NUST to host lecture on AI’s societal impact
Everyone welcome
The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) hosts a public lecture on Thursday (19 June 2025), focused on the far-reaching effects of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI).Titled “Understanding the Impact of Digital Technology: The Law of Amplification in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” the lecture will be delivered by Kentaro Toyama, WK Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan and a Fellow at the Dalai Lama Centre for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The event, set to take place at 10:00 in the Computer Lab of the India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (INCEIT) on Haydn Street, aims to unpack the ‘Law of Amplification’ – a theory developed by Toyama which explores how digital technologies tend to magnify existing human capacities, intentions, and social structures rather than replace or transform them independently.
According to NUST, Toyama’s insights will explore how this theory explains many of the digital phenomena shaping modern society, and what it could mean for the future, particularly in the Namibian context where AI and digital tools are increasingly being integrated into key sectors.
The lecture aligns with NUST’s strategic mission to establish itself as a national leader in AI and digital innovation, supporting Namibia’s broader agenda of technological advancement and inclusive digital transformation.