[Air-L] CFP: Professional and Pedagogical Approaches to Generative AI

Thu Jun 22 12:46:40 PDT 2023

Dear colleagues,

I think that in addition to calls like these, extremely valuable and
important, we need much lighter, agile and fast formats to initiate
conversations about the impact of  Generative AI on our field of
study. The changes are occurring at breakneck speed, as anyone who
follows the r/LocalLLaMA and r/ChatGPT communities in Reddit can
attest.

I am eager to collaborate or join forces to anyone who wishes to
organize an agile online workshop or publication, or any other similar
artifact for public exchange of ideas. For example, a call for short
presentations of 1000 - 1500 words, presenting initial arguments,
proposals or concerns about Generative AI and Communication Studies.
Without looking for a well-rounded academic publication, but rather a
flexible exchange of thougts that allows quick mapping of initial
concepts, problems and areas to monitor. And in a period of 3 or 4
months after the initial call, make public a final product (an ebook?
A website? ...).

In summary, I feel that the speed and depth of the changes can make
our mental models age much faster than what we would like.

kind regards,

Hamlet

On 6/22/23, J.J. Sylvia IV via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> *Call for Proposals*
>
> We are now accepting abstracts (250-500 words) on the topic of generative
> artificial intelligence (AI) for a special issue of the Journal of Technical
> Writing and Communication , via submission to JTWC.AI.Issue at gmail.com. We
> invite researchers and practitioners to explore themes related to generative
> AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, and DALL-E.
>
> *Special Issue Title:* Professional and Pedagogical Approaches to Generative
> AI
>
> *Abstract Submission Deadline* : July 1, 2023
>
> *Theme and Scope:*
>
> Since their rollout in 2022, generative AI platform use has exploded. Their
> impacts on education, healthcare, journalism, manufacturing, marketing,
> public relations, and other fields are expected to be far-reaching and
> unpredictable. Generative AI is already used in healthcare for medical note
> taking, patient communication, and medical data analysis (Pifer 2023).
> Formulaic fiction online magazines are being flooded with bot-written
> horror, mystery, and science fiction stories. On Amazon, an aspiring romance
> novelist may purchase J. Cid’s ChatGPT for Romance Writers: Tips and
> examples on how to generate ideas and maximize productivity. News
> organizations, such as Sky news, CNBC, and other outlets, have “hired”
> ChatGPT to write news stories.  Marketers and creators are experimenting
> with ChatGPT (as well as DALL-E and Midjourney) to identify novel marketing
> techniques and unique brand designs.
>
> Academia is not immune to the impacts of generative AI. Naturally, students
> have also discovered ChatGPT. Countless videos on Youtube provide guidance
> for using ChatGPT for help writing essays, research papers, and PowerPoint
> presentations. Ph.D. candidates will find advice on how to use the
> technology to plan and write their dissertations. Many of us have received
> student work that seems oddly formal or unlike the student’s previous
> writing style but that escapes plagiarism checkers. Editors, including the
> editorial board for this journal, have already identified bot-written
> submissions.
>
> Doomsday predictions abound. OpenAI “could disrupt 19% of U.S. Jobs” (Kan
> 2023). ChatGPT represents a more destructive technological avalanche that,
> like cell phones, video games, and social media, will disrupt our youth’s
> social and intellectual development (Bernstein 2023).  Advanced AI models,
> already beating doctors at diagnostic tasks, might, some predict, replace
> clinicians (Pifer, 2023).  Others offer cautiously optimistic
> visions.  Generative AI has the potential to support clinical practice and
> medical and public health research (Cascella et al., 2023).  In Education,
> AI might “revolutionize” learning and assessment (Williamson, Macgilchris &
> Potter 2023).  A google search will lead to a cornucopia of techniques for
> using generative AI in the classroom. Yet, scholarship about generative AI
> in technical communications, writing, and visual design, as well as
