Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 36, No. 457.
        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
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    [1]    From: Ann Myatt James <ajames31@email.gwu.edu>
           Subject: Re: [Humanist] 36.449: followup: agency & intelligence (28)

    [2]    From: Tim Smithers <tim.smithers@cantab.net>
           Subject: Re: [Humanist] 36.449: followup: agency & intelligence (36)


--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Date: 2023-03-17 20:48:16+00:00
        From: Ann Myatt James <ajames31@email.gwu.edu>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 36.449: followup: agency & intelligence

Greetings colleagues,
An interesting article for sure. While I cannot speak for the exact meaning
of the concept the author had in mind, the concept of agency may be useful
in situating the debate within the broader theoretical context being
proposed by the author. And, thru their writing, it's possible to connect
their topic to at least two concepts and debates about agency: debates
arising out of structuration theory
<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1997.tb01321.x>
and
the work of Anthony Giddens
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/giddens-structuration-
theory>
as
well as Bruno LaTour's writings about actor network theory (ANT)
<https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312713511867>.

Regards,
Ann


--

Ann Myatt James, BBA, MA, PhD
<https://library.gwu.edu/users/ann-myatt-james> | Data Services Librarian
and Co-lead of LAI's DEI Committee

The George Washington University Libraries | 2130 H St. NW, Suite 303V,
Washington, DC 20052

--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Date: 2023-03-17 08:43:06+00:00
        From: Tim Smithers <tim.smithers@cantab.net>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 36.449: followup: agency & intelligence

Dear Jim [and Prof Floridi],

What is agency? Good question. May be?

Perhaps you could ask this publication.  The Abstract claims
plenty of agency.

    "The article discusses ..."

    "The article argues ..."

    "It also highlights ..."

    "The article concludes that ..."

But, if agency is granted so easily and generously to such
passive things, here, I presume, by the author, can this
notion have much useful meaning?  Or is this another example
of agency without intelligence?  -:)

Prof Floridi: forgive me, please.  I'm poking a little fun.

Something we don't seem to get much of, if any, from ChatGPT
and it's ilk.  Why not?  Is there so little fun and puns and
jokes and opportunistic playfulness, in all the data these
systems are programmed with?  If so, what did the builders do
with it all?  I quite often see such good humorous stuff on
the web in different places.

Or is it that good fun needs more intelligence?

Best regards,

Tim




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