CHaT Conference Roundup: Science and Technology in the Anthropocene

The University of Cincinnati hosted our first ever CHaT Conference on “Science and Technology in the Anthropocene” on April 2–3, bringing together scholars across the humanities to examine how AI is reshaping human experience and environmental conditions.

Invited speakers Jelle Bruineberg, Shannon McMullen, Shen-yi Liao, Sina Fazelpour, and Robin Zebrowski presented on topics ranging from attention and cognition to AI governance, environmental art, and the risks associated with generative systems. Additional talks and poster sessions expanded the discussion across philosophy, cognitive science, and the arts.

Companion Events

The conference included two companion events. A reception at the Tabula Rasa Gallery (DAAP) featured Ecophones, an installation by Shannon McMullen and Fabian Winkler that explores machine listening, environmental sound, and human–nonhuman interaction through networked audio technologies.

Later that evening, the IRiS Alloy #24 discussion — “AI, Perception, and Planetary Change” — brought together Jelle Bruineberg, Robin Zebrowski, Takunda Matose, and Tim Elmo Feiten, with Nathan Morehouse moderating, for a public conversation on AI, perception, and ecological change. The session is available to watch on YouTube.

Together, these events extended the conference beyond formal presentations and created space for interdisciplinary exchange across research, art, and public dialogue.

Thanks to all who attended and participated.