Exploring the Promise and Peril of AI: Insights from Humanities Scholars

In a recent gathering at the J. Willard Marriott Library, a diverse assembly of educators and scholars convened for the Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Summer Institute, which took place from July 23 to July 25, 2025. This event, initiated by the College of Humanities at the University of Utah, aimed to foster discussions on the dual nature of artificial intelligence—its potential benefits and inherent risks to society.

The institute was inspired by the legacy of David C. Evans, a pioneer in computer science at the University of Utah, whose archival contributions, including business plans and early ARPANET documentation, provide historical context for the current debates surrounding AI. Evans' prescient warnings about the social implications of information processing technologies, made during a speech in 1968, resonate today as the integration of AI accelerates across various sectors.

Lizzie Callaway, assistant professor of English, and Rebekah Cummings, associate librarian and director of the Digital Matters Lab, led the institute. They highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the ethical dimensions of AI. Callaway expressed her excitement about the interactions among participants from diverse fields, stating, “Hearing from accomplished scholars with different research agendas is what I look forward to most.” This sentiment was echoed by Jared McCormick, clinical assistant professor at New York University, who emphasized the necessity of examining both the promise and peril of AI technologies.

The institute attracted 30 scholars from various institutions, selected from over 120 applicants, showcasing a wide array of expertise and perspectives. Kody Partridge, an English instructor at Rowland Hall, mentioned her aim to better understand AI's impact on her students, stating, “I wanted to be more fluent about this technology and speak to the issues that my students will need to grapple with.”

The funding for the institute faced challenges after abrupt cancellations of several National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) grants in April 2025. However, local organizations quickly stepped in to support the initiative, including the Marriott Library and BYU Digital Humanities. Cummings noted, “It made Lizzie and I think that we could still do this, so we went back to our budget and found a way to make it work.”

The institute featured a range of sessions, including discussions on ethical AI use in education, the environmental impacts of AI production, and the metadata embedded in software. Brian Carroll, a communication professor from Berry College, remarked on the transformative potential of such institutes: “They inform scholarly pursuits, offer new pedagogies, and perhaps most impactful of all, they form teaching and learning communities that incubate countless great ideas.”

Katherine Harris, a professor at San Jose State University, raised concerns regarding the commercialization of AI in higher education. She warned that administrators might be succumbing to the AI gold rush driven by tech companies lacking a community focus. Harris's ongoing project employs machine reading to analyze literary depictions of beauty in the context of colonialism, illustrating the nuanced applications of AI in humanistic inquiry.

Cummings and Callaway aspire for the institute to not only interrogate the implications of AI but also to envision an ethical future for its application. Callaway highlighted the importance of asking critical questions while aiming to maximize the benefits of AI and minimize its harms. A significant point of contention discussed was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which limits the liability of social media platforms for user-generated content. Callaway argued for reevaluating this provision, suggesting that platforms amplifying controversial content may no longer deserve protection under this law.

The institute culminated in a public panel co-sponsored by the One-U Responsible AI Initiative, inviting community members to engage in discussions about the future of AI. The event underscored the necessity of ongoing dialogue regarding the ethical implications of technological advancements, aiming to shape a society that harnesses AI for the collective good rather than purely for profit.

As the integration of AI continues to evolve, the insights gained from this institute and similar gatherings will be vital in guiding the responsible development of these transformative technologies.