Business Professor Breaks Tack Lecture Tradition on AI-Human Wisdom

The William & Mary Tack Faculty Lecture Series will host a significant event on May 7 at 7 p.m., featuring Rachel Chung. This marks the first time a business school faculty member has been selected to speak in the series' 14-year history.

The series traditionally brings together the university and wider community to explore ideas beyond disciplinary boundaries, offering a window into faculty research.

Rachel Chung, a clinical professor of operations & information systems management, will present "Wisdom & Machines: How Liberal Arts & AI Learn from Each Other." Her lecture directly addresses the evolving relationship between human intellect and machine capabilities.

Chung asserts that while artificial intelligence (AI) enhances information processing and pattern detection, wisdom itself demands human judgment, contextual understanding, and inherent values. These human elements are crucial to transform raw information into meaningful insights.

This lecture challenges the common perception that AI and liberal arts operate in separate spheres. Instead, it posits that AI systems reflect human choices in data, goals, and values, positioning human expertise as central to guiding these technologies.

Chung's work highlights areas such as culturally responsive evaluation of large language models and the critical role of interdisciplinary thinking. She demonstrates how this approach can improve how machines enhance, rather than impede, the human condition. Dean Todd Mooradian notes that Chung's research sits at a vital intersection of technology and human understanding, contributing to the university's broader intellectual mission.

Drawing on her books "AI for Business" and "AI The Magic Box," Chung will illustrate these concepts with real-world applications. Examples range from enhancing child safety protocols to improving crisis response mechanisms. Her lecture will also showcase student consulting work, including how agentic AI could enhance the visitor experience at Colonial Williamsburg, offering insights into technology's role at historic sites.

The discussion further considers how AI advancements can free human attention for creative and interpretive endeavors, shifting focus from routine processes. This allows humans to reallocate focus toward higher-order tasks like sense-making, rather than routine processing. This event underscores a shift in academic discourse, integrating business scholarship into wider intellectual missions concerning technology and human understanding. Moving forward, observers will watch how universities like William & Mary continue to lead discussions on AI's role in education and societal development.