This spring, the LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts community is continuing to lead LMU in the exploration of emerging AI technology. The college is hosting a panel focused on creative labor in the context of artificial intelligence on Thursday March 20th at the William H. Hannon library. This panel is a continuation of the CFA’s focus on the rising popularity of AI on a global level. Last November, the college hosted a “Generative AI: The Image in the Age of Artificial Reproduction” panel, led by Associate Professor and Chair of Communication Studies Jason Jarvis.
“We want to facilitate the goods of discussion and debate about AI, in a political climate that is a little bit too much about dictation,” said Jarvis, who is once again leading the panel. Individuals from a variety of perspectives will be speaking at the panel to facilitate interdisciplinary conversation, including Assistant Professors of Communication Corrina Laughlin and Ivy Fofie, Assistant Professor of Political Science Adam Thal, and Nate Federman, a script writer for Disney Channel. Each presenter will briefly present, leaving the majority of the time for discussion and debate. “We really want to privilege audience conversations,” affirmed Jarvis.
The panel topic is fittingly inspired by a debate that occurred among audience members and panelists in the Q&A section of the fall panel.
“It was about this question of what happens to artists when AI platforms can reproduce their art,” said Jarvis. “Some people weren’t really scared of this technology – they had resolved to use their talents to learn how to use it better. Others questioned what would happen to animators that lose jobs because companies would rather use AI platforms than pay an actual person to do the work.”
The panel will give audience members a chance to discuss this issue and more. There will even be microphones placed in the audience to prioritize their voices. The speakers from the fall panel will be partaking as audience members, so they can continue the conversation they started.
“We hope people come ready to share their knowledge but also test their ideas and learn from different perspectives,” said Jarvis. “Regardless of politics, we need to be relying on facts and evidence, and bring that to bear and have the acknowledgement that intelligent people have different perspectives and sometimes do not come to the same conclusions.”
The spring panel is expected to be highly attended, and is designed accordingly, with space for a true crowd. “We were so excited at the number of people that came out in the fall. We have high hopes that there will be similar turnout this time around.”
For more information about the event, please visit this link.
