Dear all,

You are invited to join the below public lecture connected to my Anthropology of Japan class at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Best,

Kate

Public lecture: Wed, Feb 28, 2024

12:20-1:10pm MT, on Zoom

Register in advance:

https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYod-CtqzkvGdUNu6NafgTsYiQK7qGH9ctz

 

As Intelligent as its Authors: Writing Conversational Artificial Intelligence in Japan

Dr. Elizabeth Rodwell

Assistant Professor, Department of Information & Logistics Technology University of Houston

 

Behind the scenes of every chatbot and conversational artificial intelligence (AI) system is the labor of conversation designers, whose work lies somewhere between the application of user experience principles and the art of script writing. Conversation designers construct the voices and polish the tone that gives these tools a personality (or tries to avoid one). Based on ongoing fieldwork at a Japanese Conversational AI startup, I discuss how one team of conversation designers is shaping a GPT-based tool to help measure students' English language competency and help them practice without self-consciousness. This project has recently gotten a lot of attention in the Japanese press, but those who tell its story frequently forget about the contribution of anyone except the engineers- especially the linguists, psychologists, and teachers who are this tool's voice.  

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Kathryn E. Goldfarb
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
University of Colorado at Boulder
1350 Pleasant St.
Boulder, CO 80309
Hale Science 350 | Campus Box 233 UCB
Office: Hale Science 466
Office phone: 303.492.1589
kathryn.goldfarb@colorado.edu