In the 2026 Wiegand Memorial Foundation Lecture (Feb 23, 2026), Teresa Heffernan delved into the question of how discussions of a technological future change if the AI industry co-opts fiction. From Alan Turing to Douglas Adams to Demis Hassabis, the fiction and science of AI have long been entangled and conflated in the cultural imaginary.
Video: Literature vs. the AI Industry (Wiegand Foundation Lecture 2026) Read More »
Setting the scene for a provocative interview with Teresa Heffernan, Melissa Gismondi, host of the Jackman Humanities Institute podcast series, opens by instructing ChatGPT to: “Write me a brief description of a podcast featuring humanities and literature scholars discussing the perils of AI.” With her keyboard clicking in the background, this award-winning writer and audio
Trusting AI? Melissa Gismondi in Conversation with Teresa Heffernan Read More »
Four fascinating talks at the University of Toronto’s public workshop, “Intelligence in the Absence of Life,” are now available on video. Delivered to a packed audience on April 9, 2024, these talks put the so-called human-like properties of AI under the microscope and raised questions concerning the meaning of creativity, intelligence, and ethics today. Hosted
Watch Now: Four Talks Questioning Human-Like Properties of AI Read More »
UPDATE (March 22): Go here to read an interview with Teresa Heffernan about this workshop on April 9, 2024. With aspects of human, social life like intelligence and ethical responsibility so often now attributed to the machinic artifacts of the AI industry, the (seeming) absence of living human beings from the scene of technology warrants
“Intelligence” in the Absence of Life Workshop (April 2024) Read More »
