What happens when an artificial intelligence is right, but we don’t know why? One of the latest trends in artificial intelligence presents us with exactly this question. It’s called deep learning, and it might be coming to a device near you. Assuming, of course, that it hasn’t already. In my post, I will explore deep learning and its ethical implications and suggest that rhetoric offers one theoretical framework for critiquing deep learning and designing ethical systems. Deep learning is related to artificial intelligence and more specifically machine learning, but it is not the same thing. Deep learning refers specifically to…
Author: Andrew Kulak
Andrew Kulak
Andrew is a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech studying digital rhetoric and human centered design. His current research focuses on speculative realist theory and digital technology including social media, video games, and online learning platforms as well as applications of natural language processing and data visualization to rhetorical analysis.
I share our collective concern with the circulation of misrepresentations and outright lies online, which has seen increased attention during and after the 2016 United States presidential election. However, I wonder about the purchase of post-truth responses. In this post, I’ll offer a brief critique of post-truth rhetoric and suggest a social media analysis activity that engages with fake news. Thinking with Bruno Latour, we have never been post-truth if we simultaneously recognize that we have never had access to truth in the Platonic sense. Fake news reflects a similarly problematic enthymeme gesturing toward some singular real news. Even the…