Convergence of AI, DH, and English Studies
Organised by DoE, MKBU
Participated in a National Seminar hosted by Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar. The seminar, titled 'Convergence of AI, DH, and English Studies,' was conducted in a hybrid mode. The event commenced with a cordial welcome from the Head of the Department and Professor Dr. Dilip Barad. Distinguished speakers included Prof. (Dr.) Nigam Dave, Director of the School of Liberal Studies and Dean of International Relations at PDEU, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, delivered a thought-provoking session on the Value Neutrality of Deepfake and its Positive Implications. Dr. Richa Srishti, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Languages at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Lavasa, Pune, Maharashtra, explored the Role of AI in the Creative Process and Redefined Authorship. Dr. Richa Mishra, Chairperson of the Board of Studies and Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, offered insights into Engaging with Digital Humanities: Tools, Techniques and Scope. Finally, Dr. Shobha K.N., Associate Professor of English at NTTTR, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, discussed the application of AI for Teaching and Learning.
This blog is Jheel Barad's Major takeaways from the seminar attended in online mode.
Prof. (Dr.) Nigam Dave on Value Neutrality of Deepfake and its Positive Implications
The first session started with a question: Why do we call the swapping of images or videos "deepfake" and not "Synthetic Media"? We discussed the background of Deepfake and pondered whether deepfakes could shake up global governance. If yes, what can we do to stop it? If not, what have we missed in raising awareness about Deepfake?
We talked about fake identities, a concept rooted in Indian myths. Stories like Chavan Rudhi and Sukanya, and the legend behind Chavanprash, showed how old this idea is. Examples like Ravan becoming a golden deer and Arjuna disguising as Brihanala highlighted that deepfake isn't new; it's how we interpret things that's the problem.
These examples show how things are duplicated, copied, or altered to look like the original, which is the basic idea behind Deepfake - manipulating or changing something to mislead others about someone or something.
- Meme with text change in the original dialogue
- Body double
- Look-a-like celebrities
- Mimicry artists
- Singers singing with the voices of known singers
- Fake products in chor bazaar
The concept of Deepfake or Synthetic Media can be utilized for positive purposes.
- Deepfake voice tech E.G.: David Beckham Malaria Campaign
- De-aging of Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones
- Dali Lives- Museum bringing Artist back to life with AI in Florida museum
- Michal Jackson Hologram
Just like guns don't kill people, it's the malicious intentions of people that alter technology.
Dr. Richa Mishra on Engaging with Digital Humanities: Tools, Techniques and Scope.
In her presentation, she delved into the myriad tools, techniques, and scopes within the realm of Digital Humanities (DH) as a researcher. The session commenced with an observation on the prevalence of theoretical research over practical production in the Indian DH landscape. It provided a comprehensive background on the emergence of Digital Humanities, highlighting key figures in the field. CLICK HERE
Furthermore, the talk explored the contrasting patterns between traditional research methodologies and those employed in DH. Analogous to traditional research, DH research encompasses digitized data, born-digital content, and data revitalized in digital formats. This comparison sheds light on the evolving nature of research methodologies in the digital age.
Additionally, the session delved into various research techniques pivotal to Digital Humanities, including:
1. Text Mining & Analysis: Uncovering patterns, trends, and insights from large volumes of textual data through computational methods.
2. Data Visualization: Presenting complex data in visual formats to facilitate understanding and interpretation.
3. Geospatial Analysis: Analyzing spatial data to reveal geographical patterns, relationships, and trends.
4. Network Analysis: Studying the connections and relationships between entities within a network to discern patterns and structures.
5. Corpus Linguistics: Analyzing large collections of text (corpora) to study language patterns, usage, and evolution.
6. Text Encoding and Markup: Employing markup languages to encode and structure textual data for analysis and presentation.
These techniques underscore the interdisciplinary nature of Digital Humanities, leveraging computational tools to explore and understand humanistic inquiries in novel and insightful ways.
Furthermore, the session highlighted a plethora of tools essential for implementing these techniques:
1. Hermeneutim: An advanced tool facilitating text analysis and interpretation, aiding researchers in uncovering deeper meanings and insights within textual data.
