DeFleur Distinguished Lecture Series: Humans, Machines, and News: Research Approaches for Making Sense of Generative AI and Journalism

Presented by Seth Lewis, Ph.D; Shirley Papé Chair in Emerging Media, Director of Journalism, School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon

This talk looks at how journalists are reacting to the rise of generative AI—not just by experimenting with new tools like ChatGPT, but by asking deeper questions about what makes their work distinct in a world of communicative AI. Drawing on his research in human–machine communication and journalism studies, Professor Seth Lewis offers a combination of conceptual developments, normative frameworks, and empirical findings for making sense of the AI moment. In all, he explains why generative AI potentially poses such fundamental disruption—for journalism as an institution, for matters of authority and creativity, and for how we think about the nature of communication itself.

There will be a reception following the lecture in COM 209 from 4:30 - 5:30 pm.