Darden in spring

Events

Salon Series

Salon Series

Inspired by the intellectual gatherings of 17th-century France, the Salon Series offers faculty, researchers, and thought leaders a consistent forum to explore the evolving role of AI. Each month, participants will come together to engage in stimulating discussions, share perspectives, and identify opportunities for collaboration across disciplines. The series will feature salons centered on each of the 2026 FAIR Program themes, creating space for meaningful dialogue, new connections, and the exchange of ideas that advance both individual scholarship and the broader UVA community’s understanding of AI. We invite you to join the conversations and contribute to this ongoing exchange of ideas. 

Fall 2025 Sessions

 

Each session will be followed by a lunch for continued networking. 

Attendance is free for all UVA faculty and researchers. Pre-registration is required. 

Contact LaCrossInstitute@darden.virginia.edu for more information.

 

17 October | CLA 270, Darden School of Business | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Human ↔ AI Performance: Understanding and enhancing human performance using AI and machine learning, and evaluating and advancing AI performance using insights and understanding from the study of performance in humans.

Schedule: 

9 am: Welcome - Marc Ruggiano, Founding Director, UVA LaCross AI Institute

9:15 am: Opening Talk: "Swimming in Data" - Ken Ono, STEM Advisor to the Provost and Marvin Rosenblum Professor of Mathematics at UVA

10:15 am: Panel Discussion:

11:15 am: Open Discussion

12:15 pm: Lunch and Networking in Abbott Dining

1 pm: Wrap-up

Register

 

31 October | Socrates Classroom, The Forum Hotel | 1 - 5 p.m.

Privacy & Ethical AI: Understanding the role of data privacy and data ethics, and developing tools and management approaches to ensure they are prominent considerations in the development and deployment of ethical AI.

Schedule: 

1 pm: Welcome - Marc Ruggiano, Founding Director, UVA LaCross AI Institute

1:15 pm: Opening Talk: "VaultGemma: The World's Most Capable Differentially Private LLM", with Amer Sinha from Google Research.

2:15 pm: Panel Discussion

3:15 pm: Open Discussion

4:15 pm: Reception

5 pm: Wrap-up

This event has been rescheduled. More information to come.

Salon Summaries

  • Human ↔ AI Performance

    The LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business hosted the first Salon in its fall series on Human ↔ AI Performance, convening scholars and researchers from across the University of Virginia to explore how AI is expanding the boundaries of human potential.

    The event opened with a keynote by Ken Ono, STEM Advisor to the President and Marvin Rosenblum Professor of Mathematics at UVA. Ono’s talk, entitled Swimming in Data, shared his work with the UVA Women’s Swim Team and with USA Swimming leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ono described how wearable technology and AI have helped to assess and improve athlete performance, helping to deliver 100+ Olympic and World Championship medals since 2020 and 15 current world records. One example Ono shared focused on swimmer Paige Madden. By analyzing real-time data about her form, Ono’s team developed adaptive, AI-driven insights that helped Madden shave critical seconds off her time, ultimately qualifying for Team USA and swimming a personal best to earn an individual bronze medal in one of the most thrilling races of the 2024 Olympic Games.

    Following Ono’s talk, a panel of AI experts, including Natalie Kupperman, Tom Hartvigsen, and Roshni Raveendhran, joined him to examine how AI and wearables influence performance across individual and team settings. Panelists highlighted sociological and psychological factors affecting engagement with AI-driven insights, the complexities of balancing individual improvement with team dynamics, and the importance of privacy and ethical considerations when working with sensitive personal performance data.

    The conversation also addressed broader ethical implications, including disparities in access to advanced AI tools and the resulting inequities in both sports and business. Panelists emphasized the importance of data privacy and the need for fairness, transparency, and responsible use of AI technologies.

    The event highlighted the LaCross AI Institute’s commitment to sparking thoughtful, cross-disciplinary conversations about how artificial intelligence can enhance human potential and how our understanding of human performance can inform the future of ethical AI in our world.