ATLANTA, Nov. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On November 10, Spelman College hosted a special event celebrating the launch of Spelman President Ayanna Howard’s new book about the future of AI, REBOOTING THE MACHINES: A New Human Vision for Artificial Intelligence. The event featured a fireside chat, audience Q+A, and book signing, with all proceeds going toward Spelman scholarships. 

Dr. Howard draws on her experience as an AI and robotics expert, entrepreneur and academic leader to examine the importance of human values, ethical principles and diverse perspectives in shaping AI’s future. In her groundbreaking book, Dr. Howard argues that AI, including robotics, is not built with a moral center, meaning we must provide the moral compass if we want the technology to serve all humanity.

“Artificial intelligence is a reality, and if we are to thrive, not just survive, in an AI-infused world, we must take stock of how it is influencing our lives,” said Dr. Howard in an excerpt from her book. “We have the power to build AI that is representative of our society as it is, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. But we also have the power to build AI that represents and fosters the kind of society we aspire to have.”

Dr. Howard, who became the President of Spelman in August of this year, arrives during a unique time in higher education as students worry that AI will erase the futures they worked so hard to build. In REBOOTING THE MACHINES, Dr. Howard offers a practical roadmap for deciding what to demand from tech companies, what we must fight against, and how to make sure ethical human values are built into the machines.

During the book launch, engineer and policy scholar Dr. Kamau Bobb and WABE’s Rose Scot joined Dr. Howard for a stimulating conversation that examined AI’s evolving impact on the workforce, the importance of diversity among AI developers, strategies for addressing bias in emerging technologies and the collective responsibility to shape a more equitable and responsible AI future.

All proceeds from the sales of the book go directly toward supporting Spelman College student scholarships. To learn more or purchase REBOOTING THE MACHINES, visit www.broadleafbooks.com. 



About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,700 students. Spelman is the country’s leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College’s status is confirmed by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 34 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 34 for undergraduate teaching, No. 2 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 20th year among historically Black colleges and universities. Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.D.s in economics. New majors, minors and programs have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, refugee studies, gaming, and the first undergraduate cosmetic science program at an HBCU. Collaborations have been also established with MIT’s Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others. 
 
Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, political leader Stacey Abrams, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna president Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University professor and former Dean Evelynn Hammonds, actress and producer Latanya Richardson Jackson, global bioinformatics geneticist Janina Jeff and authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones.
 
To learn more, please visit spelman.edu and @spelmancollege on social media.


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