About AILA→
We aim to engage a broad, interdisciplinary community of participants in discussions and activities related to artificial intelligence, exploring and facilitating multi-way interactions between work in artificial intelligence and work across the liberal arts.
What is Artificial Intelligence, and how is it changing the world as we know it?
There has never been a better time to engage in critical conversation about the diverse applications of AI and to consider the repercussions of its use.
AILA is here to guide you toward scholarship, discussion, events, and other learning opportunities that are interdisciplinary and critically minded. We believe in the importance of asking big questions and thinking about these issues across disciplinary boundaries. Explore our library of:
- AI Ethics Discussion
- Tools and Resources
- Events to help learn and reflect
- AILA Newsletter
What We Do
Find out what is happening in AI now and how it may affect your interests. We provide a curated list of AI-related news articles!
Want to engage in conversations about Artificial Intelligence? Send us ideas for articles and comment on any of our blog posts to get the conversation started!
Want to learn about upcoming events and talks organized by us? Check out our upcoming and past events through our Events page!
Interested in how you can use Artificial Intelligence? Want to read up on blogs and tutorials about AI tools and more?
Join us in critical conversation and learning at our next event!
Upcoming Events:
AILA will be hosting a book club starting in September in partnership with the Jones Library. Join us for our first meeting to learn more!
Spring 25 Events:
The annual AILA Undergraduate Conference is a presentation of thesis research and a collection of workshops focused on AI across a broad range of disciplines. This year, we will hear about research being done in AI on the Amherst College campus and surrounding colleges and universities. Please join us!
AI in the Liberal Arts will be screening of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s iconic sci-fi neo-noir starring Harrison Ford. Set in a dystopian future where synthetic humans known as “replicants” are hunted down by special police operatives called blade runners, the film explores deep questions of identity, memory, and what it means to be human. Did you know Blade Runner has been a foundational influence on how we imagine AI and its ethical complexities? Join us for the screening on the 26th and a discussion event the following week with Professor Firmani from LJST.
Would you like to develop innovative solutions to win prizes? How about making Amherst a better place through technology and AI? As achieving sustainability becomes the primary goal of our generation, this year’s Hack the Herd invites teams to harness AI-driven solutions to make Amherst College more sustainable. Over the span of 24 hrs, you and your friends will have to build and pitch a project that tackles the complex and multi-faceted challenge of sustainability. This year’s Hack The Herd seeks to build on our previous year’s success, and together with the Office of Sustainability, Ideas 2 Innovation Venture Accelerator, you will be sure to have a thrilling experience!
Following our screening of Her, we’re thrilled to welcome Professor Mark Firmani from the LJST department to lead a discussion on the thought-provoking themes raised by the film. Her explores the evolving relationship between humans and technology, raising critical questions about intimacy, identity, and the nature of connection in an increasingly digital world. Beyond its vision of AI companionship, the film also invites us to reflect on how technology shapes human relationships with one another, the boundaries of emotions, and what it means to love. Join us for a deep dive into these ideas and more as we unpack the film’s philosophical, legal, and emotional implications.
AI in the Liberal Arts is hosting a movie screening of the film “Her” starring Joaquin Phoenix. The film is a science-fiction romantic comedy-drama that follows a lonely writer who develops a romantic relationship with an artificial intelligence operating system. Did you know that this film led to a lawsuit between OpenAI and Scarlett Johanson? Join us for the screening on the 26th and a discussion event the following week with Professor Firmani from LJST.
AI in the Liberal Arts recently hosted an illuminating discussion on generative AI that brought together students from all disciplines to explore the dynamic world of artificial intelligence.
