Maryland Libraries Together

Maryland Libraries Together

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Maryland’s public libraries have a strong commitment to creating opportunities for community members to come together and develop a cross-cultural understanding of topics that impact daily life. Maryland Libraries Together is a collaboration to engage communities in enriching educational experiences that advance an understanding of the issues of our time.​ These events are hosted by individual public library systems and made available to all Marylanders through the Maryland Libraries Together series.​


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Understanding AI: What It Can and Cannot Do

​Date: April 3, 2025

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: Virtual 

Link: https://bit.ly/AISnakeOil

​​Maryland Libraries Together and Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) are excited to present Understanding AI: What It Can and Cannot Do on April 3 at 12 p.m., featuring the authors of AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, two of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence (AI), will share what you need to know about AI and how to defend yourself against bogus AI claims and products.​​ The program will be streamed on BCPL’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/AISnakeOil; no registration required.

About the Book

Confused about AI and worried about what it means for your future and the future of the world? You’re not alone. AI is everywhere—and few things are surrounded by so much hype, misinformation, and misunderstanding. In AI Snake Oil, computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion to give you an essential understanding of how AI works and why it often doesn’t, where it might be useful or harmful, and when you should suspect that companies are using AI hype to sell AI snake oil—products that don’t work, and probably never will.​

About the Authors​​

 

Arvind Narayanan is a professor of computer science at Princeton University and the director of the Center for Information Technology Policy. He studies the societal impact of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, and has co-authored a textbook on fa​​irness and machine learning. He led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project to uncover how companies collect and use our personal information. Narayanan’s work was among the first to show how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes, and his doctoral research showed the fundamental limits of de-identification. His book, AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t and How to Tell the Difference, co-written with Say ash Kapoor, takes readers through the major strains of AI to show what can work well alongside the inherent limitations.​

 

Sayash Kapoor is a computer science Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy and a co-author of AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t and How to Tell the Difference, co-written with Arvind Narayanan. Say ash’s research focuses on the societal impact of AI. He is a recipient of a best paper award at ACM Fact and an impact recognition award at ACM CSCW and was included in TIME's inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in AI, along with Arvind Narayanan.​


Author Event: Michelle Coles

Thanks to Michelle Coles and everyone who attended the Maryland Libraries Together meet-the-author event hosted by Calvert Library on February 27, 2025. A recording of the event will be available for 30 days after the event here.

The program was made possible through a partnership with Maryland Libraries Together and Calvert LibraryPrince George's County Memorial Library System​ assisted with streaming and technical services. The event was supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Maryland State Library Agency. ​​

About

Michelle Coles, a Civil Rights attorney, wrote the award-winning young adult book Black Was the Ink. The story features Malcolm, a Black teen from Washington, D.C. whose mom is worried about his safety over the summer and sends him to stay with his father’s family on their farm in Mississippi. Part of the farm had been taken through eminent domain for a highway some years prior and now the state is threatening to take the rest of it even though there is an option to take some of the farm across the road. Malcolm isn’t all that worried about it until he is transported back in time to the Reconstruction Era as his ancestor Cedric, an aide to Senator Hiram Revels who was one of the first Black members of Congress. Malcolm and readers learn about the Black heroes of the period and learn how to advocate in the present. This is an entertaining and inspiring read for both teens and adults and you’ll undoubtedly learn something new, too!

Thanks to publisher Lee & Low, Black Was the Ink was available for checkout online with no wait during the month of February through Maryland Digital Library powered by Overdrive/Libby.​

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​Looking for more great events?​

Contact Us​​

Tim Pratt, Communications Manager
Maryland State Library Agency
443-695-6772​
Email: timothy.pratt@maryland.gov