> pedagogical applications for these areas, has to this point remained rare.
>
> To address that gap, we welcome submissions that cover, but are not limited
> to, the following subtopics:
>
> * Affordances and challenges of generative AI in the classroom
>
> * Generative AI in knowledge making practices, including scholarly research
> and writing
>
> * Impact of generative AI on job opportunities for students entering the
> workforce
>
> * Pedagogical approaches to teaching students about generative AI
>
> * Theorizing biases in generative AI, in light of existing research on
> algorithmic decision-making biases
>
> * Legal and intellectual property considerations in using generative AI for
> creating technical content
>
> * Challenges and solutions in ensuring data privacy and security when
> working with generative AI in technical communication
>
> * Ethical considerations and best practices in the development and use of
> generative AI
>
> *Guest Editors:*
>
> Dr. Carol Reeves, Professor of English, Butler University
>
> Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV, Associate Professor of Communications Media, Fitchburg
> State University
>
> *Submission Guidelines:*
>
> Submissions should adhere to the Journal of Technical Writing and
> Communication guidelines for authors, which can be found here:
> https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/JTW. Please submit your
> proposal, including a tentative title, abstract (max. 500 words), and a
> short author biography (max. 100 words) via email by the submission
> deadline.
>
> *Review Process* :
>
> All submitted proposals will be initially reviewed by the guest editors to
> ensure relevance to the special issue theme. Authors of selected proposals
> will be invited to submit full papers, which will then undergo a
> double-blind peer-review process in accordance with the journal’s standard
> review procedures.
>
> *
> Important Dates:*
>
> Proposal Submission Deadline: July 1st, 2023
>
> Notification of Proposal Acceptance: September 1, 2023
>
> Full Paper Submission Deadline: January 2024
>
> Notification of Full Paper Acceptance: March 2024
>
> Publication of the Special Issue: April 2024
>
> Please feel free to circulate this call for proposals among your colleagues
> and networks. If you have any questions about this call or the proposed
> special issue, please feel welcome to contact us. All inquiries and
> submissions can be sent to: JTWC.AI.Issue at gmail.com.
>
> *Sources:*
>
> Berstein, G.  (2021, March 28 ).  ChatGPT is the wake-up call schools need
> to limit tech in classrooms. Time Magazine.
> https://time.com/6266311/chatgpt-tech-schools/
>
> Cascella, M., Bellini, V., & Bignami, E. (2023). Journal of Medical Systems
> , 47(33), https://doi-org.ezproxy.butler.edu/10.1007/s10916-023-01925-4
>
> Kan, M.  (2023, March 20 ).  OpenAI:  ChatGPT could disrupt 19% of US jobs,
> Is yours on the list ?  PCMag.
> https://www.pcmag.com/news/openai-chatgpt-could-disrupt-19-of-us-jobs-is-yours-on-the-list#:~:text=The%20most%20affected%20professions%20included,and%20auditors%2C%20along%20with%20journalists.&text=The%20paper%20also%20breaks%20down%20the%20ChatGPT%20impact%20by%20industry
>
> Pifer, R. (2023, April 21 ) ‘Hurtling into the future’: The potential and
> thorny ethics of generative AI in Healthcare. HealthcareDive.
> https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/generative-AI-healthcare-gpt-potential/648104/
>
> Williamson, B., Macgilchrist, F., & Potter, J. (2023).  Re-examining AI,
> automation and datafication in education. Learning, Media & Technology ,
> 48(1), 1-5.
>
> --
> J.J. Sylvia IV, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
> Associate Professor, Communications Media
> Coordinator, Digital Media Innovation major (
> https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/academics/programs/digital-media-innovation-babs
> )
> Fitchburg State University
> Office: Conlon Hall 335
> http://www.jjsylvia.com
>
> (978) 665-3418
>
> Assistant Editor, Journal of Posthumanism (
> https://journals.tplondon.com/jp/ )
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-- 
Dr.C. Hamlet López García
Investigador
Instituto Cubano de Investigación Cultural
"Juan Marinello"
Profesor
Universidad de la Habana