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Rethinking the Humanities: Artificial Intelligence as Method and Meaning

Webinar Description

Artificial intelligence is transforming not only how we conduct research in the humanities but also what it means to ask humanistic questions. This talk explores AI's evolving role in humanities scholarship — from computational tools for text analysis and natural language processing to AI as an epistemic partner that reshapes interpretive frameworks. Drawing on concrete examples from knowledge graphs, conceptual metaphor analysis, and intelligent tutoring systems such as the AI Language Tutor developed at Syntagent and the University of Rijeka, we will argue that AI does not replace humanistic inquiry but reconfigures it, opening new avenues for understanding language, culture, and cognition. The presentation builds on themes from my recent book Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and ongoing research at the intersection of cognitive linguistics, digital humanities, and machine learning.


Speaker’s Biography

Benedikt Perak is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka (FFRI), where he teaches courses in cognitive linguistics, computational text analysis, and AI applications in the humanities. He serves as the national coordinator for DARIAH-HR, the Croatian node of the Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities, and is the co-founder of Syntagent, an AI startup developing intelligent platforms for education, tourism, and research. His work bridges computational methods and humanities scholarship, with publications spanning metaphor theory, knowledge graphs, and AI-mediated communication. His most recent book is Communication in the Age of ArtificialIntelligence (Komunikacija u doba umjetne inteligencije, 2025).