-delusion in current AI development teams raises new concerns at the level transparency and responsibility needs in the AI supply chain. The potential toxicity in the solutions in combination with the search for artificial intimacy by vunerable end-users is highlighted and emphasizes the urgent need for accountability, proper regulation and oversight. In the session, I will draw parallels to the regulation of other industries in the past, suggesting that next to the need of multi-disciplinary teams also well-funded and well-staffed regulation agencies are necessary to address the challenges posed by AI companion chatbots to protect society in the future.


Speaker on

AI companion chatbots and the banality of evil

Keynote AI for Society
02/08/2024 | 15:45 - 16:10 | The Ambassadors Theatre