ALOUD @ Los Angeles Public Library

AI and Inequality: How Machines Keep Us Poor, Sick, and Discriminated Against

This third program in our AI series focused on the critical issue of inherent biases in AI technologies, especially as they are deployed in law enforcement, healthcare, government, and education. We took a look at how these biases manifest and their profound implications.

AI in the Spotlight: Revolutionizing Creativity and Industry in the Arts

From generating new forms of artistic expression to transforming industry practices, artificial intelligence is redefining the boundaries of creativity. This event brought together creatives from diverse backgrounds and industry experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in the performing and fine arts.

Wandering Stars

Tommy Orange, the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of the breakout bestseller There There, returns to ALOUD with one of TIME Magazine’s most anticipated books of 2024, Wandering Stars, which traces the legacies of the Colorado Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family. Orange’s new novel is piercing in its poetry, sorrow, and rage and is a devastating indictment of America’s war on its own people. Orange was in conversation with Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota actor, writer, poet, visual artist, and comedian Bobby "Dues" Wilson.

Mind and Machine: Understanding AI’s Impact on Youth Mental Health

Join us for the first of a special ALOUD series on AI, where we take a compelling look into the interaction between young people and AI systems, exploring subconscious perceptions and the significant effects of AI on youth mental health and development. ALOUD on Ideas is an ongoing series that will take a thematic look at subjects that are particularly relevant to our time. This season, ALOUD presents Navigating the AI Maze: Investigating Artificial Intelligence in Our Lives: A Three-Part Series curated by Avriel Epps, aimed at demystifying Artificial Intelligence, exploring its multifaceted impact on both society at large and our individual well-being.

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story

Leslie Jamison has become one of our most beloved contemporary voices, a scribe of the real, the true, and the complex. The New York Times best-selling author of The Recovering and The Empathy Exams joins us in a program exclusive to ALOUD about her new memoir, Splinters, the riveting story of rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage—an exploration of motherhood, art, and new love. Jamison was in conversation with award-winning author and professor Sarah Manguso.