Jon Keller to Lead Artificial Intelligence Program in Gloucester: '' AI's Promise and Peril: A Conversation''

Gloucester Lyceum to Host Free Community Discussion on Artificial Intelligence Panel of leading scholars to explore what AI means for work, privacy, and relationships

GLOUCESTER, Mass. —November 14, 2026—WBZ’s long-time political analyst Jon Keller will moderate a panel of leading thinkers at City Hall’s Kyrouz Auditorium entitled "AI's Promise and Peril: A Conversation” sponsored by the Gloucester Lyceum.

How is AI affecting the economy and jobs?
How is AI affecting our personal privacy?
How is AI affecting human relationships?

Keller, whose “Keller @ Large” reports are a fixture of Boston-area news coverage, brings decades of experience guiding substantive public conversations to the Lyceum’s panel on AI.

The panel, which will take place at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 14, brings together three leading voices on AI's impact: Dartmouth professor Roopika Risam, author of the newly released Data Empire, which National Public Radio called “a must read,” and Barack Obama named one of his 2026 summer reading picks, Professor Nir Eisikovits of UMass Boston, director of the Applied Ethics Center and co-host of the podcast “Prosthetic Gods,” which examines the ethics and politics of emerging technology, and Northeastern University Law Professor Hilary Robinson, whose research examines AI's real-world effects on law, work, and daily life.

"The Lyceum was founded to bring big ideas to Gloucester and let neighbors wrestle with them
together" said Ann Ziergiebel, Gloucester Lyceum Committee member. "There's no topic more timely than this one, and no topic that touches more people. No matter what your age or interests, AI is already shaping your daily life. We wanted to bring together voices who could help our community start to make sense of it."
 
This program is the second in the Lyceum’s 2026 speaker series examining how the biggest forces of our time are reshaping how we live, work, and understand ourselves. The first program of the series, which was moderated by WGBH’s Callie Crossley in May, featured Harvard professor and best-selling author Steven Levitsky, discussing his research into how democracies can slide into authoritarianism.

Copies of Dr. Risam’s book will be available for sale at the event, courtesy of The Bookstore, and will be for sale at The Bookstore prior to the event as well.  There will also be multiple print copies of her book, available to borrow through the Sawyer Free Library with a library card.

Event Details:

What: "AI's Promise and Peril: A Conversation"
When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 1:00 p.m.
Where: Kyrouz Auditorium, Gloucester City Hall, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA
Registration: Program is Free (donations welcome); registration is required. Space is limited.
Register at sawyerfreelibrary.org

Contact:
Julia Brotherton
Chairperson, Gloucester Lyceum
978-879-9649
gloucesterlyceum@sawyerfreelibrary.org