Tuesday 4 October 2022 1:16pm
The most traditional event in the University of Otago English and Linguistics annual calendar will take a somewhat less traditional approach this year.
Professor Rita Raley, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, will give the 2022 Margaret Dalziel Lecture later this month on the topic of AI.
Titled: “In the wake of Ovid’s unicorn: Critical and Artistic Engagements with Machine Learning/AI”, her talk will integrate linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, and digital humanities into the broader framework of critical and cultural theory.
In short, her public lecture will take a much-needed critical approach to AI. The event promises to be of interest to not only literary studies scholars but those in these other related fields.
Associate Professor David Ciccoricco.
Associate Professor David Ciccoricco, Otago’s Head of Programme for English and Linguistics, says the Dalziel Lecture always brings a welcome intellectual energy to the humanities, as it features a scholar at the top of their game and someone who has had a transformative impact on their field.
“This year we are excited to have the opportunity to highlight a topic that is so urgent and requires more attention across disciplines.”
Professor Raley is especially looking forward to being the first international visitor to the English and Linguistics Programme.
“I am delighted that my first in‑person lecture in the (post-)COVID era will be in New Zealand, and I am looking greatly forward to thinking with you about the unsettling but critically exciting world of ‘AI writing’,” she says.
Professor Raley’s work is situated at the intersection of digital media and humanist inquiry, with a particular emphasis on language, literature, politics, and art practices. She has taught at the University of Minnesota, Rice University, and NYU, and she has held fellowship appointments at the National Humanities Center in the US, UCLA, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, and the University of Bergen.
Event details
The Dalziel Lecture will be held on Friday 14 October 2022 in the Moot Court (10th Floor of the Richardson Building) from 4:00 to 5:30pm.
The lecture will also be live-streamed at the link below:
Video streaming link: 2022 Margaret Dalziel Lecture
Further details are in the University of Otago events calendar:
Events calendar: 2022 Margaret Dalziel Lecture
For more information, contact:
Associate Professor David Ciccoricco
Head of English and Linguistics Programme
University of Otago
Tel +64 3 479 6375
Email english@otago.ac.nz
Ellie Rowley
Communications Adviser
University of Otago
Mob +64 21 278 8200
Email ellie.rowley@otago.ac.nz