Location: Brooks Building, Room BR 2.18 and BR 2.19, M156GX

Understanding the impact of AI on social, cultural and political life has been at the heart of our new initiative – the AI Literacy working group. “AI literacy” (or even “literacies”), as developed by DISC members, extends far beyond the technical understanding of how artificial intelligence and associated technologies work, and focuses instead on a critical evaluation of AI processes and outputs, a recognition of its biases, and an analysis of its benefits and challenges. 

The AI Literacies public launch celebrates our work on “AI Literacies” and presents the newest research and public engagement initiatives by our members, in dialogue with invited speakers from academia, the industry and the creative sector. The launch also features a keynote by Mark Carrigan from the University of Manchester, the author of Generative AI for Academics.

Programme

10-11am Why AI Literacy matters? A welcome panel, with Niamh Donovan, Ting Luo and Sam Martin. Introductions by Adi Kuntsman, Daniel Joseph and Keeley Crocket.

11-11.15 comfort break

11.15-12.30 Session 1: presentations by AI literacy group members

12.30-1.30 lunch and networking

1.30-2.30 session 2: Session 1: presentations by AI literacy group members

2.30-3.00 – tea break and exhibition

3-4 – Is it possible for academics to use LLMs in a responsible and ethical way? A keynote by Mark Carrigan 

Panellists’ info

Niamh Donovan, Ecosystem Manager, Sustainable Ventures

With a background in sustainable development, Niamh currently holds the position of Ecosystem Manager at Sustainable Ventures in Manchester. Sustainable Ventures is a full service ecosystem for climate tech startups, providing both pre-seed and seed investment, as well as innovation support and access to non-dilutive funding routes such as grants and R&D tax credits.

Ting Luo, Associate Professor in Government and Artificial Intelligence, Centre for AI in Government at the University of Birmingham

Dr Ting Luo is an Associate Professor in Government and Artificial Intelligence at the Centre for AI in Government at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the intersection of technology and governance, with a particular emphasis on digital governance and AI governance.

Sam Martin, Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford

Dr Sam Martin is a digital sociologist and generative AI artist. She specialises in Big Qual analysis of public health discourse and AI literacies. Alongside her research on visual misinformation, she creates AI-assisted digital art and video, including a current collaboration with Cincinnati Opera House on the Afrofuturist opera Lalovavi.

Keynote info

The emergence of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools presents both opportunities and challenges for academia. While these technologies offer powerful capabilities to support scholarship, their thoughtless adoption could undermine the very foundations of academic work. This talk introduces a framework for incorporating generative AI into academic practice in ways that enhance rather than replace human thought. Drawing on extensive practical experience, it demonstrates how conversational agents can serve as intellectual interlocutors rather than mere productivity tools, while examining the broader implications of these developments for the future of universities. There is an urgent need to establish what constitutes responsible and ethical use of LLMs for academics, which means taking seriously the argument that this might not be possible.

Mark Carrigan is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester where he is co-lead of the Digital Education Manchester group. Trained as a philosopher and sociologist, his research aims to bridge fundamental questions of social ontology with practical and policy interventions to support the effective use of emerging technologies within education.