Creating A Public AI Assistant to Worldwide Knowledge

The Stanford Open Virtual Assistant Lab, with sponsorship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), organized an invitation-only workshop focused on the concept of a public AI assistant to worldwide knowledge and its implications for the future of the free web. Expanding on the revolutionary advancements in LLM technologies, the Stanford OVAL lab has created and deployed a well-received open-source knowledge assistant that can significantly enhance the productivity of researchers, journalists, and historians. This talk will discuss the technological breakthroughs, case studies in history and journalism, new research frontiers, and the technical feasibility of providing free AI access to knowledge worldwide. Speakers: Monica Lam - Professor of Computer Science, and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering Trevor Getz - Professor of African and World History, San Francisco State University Cheryl Phillips - Hearst Professional in Residence, Big Local News Director, Stanford University This workshop was recorded on February 13, 2025 at Stanford University.