2. Tupor.ca: A comprehensive platform offering a range of tools for textual analysis, enabling researchers to explore linguistic patterns, sentiment analysis, and more.
3. Hypothes.is: A collaborative annotation tool allowing users to annotate and discuss digital documents, fostering collaborative research and knowledge sharing.
4. Recognition: A tool specializing in optical character recognition (OCR), converting scanned documents and images into editable and searchable text, thus facilitating text mining and analysis.
and many more. The session also introduced other tools tailored to specific research needs, including data visualization platforms, geospatial analysis software, network analysis tools, and text encoding software.
The session culminated with an exploration of the diverse scopes available for research within Digital Humanities (DH), as in photo
Recorded Sessions
Dr. Richa Srishti on The Role of AI in the Creative Process and Redefined Authorship
The session commenced with fundamental inquiries: Can AI truly embody the essence of an author? Will AI revolutionize the very concept of authorship? Let us delve into the roots of these terms, beginning with the etymology of 'Artificial' and 'Intelligence'.
The term 'Artificial' traces its origins to the Latin word 'Artificium', derived from 'ars' meaning 'arts or skills', and 'facere' signifying 'to make or create'. When merged, they epitomize the notion of crafting or creating with skill. On the other hand, 'Intelligence' stems from 'Intelligentia', originating from 'inter' meaning 'between or among', and 'legere' connoting 'to choose or read'. Collectively, they encompass the capacity to understand and discern. the term "author," derived from 'auctor', which embodies the concept of a creator, someone who fashions something out of nothingness.
In her address, Ma'am delved into the profound implications of AI's learning capabilities, noting that AI is progressively absorbing and adapting to human commands and behaviors, even learning from our mistakes when they are pointed out. Drawing parallels with historical figures like Einstein and Ada Lovelace, she emphasized the potential for AI to be regarded as genuine authors, akin to their human counterparts. Moreover, she underscored the collaborative potential between humans and AI in creative endeavors, citing various online AI tools tailored for collaborative writing experiences.
Show casing various examples of poems and images, challenging the audience to discern between those created by humans and those generated by AI. She recommended a range of online AI tools such as Verse by Verse, ChatGPT, and AI Dungeon for generating poetry, prose, and images collaboratively.
One term that resonated strongly in her discourse was "Scriptor," as coined by Ronald Barths. According to Barths, a Scriptor possesses the ability to rearrange existing text in novel ways, a notion that aligns with AI's capacity to generate content based on learned patterns and inputs.
The session emphasized collaboration between human creativity and technology's capabilities, following insights from Salman Rushdie and Kevin Kelly. Rushdie noted AI's challenge to unoriginal writers, suggesting it doesn't threaten all human creativity. Kelly reframed the narrative from competition to collaboration, advocating a "race with robots" mindset. This approach encourages leveraging AI's strengths to enhance human innovation, fostering a synergistic relationship rather than a competitive one.
Dr. Shobha K.N. on AI for Teaching and Learning.
The speaker began by tracing the evolution of technology in education, highlighting milestones from the printing press to the World Wide Web. She emphasized that AI, despite its recent surge in popularity, has been under development for a significant period. The journey of technological advancement in education, starting from early computing to machine learning and Deep Learning, was illustrated. Drawing an analogy from sports, she illustrated how evolving technology offers educators new opportunities akin to athletes setting new records. Three exemplary educators—Benjamin Bloom with Bloom's Taxonomy, Sal Khan with Khan Academy, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI—were cited for providing frameworks for AI-integrated teaching, spanning mathematics to literature.
The speaker advocated for teacher training in AI through courses available on platforms like Coursera. Emphasizing the need for educators to familiarize themselves with AI, she recommended various AI tools for lesson planning, including Pictory, InvideoAI, Tome, SlideAI, Gamma, Eduaideai, Twee, Magicschool.Ai, Alayna.Ai, Preplexity, Curipod, and autoclassmate. Positioning AI as an opportunity that democratizes technology, she highlighted its potential for personalized teaching and learning, heralding a transformative shift in education.
Recorded Sessions
