How AI Is Shaping Our Tomorrow: Aspen Dialogue and Aspen Talk with Maksym Bazaliy (Nvidia) for Community Members

On May 28, the Aspen Institute Kyiv hosted a new “2-in-1” format event for the Community: an Aspen Dialogue and Aspen Talk titled “When Machines Think: Challenges, Threats, and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence.” The event had two components: a discussion of selected texts in the Aspen dialogue style and a conversation with Maksym Bazaliy, a cybersecurity engineer at Nvidia (USA).

The event focused on artificial intelligence’s impact on our lives, the labour market, data security, and technological competition worldwide. Maksym Bazaliy, a cybersecurity engineer at Nvidia, explored these topics in a discussion.

Maksym emphasized that AI today is no longer just a tool — it is becoming a true co-creator of solutions in many fields, from pharmacology to autonomous transport. Amid this wave of development, one crucial task is to anticipate risks and ensure user safety.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• AI can model even complex physical processes, from medical research to climate change forecasting. These capabilities are already applied in practice.
• Data security remains one of the biggest challenges. Generative AI opens creative opportunities but also introduces new threats: phishing, deepfakes, and manipulation.
• AI is transforming the job market: some professions are disappearing while others are emerging. Flexibility and creativity will become essential skills for the future.

Before the talk, participants engaged in an Aspen-style text discussion on related topics. They shared their challenges while working with AI tools and discussed strategies for avoiding “hallucinations” and misinformation at the user level.

Andriy Kulakov, Program Coordinator for the Community at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, moderated the discussion.

We thank everyone who participated for their thoughtful insights and engaging conversation! This diversity of perspectives is a core value of our Community — a space where new ideas are born that help shape a better society.