The Art and Humanity of AI

From classrooms to research labs, the College of Arts and Humanities is shaping how we understand artificial intelligence and guiding its responsible future.

By ARHU Staff 

Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of our lives, and understanding its full impact requires much more than technical expertise. The humanities provide the ethical grounding, cultural context and critical analysis that ensure new technologies serve the public good. 

As part of “AI at Maryland” month this October, the university is highlighting its leadership in artificial intelligence—showcasing how research, education and service are having an impact in a number of sectors. Within this landscape, the College of Arts and Humanities brings a distinctive perspective. We are examining AI through the lenses of the arts, the humanities and other human-centered disciplines, offering critical analysis of its societal implications, and thoughtfully utilizing AI tools in creative ways. 

Faculty in the Department of Philosophy are leading the development of a new Bachelor of Arts in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, with contributions from departments and disciplines across the university. The new major is designed to give students technical skills while grounding them in values of ethics, cultural understanding and critical inquiry. Graduates will be equipped to navigate the social and ethical complexities of AI technologies and to become thoughtful leaders in the field.

As associate director of education for UMD’s new Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM), Professor and Chair of the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Neda Atanasoski is helping launch both the B.A. and B.S. majors in AI. Both degrees emphasize the responsible use of artificial intelligence to advance the public good.

Here are just some of the additional ways ARHU is researching, teaching and reimagining AI today:

Research at the Forefront

Faculty across the college are advancing cutting-edge projects that explore AI’s possibilities and pitfalls. 

HPV Vaccine Communication
Communication Professor Xiaoli Nan leads a $2.8 million NIH-funded project using AI-driven chatbots to support parental decision-making about HPV vaccination. Nan and an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including Philip Resnik, an MPower Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Linguistics and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), are developing a personalized chatbot that tailors health information to parents’ specific concerns and communication styles.

Arctic Sea Ice Mapping
Art Associate Professor Cy Keener and colleagues across the Departments of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, Geographical Sciences, Computer Science and UMIACS, are creating low-cost, AI-powered tools to monitor sea ice and generate high-resolution 3D reconstructions to track sea ice above and below the sea surface. 

Tools for Neurodiversity-Affirming Speech Therapy
Maryland Language Science Center Assistant Research Professor Shevaun Lewis and Hearing and Speech Sciences Clinical Professor Kathy Dow-Burger are co-designing AI tools with autistic adults and speech therapists. Their goal is to analyze everyday conversations and support personalized therapy.

Human-Centered AI for Translating Classical Chinese
Associate Professor of Chinese Andrew Schonebaum, along with a colleague in UMIACS, is helping develop AI technology to reliably translate classical Chinese and integrate AI literacy into the humanities curriculum.

FemTech and Digital Health Technologies
Assistant Research Professor Jessica Lee Mathiason in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is writing a book that critiques how AI-driven women’s health technologies reinforce outdated assumptions, while proposing more equitable design frameworks.

Violin Pedagogy
Violin Professor Irina Muresanu is collaborating with UMIACS on AI-driven software to provide personalized guidance for string players, with plans to expand to other instruments. The software will expand access to music instruction for populations that may not be able to afford or easily find it. 

The Studio for Literary Technology (Department of English)
Led by Associate Professor Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, the studio explores AI and computational systems in literary contexts. Its inaugural program, “Ways to Meet A.I.,” features workshops, lectures and performances.

Language and Child Development
Director of the Maryland Language Science Center Yi Ting Huang, associate professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, uses neural models to study children’s language processing and applies speech recognition to analyze home environments, in partnership with community organizations.

Technoskepticism
Assistant Professor of Communication Rianna Walcott investigates the promises and dangers of generative AI, critiquing how AI systems reproduce Black diasporic speech styles. With Associate Professor of Communication Catherine Knight Steele and others in the DISCO Network, she is a co-author of “Technoskepticism,” published by Stanford University Press, which is a monograph concerning the possibilities and dangers of new technologies including generative AI. 

Language and the Limits of AI
Linguistics Chair and Professor Jeff Lidz studies how children acquire language with far less data than AI models, offering insights for building conversational systems grounded in human cognition.

Bias in Large Language Models
Linguistics Professor Philip Resnik is examining why AI models reproduce harmful stereotypes, arguing for approaches rooted in linguistics and cognitive science to build fairer AI.

Feminist Perspectives on AI
Professor Neda Atanasoski’s research bridges feminist political theory and technology studies, analyzing how AI and automation intersect with power, inequality and human rights. In her co-edited book “Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen,” published by Duke University Press, she offers a feminist theory of “creep” to understand how emerging technologies infiltrate intimate and global spaces.

Evaluation of AI Voices in Language Testing
Sanshiroh Ogawa, a doctoral student in the Second Language Acquisition program in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, is studying whether synthetic speech can fairly replace human voices in listening comprehension tests. 

AI in the Classroom

Across ARHU, faculty are embedding questions of technology, ethics and creativity into their teaching. Some examples: 

COMM449A: “Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age”
Taught by Lecturer Lamia Zia, students explore how AI is reshaping human communication, from chatbots to news algorithms. Students analyze the cultural and societal implications of AI-driven media and interpersonal interactions.

IMDM350: “Advanced Digital Media Theory”
Taught by Professor of American Studies Jason Farman, this course examines the cultural, political and ethical dimensions of immersive media, including AI, neural networks, game culture and AR/VR. Students gain tools to think critically about the accelerating pace of technological change.

JAPN447: “Technologies of Japanese Performance”
Taught by Assistant Professor Japanese Jyana Browne, this course traces how Japanese performance traditions—from noh drama to Vocaloids—intersect with technology. Robotics and digital performance provide a lens on contemporary cultural innovation. Cross-listed with Theatre. 

PHIL209M: “AI and the Human Experience”
Taught by Fabrizio Cariani, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, students are introduced to the applications and ethics of AI, including creativity, justice and well-being. Students critically evaluate technologies like recommender systems, facial recognition and predictive analytics. Gateway course for the new B.A. 

PHIL211: “AI and Ethics”
Taught by Lecturer Nathan Lauffer, the course focuses on applied ethics, tackling questions of bias, surveillance, autonomous weapons and robot rights. Students practice building arguments and analyzing problems with philosophical rigor.

WGSS115: “Gender, Race and Computing”
Co-taught by Associate Professor Alexis Lothian in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Adjunct Lecturer Jennifer Manly in the Department of Computer Science, this course examines how race and gender have shaped computing from its origins to present-day algorithmic bias. Students study feminist and racial justice approaches to reimagine digital technologies. Cross-listed with Computer Science.

New Courses Coming

ARHU faculty also secured three of seven AIM curriculum development grants for 2025–26. These projects will embed AI more deeply into majors and minors, with new courses debuting by 2026.

Discourse Matters: AI and Humanities Analytics Applications for Japanese Texts
Associate Professor of Japanese Lindsay Yotsukura will guide students in analyzing postwar Japanese texts from UMD’s Gordon W. Prange Collection. Using digital humanities tools such as Python, R and Google’s Document AI, students will explore the impact of discourse and censorship on society.

Artificial Intelligence Otherwise
Associate Professor Alexis Lothian in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will develop a course that explores AI through the lens of science fiction and social justice. Students will engage with lesser-known works that examine how real and imagined AI systems reproduce or resist structural inequality.

AI and the Art of Visual Storytelling
Assistant Professor Alireza Vaziri in the Department of Art will create a course on integrating AI into design workflows. Students will learn to balance traditional design principles with emerging technologies, developing strategies for creative and responsible use of AI.