"The Liberal Arts as Civic Infrastructure" from Democracy, AI, and the Freedom to Learn: A Survival Curriculum for the 21st Century

AltLiberalArts presents a three-part series of lectures titled "Democracy, AI, and the Freedom to Learn: A Survival Curriculum for the 21st Century" by Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob. This second lecture confronts AI-Enhanced Reflexive Control’s (AIRC) most dangerous insight: humans do not process information purely rationally — we seek belonging, meaning, and coherence. AIRC exploits this by simulating community consensus through networks of false amplifiers, weaponizing our social instincts. In response, this session argues that liberal arts education cultivates precisely the capacities AIRC cannot automate and democracy depends on: critical scrutiny of apparent consensus, ethical reasoning about power and interest, cross-cultural literacy, and epistemic humility. Participants engage with practical pedagogies that help students recognize manipulated information environments and develop the reflexive awareness needed to resist reflexive control.

Dr. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob is Founding Executive Director of the Global Centre for Rehumanising Democracy (GCRD), where he leads initiatives including the Democracy Discourse Index, Disinformation Observatory, and civic renewal programs. His recent research on AI-Enhanced Reflexive Control, including analysis of Russia’s Pravda network in Bulgaria (co-authored with Georgi Angelov), reveals how artificial intelligence transforms Soviet-era psychological warfare into systematic manipulation of vulnerable democracies. His work spans peace journalism in conflict zones, communication for social change with UNICEF and the UN, and globally connected pedagogy linking students across continents. A scholar and a Benedictine Spiritual Director, Dr. Jacob brings both technical expertise and personal urgency to questions of democracy’s survival and education’s role in defending democracy.

Register here

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Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Location: Online Event