Public Humanities Fellowship: Trust in the Age of Generative AI
We invite writers, activists, scholars, teachers, storytellers, journalists, or community leaders who are working on issues related to data and generative AI to apply for a 2025-26 Public Humanities Fellowship. Fellows in this program will engage in collective inquiry alongside experts to create public-facing projects with Oregon Humanities that address issues related to data, generative AI and public trust.
Four fellows will be selected to participate in a year-long project with two major components:
1) A series of facilitated discussions with guest experts in relevant fields. Discussions will broaden understandings of the challenges posed by generative AI from a variety of perspectives, including but not limited to technical expertise.
2) In collaboration with Oregon Humanities, each fellow will develop a public-facing project that will deepen political, ethical and/or social engagement with issues related to data and generative AI.
Overview
With the advent of generative AI, deep-learning models have been introduced into almost every area data is collected and used: from classrooms to medical offices, government agencies, artist studios and beyond. The use of generative AI across a broad variety of social contexts raises a host of pressing cultural, social, political and ethical issues around trust and data. When is data being captured and used, to what ends, and to whose benefit or harm? These systems are often opaque, making it hard to parse the risks and benefits. Meanwhile, rhetorics of inevitability normalize adoption without reflection.
Within that context, fellows will explore issues related to privacy, agency, and public trust, from copyright and compensation to the right to a human decision to whether machines can and should "forget." When we can no longer rely on traditional understandings of when and where records are being kept, how do we develop new understandings informed by current technology? As understandings of privacy, agency, and public information are disrupted, is it possible or desirable to restore human trust in the age of generative AI?
That uncertainty provides a crucial entry point for public engagement. Trust in generative AI is not only a question of technological expertise but also the thoughtful engagement with cultural messages and norms. How should we approach these new demands on our institutions, our values and our trust? Only by analyzing the fundamental questions of cultural context, authority and ethics can we begin to understand whether and how public trust might be earned. These are the tasks that humanist thinkers — in collaboration with engineers, policy makers and data activists — are best positioned to take on.
Residency Details
These fellowships are open to scholars, researchers, writers, and community or nonprofit leaders whose work is grounded in the humanities. That is, we welcome applications from those who employ interpretive, discursive, and creative methods to approach questions and issues involving the human experience and human impacts. This includes those working in traditional humanities disciplines (philosophy, ethics, history, literature, religious studies, writing, etc.) and beyond.
Those with interest or experience in collaborative interdisciplinary work and the public humanities are encouraged to apply, as well as applicants from historically under-represented groups. Applicants working on projects relevant to the Pacific Northwest are also encouraged to apply.
For more information about the relevance of your work and ideas to this opportunity, see the FAQ below or contact Joy Jensen at [email protected].
- A one-year commitment: May 2025 to July 2026, with projects submitted and completed by July 2026. No commitment over summer 2025.
- Create intellectual community and continuity by:
- Attending a virtual orientation meeting in May 2025.
- Attending an in-person gathering in September 2025 in Oregon.
- Participating in virtual meetings once a month from October 2025 through May 2026. Fellows will have the opportunity to design questions and discussion topics for relevant expert guest speakers.
- Complete a public humanities project in partnership with Oregon Humanities that engages questions about trust, data and generative AI. Projects might take the form of an essay, a podcast episode, a moderated on-stage conversation, a set of lesson plans or guest lecture, and/or a workshop or community event. All projects should be developed for a public audience of non-specialists.
- Participate in mid-project progress meetings and provide programmatic feedback at the end of the year.
The review committee will select four fellows with diverse and complementary perspectives and methods of approach. Each fellow will receive:
- A $4,000 stipend ($2,000 awarded at the beginning of the fellowship and $2,000 awarded after mid-project progress meetings).
- Up to $2,000 in travel expenses.
- The opportunity to engage in deep listening, creative reflection and idea-building within an interdisciplinary thinking community.
- Support coordinating and promoting a public humanities project with an established audience.
- April 25, 2025: Application deadline.
- May 11, 2025: Applicants notified of status.
- May 2025: Complete paperwork and attend an online orientation.
- September 2025: Fellowship begins with an in-person gathering in Corvallis, Oregon.
- October 2025: Once-per-month virtual meetings begin.
- July 2026: Projects completed.
Applications are due April 25, 2025 via Submittable. Application materials:
- The completed Submittable form. Questions invite you to discuss your preparedness and motivation for this fellowship and ask for a description of your proposed project. Please consult the Oregon Humanities website for a sense of their offerings.
- A current resume or CV.
