085: AI, Cultural Tools, and Pluralism (w/ Ted Underwood)
ReImagining Liberty · ReImagining Liberty
August 4, 202550m 30s
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Show Notes
<html><p>We sometimes talk about technology on ReImagining Liberty, in the context of how it interacts with a liberal society, or how technology can help us defend and advance liberal. The big technology <em>everyone's</em> talking about right now is, of course, artificial intelligence. It's a topic I've written about, but not one I'd yet done an episode about specifically regarding what it means for liberalism.</p><p>Then I read an essay by <a href="https://tedunderwood.com/" target="_blank">Ted Underwood</a>, a professor in the School of Information Sciences, and in the English Department, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. It's titled <a href="https://tedunderwood.com/2025/07/02/a-more-interesting-upside-of-ai/" target="_blank">"A more interesting upside of AI"</a> and you can find a link to it in the show notes. He argues that the framing of AI technology as aiming at "super-intelligence" is misguided, both undesirable and misunderstanding important aspects of society and culture. Instead, he's an advocate of viewing AI as a cultural technology. What grabbed my attention was his further claim that, as a cultural technology, it can help us map and appreciate cultural differences, and cultural similarities, in ways that line up with, and support, liberal principles like pluralism, tolerance, and understanding.</p><p>It's a big claim, and a fascinating one, and it lead to really fun and illuminating discussion.</p><p><strong>Join the </strong><em><strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/AaronRossPowell" target="_blank">ReImagining Liberty</a></strong></em><strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/AaronRossPowell" target="_blank"> Patreon</a></strong><strong> to get episodes a week early, listen ad-free, and become part of the Discord community. Learn more here: </strong><strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/AaronRossPowell" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/AaronRossPowell</a></strong></p><p><em>Produced by </em><a href="https://landryayres.com/?_bhlid=04c818b8847197e37f2ef125d751d30bc9dc7f56" target="_blank"></a><em><a href="https://landryayres.com/?_bhlid=04c818b8847197e37f2ef125d751d30bc9dc7f56" target="_blank">Landry Ayres</a></em><a href="https://landryayres.com/?_bhlid=04c818b8847197e37f2ef125d751d30bc9dc7f56" target="_blank"></a><em>. Podcast art by </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sergiormduarte/?_bhlid=ea08418d67d4b92e13ee8001fe4b235ec55588ac&hl=en" target="_blank"></a><em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sergiormduarte/?_bhlid=ea08418d67d4b92e13ee8001fe4b235ec55588ac&hl=en" target="_blank">Sergio R. M. Duarte</a></em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sergiormduarte/?_bhlid=ea08418d67d4b92e13ee8001fe4b235ec55588ac&hl=en" target="_blank"></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://filmmusic.io/song/3755-finding-the-balance?_bhlid=5fe910376c6711c1d790bea1e179ed78d36ca99c" target="_blank"></a><em><a href="https://filmmusic.io/song/3755-finding-the-balance?_bhlid=5fe910376c6711c1d790bea1e179ed78d36ca99c" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a></em><a href="https://filmmusic.io/song/3755-finding-the-balance?_bhlid=5fe910376c6711c1d790bea1e179ed78d36ca99c" target="_blank"></a><em>.</em></p></html>