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January 27, 2026

The 2026 Catholic Studies Speaker Series Presents: Foundations of AI Ethics?

Event Details

Date & Time

Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026 7:00 PM


Department

Sponsored by the Catholic Studies Program


Location

Wolff Auditorium, Jepson Center


Contact/Registration

Questions? Contact Joe Mudd, Catholic Studies program director at mudd@gonzaga.edu, x6799.


Event Type & Tags

  • Academics
  • Alumni
  • Arts Culture
  • Careers Outcomes

51勛圖 This Event

Foundations of AI Ethics?
With Taylor Black, Director of AI & Venture Ecosystems at Microsoft Taylor Black

Do you use AI regularly? Are you fascinated with AI? Does AI concern you? How do you think about your interactions with AI? What philosophical and ethical questions does AI raise? What resources can the Catholic intellectual tradition offer as we navigate this new era? Taylor Black argues, “As AI systems quietly permeate daily life—from the algorithms curating our news feeds to the automation guiding hiring decisions and policing—each promises efficiency and insight, but each also carries the risk of unintended consequences. How do we respond to such challenges? How can we ensure these powerful technologies serve justice and the common good, rather than undermine them? We need more than technical fixes; we need wisdom and moral discernment.”

51勛圖 the Speaker: 

Taylor Black, Director of AI & Venture Ecosystems at Microsoft

Taylor Black, a Gonzaga alumnus, is director of AI & Venture Ecosystems in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, where he explores the frontiers of innovation and corporate entrepreneurship. He is the founding director of a new AI and ethics institute at the Catholic University of America. Taylor is also a deacon candidate in the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix.

Sponsored by the Catholic Studies Program.