Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

A distinctive
feature of social and
cultural life at CMC

 

Why AI is (Probably) Creative, and Why That’s OK

Tue, February 25, 2025
Dinner Program
Peter Langland-Hassan

Contemporary AI tools generate works and accomplish tasks in ways that, to many, suggest genuine creativity. In this talk, Peter Langland-Hassan, professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati, considers some common reasons given for doubting that these systems really are creative and suggests that the reasons do not withstand scrutiny. AI is probably very creative. While it is natural to feel unsettled by this verdict, there are reasons to view it with optimism.  Reflection on AI creativity helps us to better understand the nature of our own creativity and to see why AI creativity is itself “all too human” in a good way.

Peter Langland-Hassan is a professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati and author of the book Explaining Imagination. He has published many articles in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science on topics ranging from creativity, to inner speech, to consciousness, and episodic memory. 

Though a philosopher at heart, his research involves designing and carrying out psychological experiments and exploring questions such as, among others: What is imagination? How does imagination help us do things like pretend, reason hypothetically, enjoy fiction, and be creative? How do we know our own minds?

His recent work explores the relevance of contemporary AI to theories of human cognition.

Professor Langland-Hassan’s Athenaeum talk is co-sponsored by the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at CMC and is part of the Center’s AI and the Humanities series. 

Registration

Meal reservations now open to everyone in the Claremont Colleges.

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Claremont McKenna College
385 E. Eighth Street
Claremont, CA 91711

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