From Homer to GPT: The Collision of Human Imagination and AI with Katherine Elkins
June 26, 2025
What do 50,000 novels, AI, and leadership have in common?
In this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with Katherine Elkins, Professor at Kenyon College and Principal Investigator at IBM Notre Dame Tech Ethics Lab, about how AI is transforming human emotion, storytelling, and leadership. From uncovering universal narrative patterns to navigating ethical dilemmas in AI integration, Elkins shares compelling insights on preserving empathy, trust, and creativity in a tech-driven world. Whether you're leading teams, building tech, or simply curious about the future, this episode offers a profound look at how to scale humanity alongside machines.
What do 50,000 novels, AI, and leadership have in common?
In this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with Katherine Elkins, Professor at Kenyon College and Principal Investigator at IBM Notre Dame Tech Ethics Lab, about how AI is transforming human emotion, storytelling, and leadership. From uncovering universal narrative patterns to navigating ethical dilemmas in AI integration, Elkins shares compelling insights on preserving empathy, trust, and creativity in a tech-driven world. Whether you're leading teams, building tech, or simply curious about the future, this episode offers a profound look at how to scale humanity alongside machines.
What you will learn:
- From Homer to GPT: The Collision of Human Imagination and AI with Katherine Elkins
- How stories follow universal emotional patterns revealed through AI analysis
- Why AI's hyper-personalization capabilities may pose greater risks
- The importance of developing forecasting skills in an era of rapid technological change
- How leaders can ethically integrate AI while maintaining human-centered organizations
- Why transparent AI strategies are crucial for addressing workplace anxiety and trust
- The critical balance between leveraging AI tools and preserving human creativity
Katherine Elkins is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Humanities at Kenyon College and Principal Investigator at the IBM Notre Dame Tech Ethics Lab. With a background in literature, philosophy, cognitive science, and AI governance, she explores how artificial intelligence understands and shapes human emotion, creativity, and culture. Co-author of The Shapes of Stories, she led pioneering machine learning analysis of 50,000 novels. A featured expert on AI and creativity, she serves on NIST’s US AI Safety Institute and speaks globally on ethical AI.
Episode Resources: