Rethinking  Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence in Research & Teaching 

Jennifer Devereaux Harvard University, Lecturer, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, NEH postdoctoral fellow, and Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Classics.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of education and research, challenging long-held ideas about what it means to be human. This talk will begin by exploring the cognitive, cultural, and biological reasons humans are drawn to creating and interacting with artificial agents—why we strive to replicate and enhance our own capabilities. Building on this, I will discuss how AI can be leveraged to enrich learning environments, opening new pathways to engage with complex ideas, foster critical thinking, and advance interdisciplinary approaches. I will then turn to a critical challenge: as AI becomes increasingly embedded in both research and education, it is not only transforming how we learn but also altering the very nature of the research that informs what we teach. I will invite the audience to reflect on the ethical implications of allowing artificial systems to reshape cognition and intelligence, and how this shift is redefining the fundamental study of human nature.

About the speaker: 

Dr. Devereaux investigates the human needs met by AI and the historical ideas about human psychology and behavior that enable artificiality to play a significant role in our lives. She also integrates humanistic thought with advanced cognitive science, building upon her doctoral research to develop a philosophy of reading. Drawing on her background in Classics, she has developed a popular Human Evolutionary Biology course that explores friendship from neuroendocrinology to cultural evolution and human-AI companionship.