For our August MLA member spotlight, we’re highlighting the work of Nina Begus, who has been a member of the MLA since 2013. Read about her experience on the AI and Research Working Group and the MLA Task Force on World Languages and Generative AI, as well as what has surprised her about being a part of the MLA:
“The MLA has given me a professional community: a place to find colleagues working on adjacent questions and to test ideas among people who understand the stakes of our scholarship.
I was first surprised at how large and varied the convention is. There are hundreds of sessions spanning everything from medieval manuscripts to AI and digital humanities, all under one roof.
I was also positively surprised to see how quickly the organization has moved to address emerging issues like generative AI in scholarship and teaching: the MLA ran a survey, published guidelines, hosted webinars and workshops, and even submitted formal comments to the White House on national AI policy. There is a lot of committee and task force service happening behind the scenes. My favorite part of the MLA is genuine friendship and collaboration that comes out of these activities.”
Recommended resource: “Our framework on AI for language and literary research. I’m also a part of the Task Force on World Languages and Generative AI which will soon publish the results of our two-year work.”