• News |  
• Articles |  
• CLA hosting inaugural AI Nexus conference

AI Nexus conference exploring intersection of human, artificial intelligence

The College of Liberal Arts Office of Strategic Initiatives and Programs will host “The AI Nexus: The Arts, Humanities and Engineering Converge,” a one-day conference that unearths connections between AI, art and the humanities on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Interdisciplinary discussions led by Auburn University and University of Alabama students and faculty and the director of customer insights at SymphonyAI, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, will explore how AI shapes and is shaped by human creativity.

“The AI Nexus will help our community elevate conversations about artificial intelligence beyond a purely technical scope,” said Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs Joan Harrell. “We want participants to engage with groundbreaking perspectives and practices that consider the humanity in our interactions with AI.”

The conference will feature a visit from Aubie, workshops on how to produce podcasts and an original performance written by the Mosaic Theater Company titled “AI Anonymous: An Examination of Human Dependency on Artificial Intelligence.” The show, set in a futuristic world overwhelmed by AI, focuses on individuals confronting the human cost of AI dependency.

Professor of Philosophy Elay Shech, who specializes in the philosophy and ethics of AI, will deliver the keynote, asking audiences to engage with the question: “Does AI need the Humanities and the Arts?” Executive Director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning Asim Ali will moderate the keynote discussion.

“Our inaugural AI Nexus conference emphasizes a human-centered, interdisciplinary approach — bridging engineers, artists, and humanists — to move beyond purely technical discussions and explore ethical, societal impacts,” said College of Liberal Arts Dean Jason Hicks.

Panel, paper and poster topics include “Writing for Ethical Discernment in the Age of GenAI,” “Beyond the Feed: Integrating AI Into Student Engagement and Digital Learning Ecosystems,” “The Data of Lived Truths: An Intersectional Framework for Human-Centered Design Beyond Binary Thinking in Computing System Design and Evaluation” and “The Judgment Economy: Education and the Abstraction of Work.”

The AI Nexus conference will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Harold D. Melton Student Center, rooms 2222 and 2223. For more information and to register, visit the AI Nexus website.

Tags: Community, Outreach and Engagement Communication and Journalism Philosophy Faculty Research Arts and Culture