“AI for All? Humanities and Social Science Perspectives on Trust and Artificial Intelligence”
Centre for Humanities AI Scholarship and Teaching (CHAISE) Launch Event
Morning Research Sessions
Session 1: AI through the lens of Science and Technology Studies (STS)
9am-10am
What lessons does STS provide us for understanding and intervening in the current public discourse around AI and the changes it is bringing about? What can STS scholars do to help improve the public discourse?
Speakers
Heidi Tworek, History and Public Policy, UBC
Alan Richardson, Philosophy and STS, UBC (Chair)
Jai Virdi, History and Director, Critical Humanities, UVic
Session 2: Education, Governance, and AI
10:15am-11:15am
AI is making its way into educational institutions, whether we asked for it or not. What are some of the issues we should be paying attention to, given this integration? How should we respond? How does education work to preserve our democratic institutions and human rights, and how might this be disrupted by AI? How, if at all, should we reconceive of governance?
Speakers
Brenna Clarke Gray, Co-ordinator, Educational Technologies, TRU
Madeleine Ransom, CRC in AI, Well-Being, and Ethics, Philosophy, UBCO (Chair)
Wong, Wendy, Principal’s Research Chair, Political Science, UBCO
Session 3: Feminism, AI, and Agency
11:30am -12:30pm
How can feminist philosophy help us navigate and better understand the current AI landscape and the changes it is bringing about? What perspectives, threats and issues should we paying attention to? How can a better understanding of the nature of agency help guide our thinking on how we relate to AI, and the sorts of threats it brings about?
Speakers
Audrey YAP, Philosophy, UVic
Jill Fellows, Humanities, Douglas College (Chair)
Cat Prueitt, Philosophy, UBC
Afternoon Public Humanities Skills Sessions (attendance limited to 30)
Session 4: Working with Journalists and the Media
2:00-3:30pm
This session brings together journalists and academics who are already doing public scholarship to share their expertise with the audience. The panelists will discuss how to most effectively share research with the general public, some tips and tricks of interviewing and writing for the general public, and pitfalls to avoid. There will be time for audience questions and open discussions.
Session 5: Indie Podcasting as Public Scholarship
4:00-5:30pm
This session will introduce the audience to the practice of podcasting as public scholarship. While podcasting as an industry has grown significantly since 2020, morphing into flashy highly produced YouTube and TV series-style interviews, the nuts and bolts of podcasting can still be done for relatively cheap, and are relatively accessible. And the RSS feed means that it is still possible to produce episodes without needing to depend on a social media hosting platform or be beholden to an algorithm. The pros and cons of indie podcasting will be discussed, and there will also be a quick introduction to how to begin one’s own podcast.
For more information, contact Alan Richardson at alan.richardson@ubc.ca.
