International student- and graduate workshop, Faculty of History and Cultural Studies –
Historical Seminar, Institute of Classical Studies, Institute of Anthropology and African Studies, Institute of Art History and Musicology
17–18 November 2025, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
The detailed programme will be published in November.
The wave of developments in generative artificial intelligence is challenging some of the core concepts in History and Cultural Studies: ‘credibility’ and ‘truth’ as benchmarks for knowledge production can no longer be taken for granted, and questions arise about whether ‘creativity’ as a source of human culture can now be ascribed to machines. At the same time, the technology opens a wide range of new methods and possibilities – from text and image recognition and classification to forms of academic writing. Application and reflection go hand in hand, sharpening our understanding of generative AI. The combination of active use, experimentation and critique forms the starting point for this event organised by the Faculty of History and Cultural Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University.
The international workshop is aimed at advanced students, graduates and doctoral candidates from Mainz and international universities. It seeks to foster exchange across the fields and perspectives mentioned above. Keynotes and discussions with internationally renowned scholars introduce the topics. These will be prepared and followed up in four thematic groups led by lecturers from the four institutes of the faculty. These groups will focus on the societal and technical frameworks of knowledge production as well as questions of authenticity and creativity in machine-generated outcomes.
(Dr. Maxime Brami)
In the humanities, classification algorithms – including clustering and neural networks – enable the automatic categorisation of image and text data, for example for the analysis of works of art, historical documents or literary styles. They thus facilitate the discovery of patterns, similarities and structural connections in large digital collections. How can old data and traditional categories be used for new research?
(Dr. Jan Beek, Prof. Dr. Thomas Blank, Prof. Dr. Jörg Rogge)
As distinctions between human and machine-generated content become increasingly blurred, authenticity and deception turn into constant challenges. How should research respond when the boundaries are no longer clear?
(Prof. Dr. Stefanie Acquavella-Rauch, Dr. Steffen Haug)
The arts experiment with new techniques considering their creative potential. They often make deliberate use of the “errors” and limitations of machines. What do the results of these experiments imply for our perspective on generative AI?
Lectures among others by Dr Miriam Akkermann (Berlin University of the Arts [online]), Be Andr (artist, London), Prof. Dr Stephen J. Cave (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, Cambridge), Dr Michael Townsen Hicks (University of Glasgow), Barbara McGillivray (Kings College, London [online]).
Workshop participants include 20 international students and doctoral candidates from our (Forthem) partner universities and other institutions, as well as students from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
On the evening of 17 November, there will be a panel discussion at 6 p.m. in collaboration with the Young Academy (Academy of Sciences, Mainz). Moderator: Carina Schroeder (freelance journalist, host of the Deutschlandfunk podcast ‘KI Verstehen’ [Understanding AI]).
More soon.
Organisation: Faculty 07 (working group from the Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien, Institut für Kunstgeschichte and Musikwissenschaft, Historisches Seminar und Dekanat); practical organisation: Deanery of 07 (Prof. Dr. Stefanie Acquavella-Rauch, Dr. Steffen Haug, Sabine Wilke); contact Dr. Steffen Haug: steffen.haug@uni-mainz.de.
The Call for Participation can be downloaded here (PDF) (deadline was 6 October 2025).
