"Beyond Words: What ChatGPT Can't Say"

Text-generative AI such as ChatGPT has made significant progress in recent years. The output of ChatGPT is, at times, uncannily human, and people increasingly rely on this AI for research and writing—for saying what others can't, won't, or don't have time to say. But is text-generative AI really speaking, as humans do? This lecture studies Thomas Aquinas's philosophical and theological account of human speech and compares it with the "speech" of Artificial Intelligence, concluding that text-generative AI differs significantly from the human process of articulation. After establishing some basic terms and concepts in Thomas's thought, drawing on his Commentary on John and his commentary on Aristotle's On Interpretation, we will move to consider how, from a Thomistic standpoint, the process of speaking itself, though laborious, can unite us with the saving work of the Incarnation. 

This talk will be followed by a moderated panel from 5:30-6pm, and a reception.

Jane is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York. Her research focuses on Thomas Aquinas's biblical interpretation and, relatedly, his reception of Greek patristic sources. She has authored chapters in various book projects in the field of Thomistic studies. She has published popular writing in America Magazine, First Things, Plough Quarterly, and the Notre Dame Church Life Journal. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons.