The goal of many companies developing artificial intelligence has been to make it smarter for the benefit of humans. But in a lecture given on Sept. 17 at Jesse Auditorium, Nicholas Christakis — a professor and researcher at Yale University — suggested that AI is most useful in its dumbest state. Christakis is one of the latest speakers for Mizzou’s Open Minds Initiative. Program director Brian Kisida and Cooper Drury, dean of the College of Arts and Science, started the initiative to push students’ beliefs, thoughts and critical thinking. “I think (the Open Minds Initiative is) incredible,” Christakis said. “I hope it honors its principles completely: You prove your commitment to free expression by supporting the speech of people you disagree with.” Story | Henry Lazarus Photo | Sabirin Jama #themaneater #mizzou #ai