“AI Virtue: What’s ‘Good’ Knowledge in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?,” Faculty Research Lecturer Award Talk, 9 February 2026.
- Faculty Research Lecturer Award: “Established in 1954, the Faculty Research Lecturer is the highest honor the UCSB faculty can bestow on one of its members. Each year the Academic Senate recognizes one individual for their outstanding academic and creative achievements and gives faculty, students, and the citizens of the UCSB community an opportunity to learn about their work. The Committee on Faculty Research Lecturer is pleased to present Dr. Alan Liu, Distinguished Professor of English, as our 2025 Faculty Research Lecturer.”
- Talk Abstract: In the age of AI, what will be good knowledge? Alan Liu applies digital humanities methods to map epistemic virtues (like “true,” “accurate,” “creative”) used to discuss artificial intelligence. “Creativity” comes in for special attention as an example. Exploring this landscape of value, he considers how a framework might be developed for evaluating the knowledge worth of AI—one less locked into values formed around pre-AI “knowledge work” agents or structures, and more open to the future values of “generativity.”
