2026 Humanities for AI
On April 20, 2026, the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research will host Humanities for AI, a session as part of the University of Wyoming Science Institute's Annual Research Symposium. The Symposium will take place at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center from 8 AM - 7 PM. This is a gathering of scholars, practitioners, and visionaries united by a singular purpose: advancing discovery. The University of Wyoming Science Institute Research Centers and visiting speakers will discuss how developing technology and research is addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in Wyoming and beyond.
Humanities for AI Schedule of Events
Welcome and Introduction | 8:00 - 8:30 AM
Ed Seidel - President, University of Wyoming
Parag Chitnis- Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Wyoming
Opening Plenary Speaker | 8:30 - 9:15 AM
Adrian Wisnicki, Co-Director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
"Generative AI, Every Day"
Q&A with Adrian Wisnicki | 9:20 - 9:15 AM
Breakout room
Break | 10:00 - 10:15 AM
Presentation | 10:20 - 11:145 AM
Benjamin Breen, Associate Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz
TBA
Break | 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Lunch & Plenary Talk | 12:00 - 1:15 PM
Omer Rana, Professor of Performance Engineering, Cardiff University
"Beyond Digital Humanities: a Path to AI-Inspired Creativity"
Research Presentation, Humanities for AI Grant Awardees | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Rick Fisher, Senior Lecturer, English, University of Wyoming
"Fostering Empathy: Exploring the Role of AI-Assisted Writing"
Brandon S. Gellis, Associate Professor, Visual Communication Design, University of
Wyoming
"Speculative Rural Narratives: Is AI Fodder for Discontent?"
Nichole Misako Nomura, Assistant Professor, Public Humanities, English, University
of Wyoming
"Humanistic Metrics for Benchmarking Literary Word Embeddings"
Cecily Zander, Assistsant Professor, History, University of Wyoming
"Teaching Machines to Read Context: Developing Humanities-Informed AI Methodologies
for Temporal and Territorial Analysis of Historical Texts"
Break | 3:00 - 3:15 PM
Presentation | 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Cameron Blevins, Associate Teaching Professor, History, Director of Digital Initiatives,
University of Colorado Denver
"Generative AI and the Friction of Humanities Research"
Wrap Up | 5:00 - 5:15 PM
Reception | 5:15 - 7:00 PM
