Gloucester Lyceum to host community event on artificial intelligence with Jon Keller

Three leading experts on artificial intelligence will visit Gloucester for a panel discussion led by Jon Keller, WBZ's longtime political analyst. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m.

The free community event is sponsored by Gloucester Lyceum and is called “AI’s Promise and Peril: A Conversation.” It will explore how the growing use of artificial intelligence is affecting the economy, jobs, privacy and human relationships.

The panelists are Dartmouth Professor Roopika Risam, whose book “Data Empire” was selected for Barack Obama’s 2025 reading list; Professor Vir Dzisovits of the University of Massachusetts Boston, who directs the Applied Ethics Center; and Hilary Robinson, a law professor at Northeastern University School of Law. Robinson’s research examines how artificial intelligence affects the real world, including law, work and everyday life.

Dzisovits is also a co-host of the podcast “Prosthetic Gods,” which explores the ethical questions and politics surrounding new technology.

“The Lyceum was founded to bring big ideas to Gloucester and let neighbors wrestle with them together,” said Ann Ziergebel, a member of the Gloucester Lyceum Committee. “There’s no topic more timely than this one, and no topic that touches more people. No matter your age or interests, AI is already shaping your daily life. We wanted to bring together voices who could help our community start to make sense of it.”

The program will be held in the Tyrolean Auditorium at City Hall, 9 Dale Ave. It is the second event in the Lyceum’s 2026 speaker series. The series explores how current events are changing people, communities and society as a whole.

The first event in the series took place in May and was led by WBUR’s Callie Crossley. It featured Harvard professor and bestselling author Steven Levitsky, who discussed his research on how democracies can shift toward authoritarian rule.

Copies of Risam’s book will be available to buy at the event, thanks to The Bookstore. Several copies will also be available to borrow from the Sawyer Free Library at 2 Dale Ave.

The program is free, but seating is limited. People must register at sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-675-2706 or by email at [email protected].