Redlands Forum

Educational and cultural programs for the community to learn and engage with the important topics of our time. Founded in 2009.

Esri Chief Scientist Dr. Dawn Wright wearing a pink blouse, and background designs of orange circles and semi circles.

About the Redlands Forum

Throughout the year, presenters and attendees come to the Esri campus for discussions that bring awareness to issues and offer practical action items. Attend talks from anthropologists, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, journalists, performers, and more.

Learn more about the forum
How to attend

Attend the Redlands Forum in-person. Registration is no cost thanks to Esri and the University of Redlands Town & Gown.
Access past recordings

Explore the list of previous presentations and panels.

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Up next

AI To Learn: An Anthropologist's Journey toward Human-Centered AI Literacy

Sawa Kurotani | Professor of Anthropology at University of Redlands and CEO of the AI To Learn Institute

September 10, 2026, 5:30 – 6:30 PM

Three years ago, Professor Sawa Kurotani apprehensively opened ChatGPT for the first. What followed was a sustained, hands-on investigation into what it means to learn and live alongside AI, conducted not as a technologist, but as a cultural anthropologist studying a strange new form of non-human intelligence.

At the Redlands Forum, Professor Kurotani will share what she found: AI literacy is the cultivation of curiosity, critical judgment, adaptability, and responsible ownership. Drawing on hands-on experimentation and classroom practice, she’ll demonstrate a concrete example of what human-centered AI collaboration actually looks like in practice.

If you've ever felt caught between AI-skepticism and AI-hype, Professor Kurotani offers a third path: one grounded in curiosity, discipline, and genuine partnership between human and machine.