Humanities focused AI center launches at UC

The center is focused on the ethical and humanities-based study of AI rather than the technology itself, assistant professor Andre Curtis-Trudel, who will direct the center, explained to listeners.   

"Contemporary AI systems can be used to generate misinformation. They make it, in some cases, easier to perpetrate certain kinds of cybercrimes. In some cases, they can exacerbate mental health crises, and of course, there are some questions about the environmental impacts of AI," Curtis-Trudel told WVXU.

Faculty, he said, are set to lead research and workshops addressing issues such as misinformation, cybercrime, mental health impacts, and environmental concerns tied to AI use.

The center will partner with community organizations to host events, create K-12 lesson plans, and launch an AI ethics summer camp for high school students in 2026. Public engagement is also a key goal, with forums planned to gather input on how AI should be used responsibly in everyday life.

The initiative —led by College of Arts & Sciences Dean James Mack — is supported by nearly $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities and $165,000 from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“This is not just a scientific or technological challenge,” Mack told Spectrum News. “This is a humanistic challenge that’s going to affect society, one that’s going to influence policies, not just in relation to AI but entire communities.”

Listen to the WVXU interview.

Watch the Spectrum News segement.

Featured image at top: iStock Photo/longthara.