What do we really mean when we talk about AI?

At UConn’s Humanities Institute scholars from the U.S. and the International University of Rabat, Morocco, came together to explore that question — not through code, but through culture, language, and meaning. 

Among the organizers was Prof. Anke Finger (German Studies, UConn), whose work bridges technology, literature, and intercultural dialogue. Prof. Finger explored the subject of AI literacy through the history of German literature where fears of AI-like “automatons” span centuries.

Prof. Finger analyzed how literature can show us how humans have historically grappled with fears of emerging technologies – the kinds of futures, whether dystopian or utopian, writers have imagined these technologies ushering in. 

Overall, the symposium challenged participants to rethink what learning, rights, equitable access, and even “care” mean across languages and cultures and how those meanings are being currently transformed. 

From law, to medicine, to education, to philosophy, an astonishing array of disciplines were represented at the international symposium. In keeping with the core principles of UCHI, scholars reached across cultural and linguistic lines in the pursuit of knowledge. 

Read the full story at the November 6, 2025, issue of UConn Today.

Written by Prof. Anna Horakova.