AI SESSIONS

Human-Centered AI Use in a Machine-Centered World
A Library 2.0 / Learning Revolution Workshop with Reed Hepler

OVERVIEW: 

In an era where artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how we think, work, and relate to one another, this 90-minute workshop asks a fundamental question: How do we remain fully human while engaging with increasingly powerful machines? Drawing on the prophetic insights of Neil Postman's Technopoly and Joseph Weizenbaum's Computer Power and Human Reason, this workshop challenges the prevailing narrative that AI adoption is inevitable, neutral, and inherently progressive. Instead, we explore how to use AI tools deliberately, ethically, and in service of human flourishing—not merely technological efficiency.

This workshop is designed for educators, professionals, and thoughtful technology users who sense that something essential is at risk in our rush toward automation. We examine how machine-centered thinking—where speed, scale, and optimization dominate—threatens to eclipse human-centered values like contemplation, nuance, privacy, and authentic relationships. Participants will develop frameworks for critical resistance: not rejecting AI wholesale, but using it selectively and intentionally while safeguarding the irreducibly human elements of knowledge work, creativity, and ethical judgment.

The session synthesizes insights from multiple domains: the philosophical critique of technological determinism, practical frameworks for evaluating AI-generated content, strategies for deliberately safeguarding privacy in AI-pervaded environments, and ethical principles for navigating the tension between efficiency and integrity. Through discussion and collaborative application, participants will move from abstract concern to concrete practice—developing personal and institutional approaches that center human agency, dignity, and wisdom.

By engaging with Postman's warning that we risk becoming "a culture without a moral foundation" and Weizenbaum's insistence that "there are certain tasks which computers ought not be made to do," participants will develop a philosophical foundation for their AI practices. This foundation supports practical skills: evaluating AI content for evidence of human reasoning, implementing privacy-protective workflows, and creating ethical guidelines that prioritize human values over technological capabilities. The result is a coherent approach to AI that neither demonizes the technology nor surrenders to its logic—but instead places it firmly in service of human purposes, under human control, and subject to human judgment.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

By the end of this intensive, participants will be able to:

• Analyze how machine-centered thinking shapes institutional and personal AI adoption, and identify alternatives grounded in human-centered values
• Evaluate AI-generated content not merely for accuracy but for evidence of human reasoning, ethical consideration, and authentic intellectual engagement
• Apply Postman's and Weizenbaum's critiques of technological determinism to contemporary AI challenges in education, work, and civic life
• Implement privacy-protective practices when using AI tools, understanding both technical vulnerabilities and philosophical implications of data exposure
• Articulate ethical frameworks for deciding when AI use serves human flourishing and when it undermines essential human capacities
  

The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register. 

DATE: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026, 2:00 - 3:30 pm US - Eastern Time