Penn State Altoona professor to launch ‘Metabytes: AI + Humanities Lunch Lab’

ALTOONA, Pa. - John Eicher, associate professor of history at Penn State Altoona, will launch the "Metabytes: AI + Humanities Lunch Lab" series on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from noon to 1 p.m. in room 102D of the Smith Building.

As AI systems continue to advance, students need the tools to engage them not only technically, but also intelligently, ethically, and creatively. The AI + Humanities Lab will serve as a cross-disciplinary space where humanistic inquiry meets cutting-edge technology, helping students ask the deeper questions that surround this emerging force. By blending hands-on experimentation with philosophical and ethical reflection, the lab aims to give students a critical edge: the ability to see AI not just as a tool, but as a cultural and intellectual phenomenon that requires serious and sober engagement.

Each session will begin with a text, image, or prompt shared with an AI model. Participants will then interpret and discuss the responses as philosophical or creative expressions. These activities will ask students to grapple with questions of authority, authenticity, consciousness, choice, empathy, interpretation, and what it even means to "understand."

The lab will run each Tuesday from Oct. 7 through Nov. 18, with the exception of Oct. 14. Sessions are drop-in, open to all, and participants may bring their lunch.