Events
Join us for our opening talk about the history of AI by Prof. Robert Batchelor, the Director of Digital Humanities at Georgia Southern. Presented on January 24 at 7PM in IAB 1012 on Statesboro Campus, and on January 25 at 7PM, on Armstrong Campus in Gamble Hall, Room 201.
Future Seminars will be presented on:
- “Law and Ethics of AI” February 21 Statesboro and February 22 Armstrong
- “AI and the Creative Arts” March 20 Statesboro and March 21 Armstrong
- “AI and the Future” April 17 Statesboro and April 18 Armstrong
Workshops
Our first workshop is designed help you to consider ways to move from a policy of forbidding AI, often called the “red light” approach, to policies that incorporate AI–either with some restrictions, a “yellow light” approach, or with full expectation of AI usage, a “green light” approach. Attendance counts as part of the Faculty Center’s Teaching with Technology badge.
Date: February 15th, 2024
Time: 10:30am to 11:30am
Location: Site-sync in Solms 207 and Cone Hall 2029
Mission/Vision Statement
The AI Task Force at Georgia Southern advances the University’s and the College of Arts and Humanities commitment to working at the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence technologies. Our vision is to advance the arts, humanities, and the overall university experience by actively participating in the unfolding technological landscape. Our mission includes developing pedagogical strategies to prepare students for success in the twenty-first century workplace, tackling the ethical implications of AI as it integrates into society, and contending with the conceptual and research challenges emerging from this new field.
Through direct engagement, we seek to shape and redefine the academic and societal impact of Artificial Intelligence by pursuing work along three core pillars:
1. Educational Innovation: By developing pioneering pedagogical strategies that equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the dynamic twenty-first-century workplace, we will empower learners to navigate and thrive by building their knowledge of human-computer interaction.
2. Ethical Leadership: By addressing the ethical implications of AI integration into society, we will foster discussions, research, and initiatives that promote responsible AI development, integration, and application in order to ensure its positive impact on individuals and communities.
3. Research Excellence: By embracing the challenges posed by the emergence of AI and actively engaging in cutting-edge conceptual and research endeavors, we will help tackle the complexities of this evolving field and contribute to the global knowledge base, driving innovation and shaping the future of AI.
Research Subcommittee
Chair, Lisa L. Abbot
Mail: labbott@georigasouthern.edu
Department of Communication Arts / Theatre
The Research Subcommittee is working on creating opportunities for shared information on research and the possibilities of collaboration. Planned brown bag lunches (both live and on Zoom) to share research, get feedback on proposals, and share grant opportunities.
Members and Research Statements
Paul Tubig : Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Mail: ptubig@georgiasouthern.edu
Ethics
I am interested in the variety of ways that AI is used to create novel types of beings, such as the range of social robots–like carebots, companion bots, and thanabots. How should we think of their moral status and the new types of human-robot relationships they introduce, especially when we recognize the ways in which our relationships constitute our sense of identity and agency, as well as shape how we engage with other
Jinrong Li : Department of English
Mail: jli@georgiasouthern.edu
Linguistics
I am interested in the broad question of how GenAI affects our understanding of learning, creativity, originality, and critical thinking. More specifically, I want to explore the growing integration of GenAI into various writing practices and how that reshapes definitions of plagiarism and the connections between plagiarism and “AIgiarism”
Haley Higgs : Department of Communication Arts
Mail: hhiggs@georgiasouthern.edu
PR
My specific interests in AI research have to do with that interpersonal relationship (go figure, I’m in PR). So I’m very interested in looking at building trust and engagement with AI content within different target publics. Along with that, also comes the questions/concerns of the ethics of AI and how to use it strategically without losing trust, engagement and interaction with your public. So, how does AI generated content effect long-term trust and brand loyalty is something I am very interested in looking more into.
Bill Eaton : Department of Philosophy and Religions Studies
My AI research is focused on the metaphysics of AI, as well as AI issues in philosophy of language. Could an advanced AI system ever have conscious mental states? Could an AI system ever achieve intentionality or representational states? Human mental states have intentional content; our thoughts are about something. Could an advanced AI system achieve that, or is it merely symbol manipulation? Could an AI ever know what the symbols it manipulates mean or is it just impressive behavior based on an unconscious, purely mechanical function? I’m also interested in early modern automata and the history of robotics.
Elizabeth Desnoyers-Colas : Department of Communication Arts
The Pedagogy Subcommittee
The pedagogy subcommittee is working to explore the integration of GenAI in teaching and learning with attention to applications in arts and humanities, as well as larger questions of how GenAI impacts humanity across disciplines and contexts. This group is designing an undergraduate Generative AI Literacy certificate and related classes. We also provide opportunities for exchanges of pedagogical strategies and questions within and across disciplines as we consider the role of GenAI in our classes. Discussion ranges from practical to ethical and theoretical issues. Members have articulated interests in opportunities afforded by the practices of guest lectures, co-teaching, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Member Profiles
Chair, Salena Anderson : Department of English
Mail: sanderson@georgiasouthern.edu
My research and teaching explore strategies for instruction and assessment that promote student agency in the face of GenAI. Informed choice is an essential aspect of agency; thus, students must cultivate GenAI literacy not only as applied to their disciplinary fields but also as applied to their navigation through everyday life. GenAI literacy includes knowledge of effective strategies for GenAI use or refusal as well as questions of ethics, creativity, and human learning. My research in these areas relates to writing center studies, first-year writing, assessment, and language variation.
- Hapsatou Wane – Department of English
- Holly Cowart – Department of Communication Arts / Multi Media Journalism
- Joshua Yates – Department of Communication Arts / Multi Media Film and Production
- Felicia Dz Stovall – Department of English
- Loraine Wible – Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art
- Laura Valeri – Department of English
Performing and Creative Arts Subcommittee
Chair, Matthew Hashiguchi : Department of Communication Arts / Multimedia Film and Production
The AI and the Performing and Creative Arts subcommittee serves as a branch of the larger AI and the Human Research Network committee, with a dedicated focus on the role of AI in artistic, creative, and performance-based disciplines. This subcommittee explores how students and faculty can thoughtfully integrate AI into the creative and writing process, as well as within the performing and visual arts. Its work includes examining emerging tools, fostering innovative applications of AI in artistic expression, and considering both the ethics, opportunities and challenges of using AI to enhance creativity, collaboration, and scholarship in the arts. By engaging faculty, students, and creative practitioners, the subcommittee aims to support responsible experimentation, inspire new modes of artistic practice, and ensure that the integration of AI reflects the values and ethics of both artistic integrity and academic excellence.
- Laura Valer i- lvaleri@georgiasouthern.edu
- Felicia Dz Stovall – fstovall@georgiasouthern.edu
- Ed Rushton – erushton@georgiasouthern.edu
- Jason Hoelscher – jhoelscher@georgiasouthern.edu
- Megan Barrera – mbarrera@georgiasouthern.edu
- Loraine Wible – lwible@georgiasouthern.edu
- Josh Yates – jyates@georgiasouthern.edu
This subcommittee is looking at the use of AI in creative scholarship. Specifics areas of inquiry are:
- Access to AI generative video/image programs like Runway for scholarship/research. Is there institutional support for these programs?
- Concern over external grants due to industry attitudes against the use of AI in many areas of film, music, art and theatre.
- Presentations from members of their work with AI, open to the broader university.