Or: how I learned to stop worrying and love (gen)AI (yeah nah)
Please join Professor Virginia Braun (School of Psychology, University of Auckland) for this lunchtime talk.
In this talk, which I did as a keynote for the British Psychological Society Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section 20th Anniversary Conference (July, 2025), I reflect on, interrogate and try and unpack some of my instinctive reactions to Generative AI (GenAI)—in general, in education, and specifically in relation to qualitative research. My aim is to disentangle what underpins my sense of disquiet in relation to the promotion and use of Gen AI, and to explore whether there is anything justified in that position.
In the talk, I contextualise both the current state of Gen AI and qual, and explore what informs my perspective. I then interrogate, reflect on, and consider various intertwined aspects or layers for us to think through, related to: what we imagine qualitative is and is for; what the human is, and why it matters; what realities are being constructed; neoliberal academia; ableism and the push-pull of criptime; and ethics and impact. I don’t reach a tidy position. But my engagement has not quietened my qualms, and I propose radical ethical refusal—conscientious objection—as an important stance for qualitative scholars (and others).
Image curtesy: British Psychological Society
Thursday 31 July, 12pm
In person (Case Study Room 260-005 Owen G Glenn Building [map]) or via Zoom