AI and the Human: Exploring Adaptation

2025 Annual Spring Conference | AI and the Human: Exploring Adaptation presented by the Western Pennsylvania Family Center (WPFC) is designed to explore the interplay of AI and human adaptation using the ideas rooted in Bowen Theory. Dr. Murray Bowen’s ideas position the human family as a natural system, governed by the same evolutionary forces present in all natural systems, also impacted by AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can recognize and translate languages, solve complex scientific problems, identify, create, and block cyber threats, generate, and modify images, and operate vehicles autonomously. As artificial intelligence emerges and changes many aspects of human social and work life, what will be its impact on family, science, and nature? How will we adapt to the scale and scope of change? What contributions will Bowen Family Systems Theory offer?

The theory details the capacity of the human to observe these forces across systems including the family, take responsibility for one’s part in automatic responses, and work to function in a deliberate and purposeful way while maintaining contact with important others. Meeting the complex challenges posed by AI will require the best humans have to offer. The ideas in Bowen Theory support development of this human capability.

The faculty of WPFC invites you to join Dr. Brian Caffo, Professor of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health at John’s Hopkins University whose research interest areas include neuroimaging and the processing and analysis of big data, who will present and lead the discussion on AI. WPFC Faculty members, Dr. Walter Smith, Ms. Sandra Caffo, Ms. Ashley North & Dr. Arthur Zipris will present on Bowen theory. The day will focus on discussion of presented material among presenters and participants alike.

This is an online conference, and all presentations and discussions will occur utilizing ZOOM technology. Registrants will be emailed the Zoom link at 7:00AM and participants are asked to connect fifteen minutes before conference start time. Participants are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the use of ZOOM technology before the meeting.

Keynote Speaker

Brian Caffo, PhD is a professor in the Department of Biostatistics with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He graduated from the University of Florida Department of Statistics in 2001. He has worked in statistical computing, statistical modeling, computational statistics, multivariate and decomposition methods and statistics in neuroimaging and neuroscience. He led teams that won the ADHD 200 prediction competition. He co-directs the SMART statistical group. With other faculty at JHU, he created and co-directs the Coursera Data Science Specialization, a 10 course specialization on statistical data analysis. He co-directs the JHU Data Science Lab, a group dedicated to open educational innovation and data science. He is the former director of the Biostatistics graduate programs and admissions committees. He is currently the co-director of the Johns Hopkins High Performance Computing Exchange super computing service center and past-president of the Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty senate.

Registration Fees

WPFC offers registration for both live attendance and to view the recording of the conference for those unable to attend on the scheduled date. Social Workers, LPCs and LMFTs who register to view the conference recording are still eligible to receive all credit hours for viewing the recorded conference for a period of 2 years after the conference date. This option is not currently available to Psychologists due to APA guidelines.

• • • $150 $135 (Early Bird Pricing until Feb 28) – Live Attendance via Zoom | Please note: the conference recordings will be available to all registrants for a period of 30 days.  
    • $150 $135 (Early Bird Pricing until Feb 28)- Conference Recording Only 
    • $80 – Student Rate: Please send a scanned copy of your student ID or other proof of enrollment to rebecca@wpfc.net in order to receive a discount code to be used during checkout.

THE WESTERN PA FAMILY CENTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The WPFC Scholarship Fund was created to provide financial aid to students, clinicians and other professionals facing financial hardships. This fund is made available through the generosity of our donors to keep education accessible and Bowen Family System Theory within reach to further one’s own work.

If you would like to receive financial assistance for this program,  please click here to send an email to rebecca@wpfc.net for more information.

Speaker Bios and Conference Schedule

• • Coming Soon!

Learning Objectives

13 Learning Objectives for 6.5 Training Hours

Participants will be able to:

1. 1. 1. Analyze how Bowen’s theory of human functioning—in families and other human systems (groups, organizations, and societies)—pertains to the human development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).
      2. Discuss how ethics, fairness, and explainability are playing an increasing role in AI.
      3. Identify basic properties of supervised AI, unsupervised AI, generative AI and language & computer vision models.
      4. Identify new development in organoid intelligence.
      5. Assess how societies are part of nature.
      6. Identify ways in which humans differ from other problem-solving species.
      7. Identify key concepts in Bowen theory.
      8. Describe the basics of an AI model and how it is trained
      9. Explain the fundamental limitations of AI especially with regard to fairness and explainability
      10. Distinguish the automatic element of adaptation, the togetherness force, from the move toward separateness.
      11. Compare patterns of human adaptation to large-scale changes to the Industrial Revolution and how these patterns may replicate with the change emerging with artificial intelligence.
      12. Discuss how AI can be utilized to discover more about one’s family, systemically.
      13. Identify how innovations both spring from and impact societal functioning.

Continuing Education Credits

Social Work:

CEs available for Social Workers, LPCs and LMFTs who attend live OR  view the recorded conference after it takes place on 4/4/2025. ***The conference recording will be available for viewing and eligible for continuing education credits for a period of 2 years after the conference date.***

Should you choose to view the recording for credits, you are responsible for tracking your viewing progress within the 2 year timeframe. Your viewing time is logged via Zoom and credits will only be awarded to those who view the conference in full. Please follow these steps in order to receive credit for viewing:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Once you’ve finished the recording you’ll need to submit both the post-test and evaluation that were emailed to you with the recording link.
            2. After you’ve completed the above-mentioned forms, send an email to WPFC’s admin, Rebecca Keller (rebecca@wpfc.net) to finalize the process. 

Should you have any questions, please send an email to rebecca@wpfc.net.

LSW/LCSW, LPC and LMFT continuing education credits are $15.00 per person.  

This program is offered for 6.5 hours of social work continuing education through co-sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, a Council on Social Work Education-accredited school and, therefore, a PA pre-approved provider of social work continuing education. These credit hours satisfy requirements for LSW/LCSW, LPC and LMFT biennial license renewal. For information on social work continuing education call (412) 624-6902.

Please note:

• • • • Participants requesting Social Work CEs will receive their credits from our co-sponsor approximately 2-4 weeks after the conference takes place. WPFC does not provide participants with their certificate.

Psychology:

Psychology continuing education credits will be provided for a fee of $25.00 paid directly to GPPA. All Psychology CE recipients must attend the conference live (via Zoom) to receive their credits. ***After the program has been completed, recipients will receive a link to submit a training evaluation and submit their CE payment online through GPPA’s website.

CONTACT

Conference Registration questions:  Contact Rebecca Keller at rebecca@wpfc.net

WPFC programs and services: Cynthia Larkby, Ph.D. at Cynthia.larkby.phd@icloud.com