Professor S. Venus Jin examined trust in and human reactions to AI at a recent Research and Creative Scholarship Colloquium, hosted by the Research Office at Northwestern Qatar. Using insights from her research on emerging media and human-machine interactions, Jin looked at how ideological views, digital equality, different chatbot personalities, transparency, and user experiences (UX) have contributed to both trust and distrust in AI.
The event, which was attended by the Northwestern Qatar community, faculty and staff from Qatar Foundation partner universities, and members of the wider research community in Qatar, also included Jin explaining how the growing media hype surrounding ChatGPT and AI-powered language models, along with their accelerating integration in everyday life, has influenced the AI scholarly field.
“Artificial intelligence and the user experience of VR are already becoming integral components of our lives,” said Jin, professor in residence and director of the Communication Program at Northwestern Qatar. “This [integration in everyday life] made artificial intelligence grow into a transdisciplinary field, integrating computer science, data science, statistics, mathematics, engineering, psychology, neuroscience, medicine, education, communication, marketing, humanities, and even more.”
When asked about the future of AI technology, Jin said: “I cannot tell [you] the future of AI, but I do believe in the goodwill of humankind … so humans and AI will be working together to make the world a better place.” She went on to outline her vision for the future of the Communication Program at Northwestern Qatar amid the rapid growth of AI as an academic field, saying the program will capitalize on the technical and mediamaking expertise at Northwestern Qatar to make understanding and knowledge of AI a critical component of student education and their growth as well-rounded thought leaders and storytellers in the region.
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