Association for Theatre in Higher Education/Association of Asian Performance ATHE/AAP Online Symposium AI Working Group Call for Papers Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Techno-Performative Futures in Asia/Asian Diaspora Studies

Association for Theatre in Higher Education/Association of Asian Performance ATHE/AAP Online Symposium AI Working Group Call for Papers
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Techno-Performative Futures in Asia/Asian Diaspora Studies

Symposium Date: April 4, 2025

Recent advancements in AI have led scientists in the field to be awarded prestigious recognitions like the Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry. In addition, AI research surge in the Asian Studies in the recent years. What does this signify for the humanities and performing arts? How might breakthroughs in machine learning, especially artificial neural networks, inspire new research paradigms in these fields? Geoffrey Hinton’s critique of Chomsky during his Ulysses Medal acceptance speech raises fundamental questions about linguistic theory, prompting us to consider the relevance of his perspective in the humanities.

At a time when humanities/performing arts programs face reduction, and the rise of AI challenges traditional paradigm of research, AAP/ATHE play a crucial role in sustaining our field. This CFP invites scholars and practitioners in theatre, dance, and performance studies to collaborate on strategies for addressing these challenges, with a focus on inclusivity, digital innovation, and equity in academia. AI pioneers like Hinton assert that large language models (LLMs) have reached a level of comprehension comparable to humans, raising concerns about the ethical and social implications of AI's expanding capabilities. Historically, performing arts have incorporated new technologies, and AI now stands as a creative partner for artists, educators, and researchers alike. This working group will circulate papers, scripts, videos, and other materials that explore AI’s role in performance, pedagogy, and research, investigating whether these technologies could reshape future practices.

The convergence of AI and interdisciplinary research, as exemplified by DeepMind’s collaborative approach to protein structure prediction, demonstrates a shift from isolated research efforts toward integrated, cross-disciplinary problem-solving. AI has the potential to redefine knowledge boundaries across fields, emphasizing a new era of discovery and innovation. For instance, deep learning, inspired by the neural structures of the human brain, underscores how digital tools can mirror human cognition. David Jones’s 2016 Nature article describes DeepMind’s use of deep learning to defeat a human Go champion, signaling the urgency of understanding these complex networks. In artificial neural networks (ANNs), each artificial neuron learns by exchanging signals, mirroring brain function to produce increasingly sophisticated results.

Additionally, AI also raise questions: how does it relate to poststructuralism and ontological turn? Hinton’s speech provides a provocative critique of Chomsky’s rationalist approach to linguistics, advocating instead for a data-driven, empirical model of language acquisition. He suggests that LLMs are effective precisely because they learn without predefined rules, drawing on vast datasets to construct meaning contextually. Such empirical methods challenge traditional rationalist models, which can falter when confronting exceptions, bias, or the partial nature of human cognition. Postmodernist and deconstructionist theories further question the limitations of rationality, with AI’s memory reconstruction capabilities offering a more human-like approach to understanding meaning.

This CFP calls for innovative contributions that examine AI’s impact on performance and humanities research in Asian and Asian diasporic contexts. We encourage submissions that address the transformative potential of AI and machine learning for performing arts, including experimental work on AI as a collaborator, AI in pedagogy, and implications for future research methodologies.

Please send your name and working title by 11/13/2024 (first round), and a 150-word abstract along with a short bio (second round) by 2/15/2025 to Dr. Menghang Wu at wu.4899@osu.edu.

Submission types include, but are not limited to: - Short papers in progress
- Artistic works
- Theatre, dance, and performance art

- Installations

- Digital media
- Long papers/publications - Field notes
- Practice as research