Friday Frontiers

Friday Frontiers Autumn Series

Friday 2nd October, 10.30 WEST / 11.30 CEST / 12.30 EEST

Case Studies from #DiscussAI: A National Conversation on Artificial Intelligence in Ireland

Speakers: Dr Emma Clarke (Dublin City University) & Paula Kelly (Technical University of Dublin)

Description
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in everyday life, decisions about its development and deployment are often made without meaningful input from the people it affects. Ireland’s national AI strategy, AI – Here for Good, places strong emphasis on citizen involvement. However, public understanding of AI and its societal impact lags behind the pace of technological advances. Many communities, particularly those traditionally underserved by science and technology engagement, remain excluded from the conversation, therefore, AI literacy is essential to enhance inclusion. The Research Ireland ADAPT Centre launched #DiscussAI in September 2021, establishing a national conversation on AI that equips people across Ireland with the knowledge and skills to critically engage with AI-driven systems and make informed choices. Co-creating dialogue is at the heart of #DiscussAI. This session introduces that approach through two case studies, and explores why participatory, co-created dialogue matters for research and practice on the societal impact of AI.

Registration Link: https://dariah.zoom.us/meeting/register/uSQOL_dAQWCujoTv3jqy7A

Friday 6th November, 10.30 WET / 11.30 CET / 12.30 EET

Working Title: “Rethinking the Humanities: Artificial Intelligence as Method and Meaning”

Speaker: Benedikt Perak, University of Rijeka, Croatia

Registration Link: https://dariah.zoom.us/meeting/register/aL4zJmNgTbGQnlrRRo4FKw

Description
Artificial intelligence is transforming not only how we conduct research in the humanities but
also what it means to ask humanistic questions. This talk explores AI’s evolving role in
humanities scholarship — from computational tools for text analysis and natural language
processing to AI as an epistemic partner that reshapes interpretive frameworks. Drawing on
concrete examples from knowledge graphs, conceptual metaphor analysis, and intelligent
tutoring systems such as the AI Language Tutor developed at Syntagent and the University
of Rijeka, I will argue that AI does not replace humanistic inquiry but reconfigures it, opening
new avenues for understanding language, culture, and cognition. The presentation builds on
themes from my recent book Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and ongoing
research at the intersection of cognitive linguistics, digital humanities, and machine learning.

Friday 4th December 2026, 10.30 WET / 11.30 CET / 12.30 EET

Title: Bibliography as Data: From Scholarly Indexes to Interactive Research Software

Speaker: Cezary Rosiński, Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Registration Link: https://dariah.zoom.us/meeting/register/or7OvGobS2GXoZ7XPMOrOg

Description
Bibliographies, indexes and other documentary resources are usually created to organise
knowledge and support information retrieval. Yet the structures produced through
bibliographic work can also become a basis for new forms of humanities research. This
presentation explores how scholarly indexes can be transformed into relational data and
examined through network analysis without losing sight of their original documentary
function. Using the Monumenta Indica Network Explorer as a case study, I will discuss the
process of extracting, normalising and modelling index data, defining what relationships in
the resulting network actually mean, and designing an interactive research environment that
allows scholars to move between patterns and their underlying sources. The presentation
will also consider how research software can turn existing bibliographic resources into
exploratory spaces for generating and testing new research questions.