What AI Can’t Replace
Abstract:
Missouri University of Science and Technology will host Joshua Rothman, a staff writer for The New Yorker, for a talk titled “What AI Can’t Replace” on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The presentation will begin at 4:30 p.m. at Hasselmann Alumni House, with a reception to follow.
As artificial intelligence continues to expand its ability to write, code, analyze and persuade, Rothman’s talk will explore what may remain beyond its reach. The presentation will consider whether AI can take responsibility, hold an opinion, have a point of view or make art, and why these questions matter in practical as well as philosophical ways. By examining what human beings actually do, the talk will invite audiences to think more carefully about the limits of AI and the qualities that remain distinctly human.
The event is sponsored by the Weiner Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, contact Dr. Margret Grebowicz at mgrebowicz@mst.edu.
Speaker
Joshua Rothman, a staff writer, joined The New Yorker in 2012. He is the author of the weekly column Open Questions, which explores, from various angles, what it means to be human. Previously, he was the magazine’s ideas editor. He has also been an ideas columnist at the Boston Globe, and he has taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.