Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 39, No. 240.
        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
                      Hosted by DH-Cologne
                       www.dhhumanist.org
                Submit to: humanist@dhhumanist.org




        Date: 2025-11-28 20:31:16+00:00
        From: Tim Smithers <tim.smithers@cantab.net>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 39.234: a starting point, not a subject

Dear Jim,

Seldom have I seen such concise and careful words used to
describe so well the real consequences of today's Generative
AI hype' and Fairy Story on current practices, and so
precisely to identify what we should do to counter these
consequences.

Thank you!

-- Tim



> On 26 Nov 2025, at 07:03, Humanist <humanist@dhhumanist.org> wrote:
>
>
>              Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 39, No. 234.
>        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
>                      Hosted by DH-Cologne
>                       www.dhhumanist.org
>                Submit to: humanist@dhhumanist.org
>
>
>
>
>        Date: 2025-11-25 14:39:54+00:00
>        From: James Rovira <jamesrovira@gmail.com>
>        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 39.233: a starting point, not a subject?
>
> You always ask the best questions, Willard. I think the work that you say
> digital humanists usually do and the work that maybe more of them should be
> doing instead are two completely separate things and people need to be working
> on both of them.
>
> Now taking the next step, maybe the problem is that the people focusing on
> implementation of AI, which is the overwhelming majority of our focus, I
agree,
> need to be more self reflective along the way.
>
> But we need a basis for self reflection. That's where the historical work from
> different perspectives becomes valuable and necessary. It's out there. But
maybe
> some consideration of it should be built in at the beginning of every project
> and then consulted throughout the execution of the project? Based on our
current
> knowledge, what are the implications of this project? The possible effects?
> Surely this happens at least sometimes. I don't know.
>
> I think that sentence ending in "reshaping the norms and practices of science"
> sounds like exactly that work. But it could be just a matter of continued
> implementation.
>
> I think the tone of the work matters and how it is focused. Worst case
scenario
> is that it just descends into a sales pitch. University administrators just
love
> that stupid bullshit. Then business faculty will follow, jumping up and down
> like frogs in a pond, because what really matters is seeming like we're being
> innovative rather than actually thinking about what we're doing and the best
way
> to do it.
>
> Better would be something like a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
> approach.
>
> Jim R



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