Stony Brook University is developing an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how artificial intelligence reshapes industries, creative expression and human relationships.
Yvette Wohn, inaugural chair of the Department of Technology, AI and Society at Stony Brook University, discussed the social, ethical and cultural implications of artificial intelligence during a presentation at the Charles B. Wang Center on October 16. During her talk at the Homecoming Thought Leadership Series, she outlined the many different sectors of life that AI has begun to affect and how the department plans to approach this academically.
Wohn brings an interdisciplinary background to her role, combining expertise in technology and digital media with a foundation in journalism and communication. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Harvard University before completing her PhD in Media and Information Studies at Michigan State University.
“One of the things I wanted to introduce to you today is a fundamental shift that we’re seeing: AI is moving a little bit ahead, being more than a tool, more than a system, to becoming a collaborator,” Wohn said.
Throughout the presentation, Wohn explored how AI is being integrated into industries ranging from healthcare, entertainment, the arts and even self-help.
“There is no doubt that maybe AI will take some of the jobs, but in another sense, it also creates opportunities for existing jobs and also new jobs that didn’t exist,” Wohn said.
In healthcare, for example, AI can analyze medical images and identify potential diagnoses, allowing professionals to devote more time to patient consultations and communication. Wohn said these developments illustrate how AI can support human workers rather than simply replace them.
“Since AI was doing that work of just going through all of the images, that freed up the human’s time to be doing other things, such as conducting clinical consultations and also communicating complex results,” she said.
Wohn’s presentation also addressed AI’s growing influence on creative industries, including challenges around intellectual property consent and ownership.
AI systems generate new material using existing data, raising questions about whether creators have authorized their work to be used in training these technologies. She discussed a 2022 art competition at the Colorado State Fair in which a piece generated with AI sparked controversy after its creator won a prize. The debate centered on whether AI-generated work should be considered art, particularly when a human artist directs the system to produce an image.
“Isn’t it the same as an architect telling construction workers how to build a building?” Wohn said, describing the argument made by supporters of AI-generated art; however, it is controversial because many artists (and creative companies) did not consent to have their work used to train datasets that many generative AI systems use.
Since then, cultural institutions like the Whitney Museum and MoMA have featured artwork that incorporated AI, suggesting that the use of AI in the creative sector is being seriously considered in certain capacities.
There’s now even a “Facebook for AI,” called Moltbook. She explained that the platform has a “prove you’re not a human” feature, at which point members of the audience giggled at the irony.
Wohn explained how AI is changing personal interaction and raising concerns about privacy, identity and consent. She discussed technologies that can generate realistic digital representations of people, including AI-generated music using the voices of deceased performers.
“If you go on YouTube and search for Michael Jackson covers, you’ll see that Michael Jackson has a lot of recent songs,” Wohn said. “And that’s possible when you have a huge database of his voice. Has he consented to that? Not really.”
Such applications can be created for entertainment, but they also raise questions about who can consent in these situations, and whether others can profit from those representations.
“AI does not discriminate between the living and the dead,” Wohn said.
She also explored the growing use of AI companions, including applications designed to simulate friendships, romantic relationships and therapeutic conversations. Although these technologies may offer support to people who lack access to certain services, she cautioned that their influence on human relationships, especially young people, deserves further attention.
The Department of AI, Technology, and Society seeks to address these questions through research and teaching that connect technology with the humanities, social sciences, policy and other fields. Their work is supported by a $5 million investment from New York State.
Rather than focusing exclusively on how to build AI systems, the department examines their effects, how they can be developed responsibly and how their design influences their use.
She emphasized the role of universities in examining long-term consequences without the same immediate pressures that shape commercial decision-making.
“We really want to focus on things that make us valuable as humans, which are critical thinking, communication and experiential learning,” she said.
She concluded by emphasizing that responsible AI development requires participation beyond the technology industry. She encouraged the audience to engage with policymakers and consider how AI should be regulated and used.
“When we’re developing a new drug, it’s not immediately released to the public unless there is a medical trial, some approval from the FDA and such, but AI doesn’t have a kind of equivalent regulation right now,” she said.
As the Department of Technology, AI and Society develops its research and academic programs, its focus will remain on understanding the relationship between technological innovation and human experience.
“Academia can play a very unique role in the whole theme of AI development in general,” Wohn said. “And that’s because of the privilege, the luxury, of taking on intellectual challenges without the pressure of meeting shareholder needs or profit.”
— Salomé Davoudiasl