Nathaniel Laywine, assistant professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies, has collaborated with two other professors, Aram Sinnreich and Victoria Simon, on an article featured in The Conversation discussing inclusivity in the media. The article discusses the professors’ Jewish identities and how they used this as a lens through which to investigate modern communications in a critical way. While researching Generative AI, the professors found that platforms such as ChatGPT were not able to tell jokes in a Jewish comedic style without using offensive stereotypes. This indicates that this platform has not used datasets that are inclusive and lacks the nuances of many cultural identities. Laywine describes how the group used ‘kibbitzing’ and ‘futzing’ to complete their investigation, and how drawing from Jewish cultural practices led to a more inclusive method of research for a complex topic like AI.
Nathaniel Laywine completed his PhD at McGill University. His research interests include communications, culture and cultural studies, global citizenship/experiential education, media studies and critical/public pedagogy.
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