- A sample of existing work that represents your expertise and style (article, writing sample, podcast episode, set of lesson plans, etc.).
We ask that applications be drafted without the aid of generative AI.
If you have questions about any of the above, see the FAQ or contact Joy Jensen at [email protected].
All applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee working in relevant fields. Applicants will be notified of status by May 11, 2025.
Public Humanities Fellowships are supported by Oregon Humanities, the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes and an alliance of organizations at Oregon State University: Center for the Humanities, the Thomas Hart and Mary Jones Horning Endowment, and the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx).
Frequently Asked Questions
The humanities employ interpretive, discursive and creative methods to approach questions and issues that involve human values, hierarchies, cultural products and traditions, systems of relation, senses of place, communication and expression, narratives and histories, emotion and affect, beliefs, philosophies, ethics, norms and the like. If your work and project ideas do this, they probably align with the humanities. If you would like further clarification (e.g., about specific methodologies) feel free to contact us.
No. This program is open to scholars, creatives and community or nonprofit leaders who are experienced in and open to collaborative thought-work and discussion and who are capable of and interested in developing to completion a project that uses a humanistic approach to serve a public good. Selected fellows will represent diverse backgrounds, perspectives and approaches.
Work in the public humanities engages interpretive, discursive, historical and/or creative methods in the development of outcomes that serve a public interest. Proposed projects can be collaborative or independently led and may involve any of a variety of approaches and outcomes. For instance, projects may
- involve historical research, public archives or oral history projects on relevant, under-explored issues or untold stories.
- create opportunities for co-learning, dialogue or reciprocal exchange of knowledge.
- engage topics relevant to public policies, laws or advocacy work.
- explore relevant ethical, religious, emotional/affective and/or philosophical perspectives.
These are only examples and projects may incorporate any or several of the above or take a different path entirely. Regardless of project approach, outcomes should engage a broader audience and serve a public interest.
Oregon Humanities will work with fellows to find a channel of public engagement for projects from within their slate of programs that encourage discussion, questioning, reading and teaching. A number of formats are possible, for example, a magazine article, a podcast or interview, lesson plans, guest lectures, conversation series, or a workshop. Other projects will be considered if they seem feasible within the scope of the program.
We’re interested in any project that would build public understanding of critical ethical, social, cultural and political issues connected with data and generative AI. For example, projects might consider (but are not limited to) the intersection of generative AI and any or any combination of the following:
Public trust and credibility; civic engagement, democracy, and governance; creativity and cultural production; transparency and accountability; accountability gaps; public sector data and community transparency; data justice; responsible technology design; politics and civil discourse; data ownership and copyright; machine unlearning and forgetting; archives and public records; socio-environmental impacts; education and literacies; bias and discrimination; algorithmic bias and the promise of objectivity/neutrality, techno-optimism/techno-pessimism; surveillance and privacy; mis- and dis-information; power and inequity; ideologies of efficiency or solutionism; labor and futures of work; mental health; digital rights; the attention economy; techno-feudalism.
Each month, fellows will convene with a technical, community or cultural expert relevant to the group’s research interests. Fellows are expected to actively participate by learning and asking questions; by sharing their own stories, ideas and knowledge; and by developing questions for future speakers. Fellows should be open to experiment and play, be comfortable outside the role of expert and be willing to engage from a position of curiosity.
Yes. There will be one in-person meeting in September 2025. All other meetings will be held remotely.
During the academic year 2025-2026, fellows will meet remotely once a month with program affiliates. Each month, a different speaker drawn from our slate of experts will discuss their relevant research, community knowledge or activism. And each meeting will engage the diverse perspectives of fellows via a facilitated exploration of the issues connected with the speaker's area of expertise.
The charge of the public humanities fellows will be to engage in public conversations and learning experiences through our partnership with Oregon Humanities, an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to “connect people and communities through conversation, storytelling, and participatory programs to inspire understanding and collaborative change.”
Oregon Humanities will work with fellows to find a channel of public engagement for projects from within their slate of programs that encourage discussion, questioning, reading and teaching.
Every year, Oregon Humanities publishes three issues of its eponymous print and online magazine, each with a unique theme. The online and email series Beyond the Margins features photo essays, reporting, interviews, videos and other media. The Detour, a monthly podcast, presents conversations with original guests as well as recordings of Consider This, a live show hosted by Director Adam Davis in Portland venues and around the state. Community programs and workshops like The Conversation Project, Facilitation Training, and So Much Together empower imagination and understanding through activities and open dialogue. And the Humanities in Perspective program offers classes for students facing barriers to education. Learn more at oregonhumanities.org.