About AILA→
We aim to engage a broad, interdisciplinary community of participants in discussions and activities related to artificial intelligence, exploring and facilitating multi-way interactions between work in artificial intelligence and work across the liberal arts.
What is Artificial Intelligence, and how is it changing the world as we know it?
There has never been a better time to engage in critical conversation about the diverse applications of AI and to consider the repercussions of its use.
AILA is here to guide you toward scholarship, discussion, events, and other learning opportunities that are interdisciplinary and critically minded. We believe in the importance of asking big questions and thinking about these issues across disciplinary boundaries. Explore our library of:
- AI Ethics Discussion
- Tools and Resources
- Events to help learn and reflect
- AILA Newsletter
What We Do
Find out what is happening in AI now and how it may affect your interests. We provide a curated list of AI-related news articles!
Want to engage in conversations about Artificial Intelligence? Send us ideas for articles and comment on any of our blog posts to get the conversation started!
Want to learn about upcoming events and talks organized by us? Check out our upcoming and past events through our Events page!
Interested in how you can use Artificial Intelligence? Want to read up on blogs and tutorials about AI tools and more?
Artificial Intelligence Book Club
The AI Book Club is brought to you by AILA and the Jones Library in Amherst and is supported by the Frost Library at Amherst College! We will meet monthly on Sunday afternoons to explore a mix of nonfiction and the occasional fiction book related to AI. Discussions will be led by AILA students and Amherst faculty, with opportunities for both in-person and online engagement. No technical background required, just curiosity and a willingness to think together. Open to the public! Borrow your copy from Jones or Frost Libraries.
All meetings will be held at 2pm in Pemberton Lounge, Chapin Hall (room 108) at Amherst College.
Dates:
- September 21st
- October 19th
- November 16th
- December 14th
Join the online discussion on Padlet!
Email aila@amherst.edu to join the mailing list or for more information.
📚November Book Selection!
This November, the AI Book Club will be reading Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari.
📍Next Meeting:
Sunday, November 16th @ 2pm
Pemberton Lounge, Chapin Hall (room 108) at Amherst College
See our latest news below
Join us in critical conversation and learning at our next event!
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AI Book Club: Meeting 11.16.25
November’s book is Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari. Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early…
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Hack the Herd: Judging & Awards Ceremony
Amherst Lost and Found – the winners of the Spring 2025 Hack the Herd – AI and Sustainability Hackathon. Winners and creators of Amherst Lost and Found: Tetsuya Tanaka , Alston Chen, Yichen Liu, Annabelle Lee. Also pictured: Judges Jacob Robinson from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, Audrey Woods the Grean Dean of the Sustainability…
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Thank you, Robert Thies!
Facing the Algorithm: AI in Police Reports and Its Impact on the Criminal Justice System Speaker: Robert Thies, Investigator, Federal Public Defender – Eastern District of MissouriHosted by AILA and LJST | November 11, 2025 By: Caitlin Kennedy Downey, AILA Staff AILA and LJST welcomed Robert Thies, Investigator with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for…
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Thank you, Ahmed Aly (’24)!
Alumni Speaker Series: Ahmed Aly ’24 on Liberal Arts and Bold Innovation By: Caitlin Kennedy Downey, AILA Staff The second event in AILA’s Alumni Speaker Series featured Ahmed Aly ’24, a Computer Science and Political Science graduate and founder of Vship, a startup using AI to empower truck drivers and promote equity in the logistics…
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Hackathon Application Deadline! 10.12.25
The application deadline for the Hackathon is on Wednesday, 10.12.25 at 11:59pm. Teams of 1-4. One registration per team! This year’s hackathon is hosted by the AI in the Liberal Arts Program (AILA), Office of Sustainability, and Idea 2 Innovation Venture Accelerator. It will take place from November 15th – 16th, and the challenge areas…
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AI Book Club Meeting 11.16.25
Join us monthly on Sunday afternoons at Amherst College to explore nonfiction (and the occasional fiction) on AI. Discussions, led by AILA staff, students and guest faculty, will also continue online. Borrow your copy from Jones or Frost Libraries and be part of the conversation. Email: aila@amherst.edu to join the mailing list or for more…
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AILA Virtual Talk: Robert Thies 11.11.25
Facing the Algorithm: AI in Police Reports and Its Impact on the Criminal Justice System AILA will host Robert Thies, Investigator, Federal Public Defender, on November 11th, 2025 at 5pm for a virtual talk on Zoom. You are welcome to join us in the Science Center, room E208 for a virtual screening of the talk!…
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AI Film Club: A.I. Artificial Intelligence Screening 11.06.25
Join us for a movie screening this Thursday, November 6th @ 8pm in the Keefe Theater. The AI Film Club brings the Amherst community together for screenings of movies that explore artificial intelligence and machine learning. We show a range of films from speculative science fiction to documentaries about real-world innovations. Each screening is followed…
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The Rise of AI Search: Is Google Obsolete?
An AILA x i2i Venture Accelerator Event | October 30, 2025 By: Caitlin Kennedy Downey & Jiaqi Huang, AILA Staff Students, faculty, and staff gathered for a lively discussion hosted by the AI in the Liberal Arts Initiative (AILA) and i2i: Idea to Innovation on how AI-driven search tools are reshaping research, learning, and creativity….