AI and Human Innovation Showcase is Feb. 28

Daylong event will explore AI and human innovation while giving UND students and faculty a chance to showcase their work

UND is set to host an AI and Human Innovation Showcase from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Memorial Union’s Henry Ballroom. Organized by UND’s AI and Human Innovation Initiative, the event aims to bring together faculty, staff and students to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and the humanities.

The event will be divided into two parts: a morning session featuring a keynote speech and panel discussion, and an afternoon session highlighting student and faculty research through poster presentations and a fast-paced lightning round. The latter will  feature more than 25 projects from different disciplines in the humanities.

Emily Cherry Oliver, professor of theatre arts and co-director of the University’s AI and Human Innovation Initiative, said the goal of the event is to encourage critical thinking and engagement with AI.

“The hope of the showcase is to provide a platform to say what’s happening in the world of AI,” she said. “If you’re terrified of AI, that’s totally fine. But maybe you can come, listen to the ways that people are using it and say, ‘Oh, this isn’t so scary.’”

The morning session will begin with a keynote from Sarah Newman, director of Art and Education at Harvard’s metaLAB, titled “Bringing Humanities Perspectives to AI.” The keynote will be delivered virtually but will be streamed for both in-person and online attendees.

Following the keynote, a panel of UND faculty, staff, students and College of Education & Human Development Dean Shelbie Witte will respond to Newman’s presentation, discussing how their own work connects to the themes she explores.

See AI and human innovation in action

The lightening round presentations, which will take place after the lunch hour, were selected to highlight how AI is being used in unexpected and innovative ways in the humanities.

“A lot of times when people talk about AI, they think the tech world,” Cherry Oliver said of the emphasis on humanities in the showcase. “But the hope is to show that there are many different ways the arts and humanities can be used and integrated in AI development.”

She added that many may be surprised by faculty projects, such as assistant professor of voice Justin Montigne’s Virtual Voice Project, and how they are using AI to supplement human creativity. She said that projects such as these are essential to the health of humanities as AI becomes more ubiquitous.

“If the arts and humanities aren’t closely connected with the tech fields, we will have dire consequences,” she said. “It is our job to be the Henry David Thoreaus and the Euripides — the canaries in the coal mine — saying, ‘No, listen. We have to figure this out.’”

Cherry Oliver added that there was an unexpected amount of student submissions and participation in the showcase.

“I think that students are really leading the way in AI,” Cherry Oliver added. “They’re not afraid of it.”

Though she said students are often wary of discussing AI use, she said events such as this one can help faculty and staff learn more about the ways that students are using it.

“We wanted this platform, this showcase, to say, ‘Show us what’s going on. We want to know what you’re doing,’” she said. “They were willing to come and do just that. And so we’re excited to showcase their work, because I think we can learn from them.”

“Even if you don’t even know or understand what AI is, this showcase could be a way for you to just explore,” Cherry Oliver said. “And if you are active in AI, it’s a great way to see what your colleagues and students are doing and maybe find new ideas and collaborators.”

The AI and Human Innovation Initiative is made possible through a grant from the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office.

For the full schedule and to register, visit the AI and Human Innovation Initiative webpage.