This edition of Reframing the Conversation (RTC) features a panel discussion on the various intersections that spring up between Native wisdom and language and the new technologies that involve artificial intelligence (AI). Some have pointed to the way Large Language Learning Models (LLLMs) used in artificial intelligence can be used to help Indigenous communities practice and learn Native languages, preventing those languages from falling into disuse. Programs like Babbel and Duolingo already use these technologies to help clients learn language where they otherwise might have little access. But others have raised concerns about the likelihood that profit-motivated businesses will exploit Native cultures yet again—monetizing languages and customs that colonialism has already put on the brink of extinction.   

This RTC discussion will focus on the opportunities and threats posed to Native American and Indigenous Peoples by these new technologies. How can these technologies help preserve Native languages and traditions? And how does the historic under/misrepresentation of Native Peoples and other marginalized groups end up shaping the leading LLLM projects (like Chat-GPT) with limitations and bias? Please save the date and join us to learn more about how artificial intelligence programs affect Native American and Indigenous communities.

Reframing the Conversation is a monthly hybrid series. Attendees can join in person at the Hinckley Caucus Room (GC 2018) or virtually on the Reframing the Conversation webpage.

ASL interpretation will be provided and auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.

Speakers

Chong Oh, PhD

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Professor, The University of Utah

Moderator

Chong Oh (he/him) oversees both the curriculum for the Master’s of Science in Information Systems and growth of the Undergraduate Information Systems Programs. He works with the IS team and faculty to ensure quality classroom experience and student success outcomes, including job placement, and enriched learning experiences through competitions and study abroad programs. Chong teaches AI and business, dynamic web development, emerging web technology, database fundamentals, and introduction to IS. His research interest is in the interplay between social media characteristics and economic outcomes, such as stock price movements and movie revenue.

Elizabeth Callaway, PhD

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Assistant Professor, Department of English
The University of Utah

Panelist

Elizabeth Callaway (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Utah and affiliated faculty with the Environmental Humanities Graduate Program. Her book, Eden’s Endemics: Narratives of Biodiversity on Earth and Beyond (University of Virginia Press) investigates the stories we tell in literature and science about the multiplicity of life on Earth. Her current book project looks at the relationship between artificial intelligence and the natural environment. She was a selected participant in the National Humanities Center’s Program in Responsible AI for which she has developed three classes that look at AI from a humanities’ perspective. Dr. Callaway has published articles on digital humanities, climate change, and the speculative ecosystems of science fiction.

Justin Carpenter

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Assistant Professor, Department of English
The University of Utah

Panelist

Justin Carpenter (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Utah. His current research traces the use of the term “generative” from literary to computational contexts, arguing that an understanding of this term opens a variety of arguments around concepts such as authorship, agency, and emergence. He argues that such a genealogy can better situate game studies scholarship in dialogue with modernist and postmodernist literary studies, as well as cinema and other media. His other research interests include philosophy of technology, indigenous new media, and aesthetics.

Dalaki J. Livingston, PhD

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Communication
The University of Utah

Panelist

Dr. Dalaki J. Livingston (he/him) was born and raised in Milford, UT with his 8 other siblings. He attended Southern Utah University for his B.S. and his M.A. in communication. He completed his doctoral program at the University of Oklahoma with his dissertation: Indigenous deliberation: community driven research, dual-role researchers, and capacity building in Chickasaw Nation. He has been a part of CEIGR and GEN. Both champion Tribal and Data Sovereignty in genomic research. He continues his research in deliberation, health communication, game studies, and Indigenous methodologies.