The Krebs Center for the Humanities is the convener of a $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation for the HUMAN (Humanities Understanding of the Machine-Assisted Nexus) project.
About the grant
This multi-year initiative aims to explore artificial intelligence through a humanities perspective, equipping students with the skills to ethically integrate AI into their professional lives with an emphasis on equity and justice. HUMAN explores what it means to be human in the age of AI by engaging an interdisciplinary group of humanities faculty fellows who, in partnership with Chicago-based organizations, are developing new courses, digital humanities research projects, seminars, publications, artist residencies, and other means for students to gain a broad understanding of the role that the humanities should play in public policy, cultural preservation, and community education in an AI-inflected world. HUMAN addresses the urgent need for an informed understanding of the interplay between the humanities and the fast-evolving realm of artificial intelligence to ensure ethical developments, promote equitable technological advancement, and nurture meaningful human-AI collaboration.
HUMAN builds on previous Mellon-funded initiatives at the College, including Digital Chicago (2013-2017) and Humanities 2020 (2018-2023).
As the nation’s largest funder of the arts/culture and humanities in higher education, the Mellon Foundation has made this grant to Lake Forest as part of their invitation-based Humanities for All Times initiative.
Our community partners
Chicago History Museum
The HUMAN project, in collaboration with the Chicago History Museum (CHM), is developing ChiBot, a generative tool that will engage with CHM's extensive collections and documents to support the “Mapping Chicago” project with a goal of better representing Chicago's diverse communities.
Ragdale
Ragdale and Lake Forest College are excited to announce the HUMAN Residency, a groundbreaking, multi-year collaboration that invites artists from diverse disciplines to explore the intersection of the humanities, artificial intelligence, and social justice.
Sweet Water Foundation
The HUMAN project, in collaboration with Sweet Water Foundation (SWF), aims to foster the resilient, creative, and ethical deployment of AI technologies that reinforce the experiential, rooted-in-place urban ecological and Regenerative Neighborhood Development values.
HUMAN Fellows
The HUMAN Fellows program, funded by the HUMAN grant, is an exciting opportunity for scholars to explore the intersection of humanities and artificial intelligence (AI) through a lens of equity and justice. The program recognizes the potential for unchecked AI to exacerbate social inequities and disproportionately impact marginalized populations and seeks to address these concerns by supporting projects that engage in humanistic practices while deploying AI technologies.
Each year, up to seven HUMAN Fellows will be selected to propose either a new “AI and humanities” project or work on an existing HUMAN project.
Meet the team
Composed of an interdisciplinary group of Lake Forest College faculty, the HUMAN PI, HUMAN Project Directors, and HUMAN Grant steering work to ensure the success of the grant’s many activities. With expertise from across the humanities, this distinguished group of teachers and scholars support the success of the HUMAN project.
Davis Schneiderman – HUMAN Principal Investigator
Executive Director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities and Professor of English
Rachel Whidden – HUMAN Project Director
Associate Professor of Communication
Ben Zeller – HUMAN Project Director
Professor of Religion
Tommy Crawford – HUMAN Book Club Convener
Reference & Instruction Librarian
HUMAN Steering Committee
Daw-Nay Evans
Associate Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies
Kim Hazlett
Director of the Library
Justin Kee
Instructor of Politics and Philosophy
Brian McCammack
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
David Sanchez-Burr
Associate Professor of Art
Tessa Sermet
Assistant Professor of French
Learn more about the HUMAN team »
AI and the Humanities at Lake Forest College
February 25, 2025
HUMAN Residency Fellows to explore AI through the humanities
