Artificial intelligence may operate in the digital world, but it leaves a massive and very real physical and societal footprint. What does AI’s rapid growth mean for the future of humanity? How can it be steered towards a more prosperous future for all? 

The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts will host a series of four events, the AI & Society Series, to bring together scholars, practitioners, industry leaders, and the Georgia Tech community to explore some of the most consequential questions surrounding artificial intelligence and their potential solutions. Through the interdisciplinary lens of the liberal arts, the series will examine AI's physical infrastructure, its influence on research and discovery, its evolving role in human relationships, and its impact on creativity and creative industries. 

“Considering technology from a humanistic perspective has never been more necessary,” said Amanda Murdie, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. “AI has so much potential to be positive and transformational, but we should prioritize understanding and mitigating the challenges it creates in its wake.” 

The next event in the series will be “AI and Academic Research: The Future of Discovery” on Nov. 4 at 6:30 - 9 p.m. in the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center – Grand Ballrooms. The panel will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of higher education and scholarly inquiry.

Panelists include Sebastian Porsdam Mann, Assistant Professor, CeBIL, University of Copenhagen; Sarah H. Salter, Director of the Writing Program & Professor of Pedagogy, Emory University; and Dan Reiter, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Political Science, Emory University.

Porsdam Mann is an assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Center for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law. With training spanning philosophy, neuroscience, applied ethics, and international human rights law, his research examines how emerging technologies can advance scientific progress while navigating ethical and regulatory challenges. His work has directly explored generative AI in academic writing and idea generation, as well as AI's potential role in the future of academic peer review, positioning him to address both the opportunities and risks AI creates throughout the research process.

Salter is a teaching professor and director of the writing program at Emory University whose research focuses on American literature, periodical studies, collaboration, and digital humanities. Her scholarship has included interdisciplinary work using machine-learning methods to analyze the visual structures of historical newspapers, combining literary study, library science, and computational approaches. Her perspective brings an important humanities dimension to the conversation about how computational tools and AI are changing research methods, scholarly interpretation, writing, and knowledge production.

Reiter is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Political Science at Emory University. His scholarly interests include interstate conflict, gender and international relations, civil-military relations, alliances, military effectiveness, public opinion and foreign policy, war termination, and others. He earned his B.A. in political science from Northwestern University in 1989, his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan in 1994, and was a post-doctoral fellow at the John M. Olin Institute at Harvard University from 1994-1995. In 2002, he was given the Karl Deutsch Award from the International Studies Association, presented annually to a scholar under age 40 or within ten years of having received the Ph.D. “who is judged to have made (through a body of publications) the most significant contribution to the study of International Relations and Peace Research.”

Upcoming events in the AI & Society Series include: 
 
AI, Human Empathy, and Relationships: Is AI a Better Partner? 
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2027 | 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Historic Academy of Medicine 

AI and Creativity: Creative Industries in Flux
Wednesday, April 14, 2027 | 6:30–9 p.m.
Walter G. Ehmer Theater (Atlantic)