Crossroads of Ideas: The Upside of AI Failure
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
What failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

Failure is part of progress, especially in the fast-moving field of artificial intelligence. This Crossroads of Ideas event, part of our three-part mini-series on “productive failure,” brings together David Fields (UW-Madison Department of East Asian Studies) and Rob Nowak (UW-Madison Computer, Data & Information Sciences) to explore what happens when AI technology falls short. From real-world research that didn’t go as planned to the broader implications for society, this conversation highlights how failures can deepen our understanding, shape future innovation, and help us navigate technology’s role in our lives. Together, they’ll discuss what failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

SoundWaves: Macro Scale
2026-02-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
This academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this second edition, we will be zooming out to the macro scale!

Crossroads of Ideas: When Antibiotics Fail
2026-03-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
How do we manage when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines? What are our options?

SoundWaves: Astronomical Scale
2026-04-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
This academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this final edition, we will be zooming WAY out to the Astronomical scale!
