At the J. Willard Marriott Library, you wouldn't think a spread of archival documents would buzz with excitement, but when it comes to unpacking the future of AI with insights from the past, energy fills the room. Scholars from various disciplines congregated to explore perspectives on artificial intelligence at the Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Summer Institute. They drew not only from business plans and whitepapers of yesteryear but also from warnings, like the ones from tech pioneer David C. Evans, who once cautioned about the "serious disturbances to our values" that could come from computing machines.
Diving into conversations filled with both the past's foresight and today's realities, these academics were in the throes of a scheduled series of expert-led discussions, field trips, and more. Lamenting the rampant pace of AI advancements, Rebekah Cummings, an associate librarian, highlighted that the institute was partly born from a cancelled NEH grant but kept alive by the quick support of several donors, including the Marriott Library and BYU Digital Humanities, among others, according to At The U.
The institute has been an incubation chamber of sorts, blending theory and practice in rich discussions that range from ethical AI use in K-12 education to the environmental impact of AI infrastructure. But the goals are not only academic; there's a drive to influence the real world too. "We want to ask the right questions, interrogate systems, but at the end of the day, we do need to ultimately build things that work out in the real world," said Lizzie Callaway, assistant professor of English and a co-organizer of the institute, as per At The U.
There was also a call for actionable change, particularly concerning social media algorithms, a position backed by Callaway, who pushes for ending Section 230 protections for platforms that amplify inflammatory content. As for the AI's potential, the institute maintains a cautiously optimistic tone, envisioning a world where AI is programmed for the public good over profit. Hoping to provoke further dialogue, the culmination of their work will take place on July 25th with a public panel co-sponsored with the One-U Responsible AI Initiative, as reported by At The U.
