42nd Annual Humanities and Technology Association Conference
In late May of this year, the Center for AI Safety (CAIS) issued the following statement: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” This warning should give us pause, especially since the signatories constitute a group of innovators, scholars, scientists, and engineers who possess both a deep understanding of what is at stake and the ability to otherwise profit from what AI might offer. When one considers the impact that something like ChatGPT has had on academia and society at large in just a few short months, the possibilities offered by other aspects of AI – be it by way of information, consultation, education, or weaponization to name just a few – call for a level of reflection and subsequent action that may be as urgent as they are necessary. This year’s HTA conference looks to focus such efforts, bringing to bear the ethical, political, social, cultural, and artistic challenges presented by AI, without losing sight of the opportunities it presents as well.
Beyond the main conference theme, and to allow for as broad of a range of scholars as possible, papers and panel suggestions are also accepted that examine other vital issue areas at the juncture of technology and society, such as politics and social life, representations of technology in art and literature, technology and identity (in terms of gender, race, and culture), or technology and education.
The Humanities and Technology Association is an interdisciplinary scholarly society that explores the impact of technology on human life from a broad range of perspectives. We welcome papers that investigate the cultural interaction of the humanities, science, engineering, and technology.