Boston Public Library President David Leonard leads a discussion on Artificial Intelligence with an expert panel including Nathan Sanders, Dr. Avijit Ghosh, and Jessica Chapel. Together they will sort AI facts from AI fiction, explore what challenges and opportunities the tools offer, and how cultural heritage institutes are AI actors who can leverage the tools for the public good.
This talk is a part of the 2026 Lowell Lecture Series at the BPL.
Jessica Chapel is Chief of Digital & Online Services at the Boston Public Library, where she leads digitization, digital stewardship, and UX, with a growing focus on AI's role in information access and discovery.
Nathan E. Sanders is a data scientist focused on making policymaking more participatory. His research spans machine learning, astrophysics, public health, environmental justice, and more.
Dr. Avijit Ghosh is a Lead Technical AI Policy Researcher at Hugging Face, a central platform for open AI models, datasets, and research tools used by industry, government, and academic developers worldwide. He is also a Research Affiliate at the University of Connecticut. His work sits at the intersection of AI research and policy, with a central focus on how we measure and benchmark AI systems, and whether those measurements can actually be trusted.
President of the Boston Public Library, leads the 170-year old institution, one of Boston’s great educational, cultural and civic treasures. David began working at the BPL in 2009, bringing a wealth of experience from the technology, management and consulting fields.
