Unboxing Artificial Intelligence: An International Collaboration Bringing Humanities Perspectives to AI

FAIN: RZ-279883-21

Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8559)
Lauren M. E. Goodlad (Project Director: December 2020 to present)

Planning of an international collaboration on the topic of bringing humanities perspectives to the creation of Artificial Intelligence. (12 months)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emergent set of technologies. Though touted as a fourth industrial revolution, AI is subject to hype and misinformation. Despite increasing talk about making AI “ethical” and “human-centered,” humanists seldom shape these discussions. “Unboxing AI” is a new international collaboration: at Rutgers, Lauren Goodlad, is leading an interdisciplinary working group in “Critical AI.” At Australian National University, Katherine Bode works with faculty in three AI-related institutes. “Unboxing AI” will organize and publicize two exploratory workshops that put humanistic thinking at the core of research questions that move beyond the technical issue of AI’s “Black Box.” Our written plan will lay out steps for a peer-reviewed special issue and may also project 1) a jointly-hosted international conference, 2) jointly-developed and/or team-taught curricula for ANU/RU students, and 3) a white paper for international circulation.