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The 2024 University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) Hoag Lecture Series will present Gerd Leonhard at noon March 27. Leonhard's talk is titled "AI and the Future of Humanity: Learning and Work." The virtual event will be available on .

"Gerd is a leading global futurist and international speaker, having presented at colleges, conferences and hundreds of events over the past 20 years and worked with the likes of Microsoft, NBC, Visa, Google, the European Commission, Audi, and IBM," Dr. James Badger, a College of Education professor, said. "His motto is 'People, Planet, Purpose, and Prosperity,' inspiring and influencing millions to imagine and create a better tomorrow."

His knowledge of artificial intelligence, digital ethics and human-centric will help 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students, faculty and staff — and the public — think about and engage with issues surrounding AI and its impact on education, technology, work, and the future, Badger said.

The Hoag Lecture Series is named for former university President Merritt Eldred Hoag, who led then-North Georgia College from 1949 to 1970, and supported by funds from the Hoag family. The series aims to reflect Hoag's education philosophy that higher education should educate students beyond the traditional classroom environment and enable them to develop intellectual fullness by encouraging learning in a variety of disciplines.

The Hoag Lecture Series committee members include Lyn Froehlich, James T. Young, Francisco Guzman Fulgencio, Linh Uong, Dr. Andrzej Przybyla, Dr. Steven Lloyd, and Badger.