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!
Spring 2024 Events
AILA is proud to welcome Meghan O’Gieblyn to Amherst beginning April 28, 2024. Mark your calendars for this fantastic public event. Details below.
2024 AILA Undergraduate Conference: Exploring the Intersection of AI in the Arts, Humanities, and Beyond
Conference Details
Date: Saturday, April 20th, 2024 @ 9a-5p
Location: Aliki Perrotti and Seth Frank Lyceum, Amherst College
Format: This is an in-person conference located in Amherst, MA
The 2024 AI in the Liberal Arts (AILA) Undergraduate Conference promises to be more than just a conference; it’s a convergence of curious minds eager to explore the under-researched aspects of AI that are currently shaping and reconfiguring our world. Whether you’re considering the impact or function of AI in your academic discipline for the first time or are well on your way to becoming an expert, we are eager for your participation.
Our CFP is now closed, but we welcome everyone to attend the conference on Saturday, April 20, 2024 @ 9:30a!
February 20th, 2024 @ 4p on Zoom; RSVP below to register.
As part of AILA’s Spring Learning & Discussion Series, in partnership with the Writing Center we bring you AI and Creativity: What Matters for Human Writers | A Conversation with Naomi S. Baron
For writers, as well as teachers and students of writing, the rapid development of Generative AI raises profound questions about the value of humanist writing processes. Join AILA and the Writing Center for this virtual event featuring Naomi S. Baron, author of Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing and Professor Emerita of Linguistics at American University. Professor Baron will build on her discussion of creativity in the book, incorporating developments over the past year, with a focus on the realm of writing, in this highly interactive session for the Amherst College community. Facilitated by Jessica Kem, director of the Writing Center.
To register for the event, please click here.
Fall 2023 Events
Sign-up for Hack the Herd: the Amherst College Hackathon!
Do you want to make Amherst a better place? Do you have an interest in sustainability and AI technology? Want to win a $25 Amazon gift card? Then sign up for the first ever Amherst College hackathon. For 24 hrs, work together in a team to build and pitch a project to help make Amherst more sustainable. We will have snacks and a catered dinner as well as access to ChatGPT-4. The hackathon will be hosted in the Science Center by the Office of Sustainability, AI in the Liberal Arts, and the CS clubs from 5 PM on December 1st to 5 PM on December 2nd. Sign-ups are due November 25.
A hackathon is best described as an “invention marathon”. A hackathon is an intensely collaborative event where individuals or teams come together to develop actionable solutions to specific challenges or problems. Anyone who has an interest in sustainability or technology can attend a hackathon to learn, build & share their projects over the course of a weekend in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. You don’t have to be a programmer and you certainly don’t have to be majoring in Computer Science!
AILA Tools Team Demos Wolfram|Alpha Pro; 11/7 @ 5p in Frost Library Cafe
The Mentorship and Tools team will be popping-up to demo Wolfram|Alpha Pro, an AI tool that focuses on empirical/systematic knowledge, facts, research, etc. Come visit the Tools team for one-on-one help with specific projects, setting up the tool on your laptop, or how learn how to use Wolfram|Alpha in your projects. Let us know how we can help you!
The ChatGPT Café
In partnership with IT and the AI in the Liberal Arts (AILA) initiative, we are excited to bring the ChatGPT Café series to the Amherst community. In this series of informal exploratory pop-up cafés, faculty, staff, and students at Amherst College will have the opportunity to experiment with the latest paid versions of ChatGPT4 and reflect on their experiences. Come join us at various locations around campus to explore what the most powerful version of ChatGPT4 can do. At each café, we will have:
- Introductory info on ChatGPT: what is it? how does it work?
- Tips on how to write effective prompts
- Guided activities to get you started (if you don’t know where to begin)
- Helpful folks to discuss and reflect on your ChatGPT experience with
- Additional resources to support your experimentation and learning!
Bolstering AI with Computational Ability & Curated Data
Wed, September 20th @ 4pm
Paino Lecture Hall; Beneski 107
Academic Technology Services & AILA welcome, Andy Dorsett, a representative from Wolfram Research. He will discuss an innovative new plugin for ChatGPT, Mathematica’s built-in machine learning, and its connections with other AI systems. Find out more here!
AILA Open House
September 14th, 1-3pm
Science Center C209
Meet AILA student assistants and learn how to get involved with some Insomnia cookies to enjoy!