The social life of AI: An ethnographic perspective on communicating with nonhumans 

John Gehman Lecture

Location: Weldon Library, Community Room
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Time: 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Reception to follow

Please join us for the Faculty of Social Science’s annual John Gehman Lecture, featuring Dr. Courtney Handman from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.

As systems such as ChatGPT have rapidly become part of everyday life, much of the conversation about artificial intelligence has focused on how closely these systems can replicate human abilities. Large language models are often evaluated by how convincingly they can communicate in ways that appear human.

Dr. Courtney Handman offers a different starting point: an ethnographic perspective that considers how humans communicate with nonhuman beings more broadly.

Drawing on anthropological approaches to communication with gods, animals and spirits in different cultural contexts, Dr. Handman will explore what these comparisons can reveal about our emerging relationships with AI. The lecture considers both the limitations and distinctive possibilities of communicating with large language models, including the ways chatbots can produce extensive, coherent and responsive interactions.

By looking beyond the question of whether AI can “pass as” human, this lecture invites us to consider a broader question: What can anthropology teach us about the social relationships humans are developing with AI?

A reception will follow the lecture.

We hope you will join us for this engaging exploration of communication, technology and the evolving social life of AI.