Beyond the Binge:
Ethical Implications of AI for Entertainment and Education – Communication and Philosophical Perspectives
Thursday, April 10 & Friday, April 11 | Boston University
Conference Co-Organizers:
James Katz, Feld Professor of Emerging Media Studies
Juliet Floyd, Borden Parker Bowne Professor of Philosophy; Director, Boston University Center for the Humanities
Register Here
There is no cost associated with attendance
View the Beyond the Binge booklet
Sponsors
BU Center for the Humanities
Center for Data Sciences
College of Communication
Division of Emerging Media Studies
Feld Professorship of Emerging Media Studies
Description:
The pervasive influence of algorithms on our entertainment and educational consumption is undeniable, serving at times to increasingly blur and draw novel lines between them. “Beyond the Binge” will grapple with complex questions regarding futures of education and entertainment that will inevitably be shaped by AI. Fostering a critical dialogue among computer scientists, media theorists, philosophers, humanists and historians, the aim of this two-day conference is to generate actionable recommendations for a more ethical and equitable future. The first day of the conference will focus on entertainment and algorithms, the second will focus on the future of humanistic education and research.
Full Abstract
The pervasive influence of algorithms and machine learning on our entertainment and educational practices is undeniable, serving at times to increasingly blur and draw novel lines between them. AI methods press us toward what we watch, listen to, and engage with, sculpting our cultural landscape, our communities, our conception of knowledge and our sense of self — not only our individual preferences but also the emotional arcs and narratives shaping our responses to injustices, enthusiasm, and AI itself. In their way, entertainment and educational uses of AI help us to reflect, confront, and express our values, as well as our aesthetic and spiritual aspirations; they are crucial elements of our communicative and expressive practices. Moreover, with the advent of generative AI and other ways of classifying and ordering human experience and knowledge there are important opportunities for creatively taming both the flood of, and the need for, content.
However, central humanistic dimensions of algorithmic curation are obscured when researchers fail to confront the significance of problems involving the evolution of our collective societal sense of justice, the complexity and texture of our ethical forms of life. The facts of history, feeling, symbolism, interpretation, and intergenerational communication and solidarity are strong forces at issue. These questions raise profound philosophical issues about the nature of reality, the good life, the role of technology in society, the ethics of persuasion, productive cultural criticism and engagement, and the responsibility of corporations in helping us shape our cultural landscape and our emotional ties to culture and to one another. “Beyond the Binge” aims to grapple with these complex questions, fostering a critical dialogue among computer scientists, media theorists, philosophers, humanists and historians, with the aim of generating actionable recommendations for a more ethical and equitable future.
A two-day event is planned. One day will be devoted to communication aspects of entertainment, education, and AI, and one day to education and the future of Humanities research. Contributing experts will present their own work but also constructively discuss another presenter’s talk to stimulate broader investigation into the pertinent issues.
International Steering Committee
Juliet Floyd, Philosophy, Boston University
James E. Katz, Emerging Media Studies, Boston University
Laban P. Ayiro, Vice Chancellor, Day Star University, Kenya
Emilio José Montero Arruda Filho, Marketing, University of the Amazon, Brazil
Piergiorgio Donatelli, Philosophy, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Maria Elizabeth Grabe, Emerging Media Studies, Boston University
Lei Guo, Journalism, Fudan University, China
Sandra Laugier, Philosophy, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Sun Kyong Lee, Media & Communication, Korea University
Elvis Mazzoni, Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy
Wesley Wildman, Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, and Computing and Data Sciences, Boston University
Speakers
Laban P. Ayiro, Vice Chancellor, Day Star University, Nairobi
Emilio José Montero Arruda Filho, Marketing, University of the Amazon, Brazil
Mariagrazia Benassi, Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy
Jocelyn Benoist, Philosophy, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Mary L. Churchill, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, Boston University
Piergiorgio Donatelli, Philosophy, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Theo Hug, Media, Society & Communication, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Blake Hallinan, Communication & Journalism, Hebrew University, Israel
Xiaoya Jiang, Journalism, University of Wisconsin
Sandra Laugier, Philosophy, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Vanessa Nurock, UNESCO EVA Chair & Philosophy, Côte d’Azur University, France
Yvonne Rogers, Computer Science, University College London, England
Steve Shapiro, Finetune Learning, Boston
HaeRin Shin, Media & Communication, Korea University
Kun Xu, Media Production, Management, & Technology, University of Florida