Thinking Through Digital Things: 2023 Henrietta Harvey Lecture

Friday, March 17, 7-8:30 p.m.

Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music

How could big data, analytical tools, and new chatbots like ChatGPT change the way we think through research?

The use of intellectual aides is not new, but we are now confronted by chatbots trained on massive datasets that can engage in dialogue and write your paper for you. In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates tells a story about the invention of writing and how we need to decide whether to use new techniques. In this lecture Geoffrey Rockwell will discuss the temptation to gather and analyze large social media datasets using opaque tools. The ease with which we can study data surrogates in the humanities and social sciences calls for attention to the processes of datafication and care for the tools of analysis.

He will talk about replication as an archaeological practice in the humanities that can unpack the assumptions that go into emerging practices and develop our algorithmic literacy. He will end by calling for an ethics of datafication in the face of generative AIs.

The Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lecture Series brings a highly regarded scholar to Memorial University every year for a guest lecture.

Scholars chosen to speak at the Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lectureship are academics who have enriched the humanities and social sciences with impactful contributions to their field(s).

Visit the Henrietta Harvey Lecture website

Presented by Department of History

Event Listing 2023-03-17 19:00:00 2023-03-17 20:30:00 America/St_Johns Thinking Through Digital Things: 2023 Henrietta Harvey Lecture How could big data, analytical tools, and new chatbots like ChatGPT change the way we think through research? The use of intellectual aides is not new, but we are now confronted by chatbots trained on massive datasets that can engage in dialogue and write your paper for you. In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates tells a story about the invention of writing and how we need to decide whether to use new techniques. In this lecture Geoffrey Rockwell will discuss the temptation to gather and analyze large social media datasets using opaque tools. The ease with which we can study data surrogates in the humanities and social sciences calls for attention to the processes of datafication and care for the tools of analysis. He will talk about replication as an archaeological practice in the humanities that can unpack the assumptions that go into emerging practices and develop our algorithmic literacy. He will end by calling for an ethics of datafication in the face of generative AIs. The Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lecture Series brings a highly regarded scholar to Memorial University every year for a guest lecture. Scholars chosen to speak at the Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lectureship are academics who have enriched the humanities and social sciences with impactful contributions to their field(s). Visit the Henrietta Harvey Lecture website Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music Department of History