Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Initiative (Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities)

Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Initiative (Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities) is sponsored by National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Digital Humanities (ODH). Supports research that examines technology and its relationship to society through the lens of the humanities, focusing on the dangers and/or opportunities presented by technology, broadly defined.

Announcing New ODH Awards (April 2024) | National Endowment for the Humanities Announcing New ODH Awards (April 2024) A photograph of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico lit by a starry sky, courtesy the National Science Foundation . A photograph of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico lit by a starry sky, courtesy the National Science Foundation .

The Office of Digital Humanities is pleased to announce 19 awards through the Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities program. These projects are part of a larger slate of 238 awards announced by NEH .

From an investigation of the impact of Arecibo Observatory on its surrounding communities to a history of life-support technologies to multiple projects devoted to the AI’s impact on society, the second round of the Dangers and Opportunities of Technologies grants demonstrate the broad range of topics that the program supports. Congratulations to all the award recipients on these exciting projects!

Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities Primary Institution: Arizona State University Project Director: Kathleen Vogel Project Title: AI and the Future of U.S. Intelligence Project Description: Research and writing of a scholarly monograph and related articles on the social implications of use of artificial intelligence by the U.S. national security community.

Primary Institution: Baldwin Wallace University Project Director: James Garrison Project Title: The Subject Project: Human Visibility, Vulnerability, and Diversity in the Data Age Project Description: Research toward a book manuscript investigating how human consciousness and behavior are mediated by an increased awareness of being a source of data.

Primary Institution: Claremont McKenna College Project Director: Jordan Branch Project Title: Virtual Territories: War and the State in a Digital Age Project Description: Research and writing of a scholarly monograph on the intersections of information technology, warfare, and state sovereignty with a focus on war planning, drone warfare, and digital mapping.

Primary Institution: Emory University Project Director: Jinsook Kim Project Title: Sticky Activism: Online Misogyny and Feminist Activism in South Korea Project Description: Writing a book that analyzes how women and marginalized groups in South Korea have fought back against online harassment on globalized digital platforms. Primary Institution: George Mason University Project Director: Zachary M.

Schrag Project Title: Rail Against Sprawl: A History of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Project Description: Development of a scholarly monograph on the history of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.

Primary Institution: Montclair State University Project Director: Charlotte Lucy Kent Project Title: Arts, Agency, and Automation: A Global Cultural Affair Project Description: Multidisciplinary research and field interviews with internationally recognized artists resulting in academic articles and preparation of a book manuscript on the concept of agency as it relates to generative AI artistic production.

Primary Institution: New School Project Director: Peter Asaro Project Title: AI-powered Influence, Deception and Manipulation Project Description: Research for a book investigating the potential for manipulation and deception using artificial intelligence systems.

Primary Institution: Purdue University Project Director: Courtney Wittekind Primary Institution: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Project Director: Raquel Velho Project Title: The Lifecycles of the Arecibo Observatory: Understanding the Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts of Research Facility Host Sites Project Description: Research and analysis of the history and development of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and the multifaceted impacts on local residents and communities.

Primary Institution: University of Oregon Project Director: Arafaat A. Valiani Project Title: Geneticizing Health Disparities? Health Equity for Racialized Communities and the Promise of Precision Medicine in Canada Project Description: Ethnographic research culminating in several scholarly articles and a monograph investigating whether precision medicine helps prevent or reproduce health disparities.

Primary Institution: University of Wisconsin, Madison Project Director: Christine Dianne Wenc Project Title: How Life Support Technology Changed American Death Project Description: Research and writing of a work of public scholarship, a monograph on the history of life-support technology and its impact on American culture.

Primary Institution: University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh Project Director: Adam Diller Project Title: Project 02: Twenty Years of Google in The Dalles, Oregon Project Description: Research and writing of a scholarly monograph and associated public events on the history of Google’s first data center in The Dalles, Oregon.

Primary Institution: Bucknell University Project Directors: Vanessa Massaro, Darakhshan Mir, Nathan Ryan Project Title: (Re)locating Trauma: Mapping the Dangers of Carceral Algorithms through Stories of Incarceration Project Description: Research and analysis of the impact of algorithmic decision-making tools on the lives of incarcerated people within and outside of Pennsylvania’s state corrections system.

Primary Institution: California State University, Dominguez Hills Project Directors: Cristina Stephany, Mike Karlin, Alohilani Okamura (University of Hawai‘i, Manoa) Project Title: Constructing the "I" in Artificial Intelligence: Perceptions of Teaching with Chat GPT in Relation to Cultural Identity Project Description: An ethnographic study of beginning teachers in Los Angeles and Hawai‘i and their understanding of ChatGPT’s influence on teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

Primary Institution: New York University Project Directors: Edward Byungkwon Kang, Juana Becerra Sandoval Project Title: Machine Listening in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Project Description: Planning and conducting interdisciplinary case studies and a public-facing speaker series examining the historical, social, economic, political, and epistemic impact of machine listening systems in preparation of a special issue in an academic journal and conference tutorial session.

Primary Institution: University of Connecticut Project Directors: Anna Mae Duane, Stephen Dyson Project Title: Bringing the Past to the Future: Slavery and Artificial Intelligence on the Battleground of Popular Culture Project Description: Development of a podcast series and scholarly book chapters analyzing how persistent narratives of slavery and servitude have influenced popular understanding of artificial intelligence and humans’ ethical engagement with emerging technologies.

Primary Institution: University of Georgia Project Directors: Pablo Lapegna, Johana Kunin Project Title: Prosperity, Plants, and Pesticides: The Dangers and Opportunities of Agricultural Biotechnology Project Description: Research for a book manuscript exploring how the use of agricultural biotechnology impacts both local economies and health outcomes.

Primary Institution: University of Pennsylvania Project Directors: Julia Ticona, Caitlin Petre (Rutgers University) Project Title: Imagining AI in organized labor: Struggles over the Value of Cultural Work Project Description: A humanistic analysis and development of journal publications on the ways those working in creative industries engage with generative artificial intelligence technology and its potential impact on arts and culture.

Primary Institution: University of Wyoming Project Directors: Matthew Henry, Theodora Dryer (New York University) Project Title: Water Justice and Technology Project Description: Further development of a web publication and edited volume of scholarship and criticism on the cultural and historical impacts of technology on water stewardship.