AILA welcomes you back to school!! 🙂
Upcoming Events
AI Film Club!
By AI in the Liberal Arts and the Jones & Frost Libraries
📅 Thursday, September 25
🕗 8:00 PM
📍 Keefe Theater, Amherst College
Join us for a casual Boba Tea gathering to meet the AILA team, hear about our upcoming programming, and ask any questions you might have. After introductions, we’ll screen the classic sci-fi film Minority Report—a story full of questions about technology, surveillance, and the future that feel especially relevant in the age of AI.
Stick around after the movie for an open discussion about what it brings up in light of today’s AI revolution.
✨ Free Boba provided!
📲 Follow us on Instagram @aila_amherst to stay updated on more film screenings and events this semester.
Events Recap
AISA & AILA Student Panel
Responsible AI—what does it mean? Where does it show up? And how do we practice it when using AI tools in our daily lives? Who is subject to this question of responsible AI when the technology is shaping how we think, work, and live? These questions guided a recent conversation between AI Safety at Amherst (AISA) and AI in the Liberal Arts (AILA). The event was moderated by Douglas Hall and the panel was brought together Ryan and Yilin from AISA and Hena and Bilal from AILA, each offering different perspectives on the social, philosophical, and educational stakes of AI’s rapid rise.
The evening emphasized that questions of responsibility, education, and equity cannot be separated from the everyday choices students make in classrooms. As Yilin put it, “It’s okay to use AI to spit your thoughts back out to you so it’s an assistance tool, not a creative tool. We should embrace our creative skills rather than replace them.”
AILA and AISA extend deep thanks to all who participated in this lively and thought-provoking conversation. Stay tuned for upcoming events!
Featured AI News
It’s hard to keep up with all the AI-related News these days, but here are a couple stories that have us thinking and discussing. Let us know what AI News stories have you riveted!
World’s first AI minister will eliminate corruption, says Albania’s PM
Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment of Diella, the world’s first AI-generated minister, to combat corruption in public procurement. Developed with Microsoft, Diella takes the virtual form of a woman in traditional Albanian costume and was previously used as a virtual assistant on the e-Albania platform to help citizens access official documents.
Diella will oversee public tenders, ensuring contracts are awarded on merit, free from political or personal influence. Rama said the system will make procurement faster, more efficient, and fully accountable, tackling Albania’s history of corruption in tendering.
However, the move has sparked mixed responses: Supporters see it as a bold step toward transparency and modernization. The opposition Democratic Party called it “ridiculous” and “unconstitutional,” citing Albania’s constitution requiring ministers to be human citizens over 18.
Other countries are also experimenting with AI in governance:
UK: launched Humphrey, an AI suite for reviewing public consultations.
France: introduced Albert, an AI tool to streamline admin tasks, answer questions, and process legal/medical documentation.
AI 2027: Predictions from a group of researchers who saw AI coming in 2022
In 2022, Daniel Kokotajlo, former OpenAI researcher, wrote a predictions of AI development would look like in the next five years. Now, four years later, the AI world is bearing striking resemblance to what he had imagined.
Recently Kokotajlo worked with other top researchers in the AI field to bring his new predictions: AI 2027. In a month-by-month break down, AI 2027 details the exceptional growth AI will see in the next two years, with a choose-your own adventure open ending that includes predictions up until 2030. What are the top prophets of AI saying is in our future? Click below to find out.
Recommended Watch
Intrigued by AI 2027? Here is a video that will tell you even more
We’re Not Ready for Superintelligence
AI 2027 depicts a possible future where artificial intelligence radically transforms the world in just a few intense years. It’s based on detailed expert forecasts — but how much of it will actually happen? Are we really racing towards a choice between a planet controlled by the elite, or one where humans have lost control entirely?
Got Something to Say About AI?
AILA is accepting submissions of opinion or scholarly pieces to be published on our website! The prompt? There is none. Whatever field you are in and however AI is on your mind right now, if you have the urge to say something, then contact us aila@amherst.edu.
Explore Some AI Tools!
Our AI Mentorship and Tools team is always exploring new applications of AI. Access some interesting tools from our website below and explore them freely from with your personal account. Be mindful of bias, accuracy, content ownership, and use of personally identifiable information with these tools. Institutions are evaluating the use and configuration of AI-based tools, so please check with your IT department before using these tools with college or institutional systems or data. Check out our tools page to explore!
The Artificial Intelligence in the Liberal Arts initiative at Amherst College aims 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. Our newsletter contains the latest AI-related events, tools, scholarship, and news in AI.