A first for the Tack Lecture: Business, AI and the liberal arts

Rachel Chung will present a lecture on "Wisdom & Machines: How Liberal Arts & AI Learn from Each Other."

The following story originally appeared on the website for the Raymond A. Mason School of Business. - Ed.

William & Mary will continue one of its most intellectual academic traditions this spring with a lecture that asks a timely question: What happens when human judgment meets machine intelligence?

On May 7 at 7 p.m., William & Mary will host the latest installment of the Tack Faculty Lecture Series, featuring Rachel Chung, clinical professor of operations & information systems management at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business. Her talk, "Wisdom & Machines: How Liberal Arts & AI Learn from Each Other," marks a notable moment for the series. This will be the first time a business school faculty member has been selected to speak.

For over 14 years, the Tack Lecture Series has brought together the university and the surrounding community to explore ideas that extend beyond disciplinary boundaries. Each lecture invites a broad audience into the intellectual life of the institution, offering a window into the questions faculty are actively grappling with in their research and teaching.

Chung's lecture fits squarely within that tradition while also pushing it into new territory.

Drawing inspiration from "Sense and Sensibility," Chung frames her talk around a familiar tension: logic versus emotion. But in her telling, the contrast is no longer just between two human perspectives. One side now belongs to artificial intelligence.

"Humans love creating and using tools. AI as a tool expands our ability to process information, to detect patterns, to extend what we can 'sense,'" Chung said. "But sense alone is not wisdom. It still takes human judgment, context, and values to turn that information into something meaningful."

Her lecture traces the roots of modern AI back through disciplines often associated with the liberal arts, including political science, mathematics, psychology and linguistics. Figures such as Herbert A. Simon, whose work on decision-making introduced the idea of bounded rationality, serve as a foundation for understanding both the promise and the limitations of intelligent systems.

At its core, the talk challenges a common narrative that positions AI and the liberal arts in opposition to one another. Instead, Chung argues that the two are deeply intertwined.

"AI systems do not simply produce answers," she said. "They reflect human choices about data, goals, and values. The question is not only about how AI will shape our future. It is how we will shape AI."

Through examples spanning child safety to crisis response, Chung will illustrate how human expertise remains central to guiding AI systems. Her work highlights areas such as culturally responsive evaluation of large language models and the role of interdisciplinary thinking in improving how machines enhance rather than impede the human condition.

Todd Mooradian, dean of the business school, sees Chung's selection as both a recognition of her work and a reflection of a broader shift. "Rachel's research sits at the intersection of technology and human understanding," Mooradian said. "That is exactly where some of the most important conversations are happening right now. This lecture shows how business scholarship can contribute to the wider intellectual mission of the university."

Chung, author of "AI for Business" and "AI The Magic Box," hopes the lecture will resonate with a wide audience, regardless of their familiarity with artificial intelligence.

"Whether someone is excited about AI or skeptical of it, there is space in this conversation for them," she said. "This is ultimately about how we understand the world, how we make decisions, and how we build and use tools that reflect what we value."

Chung will also highlight examples of her students' consulting work throughout her lecture. Of particular relevance to the local community, several students this semester focused on Colonial Williamsburg to explore how agentic AI can enhance the visitor experience, offering fresh insights into how emerging technologies can shape engagement at one of the nation's most historic sites.

The lecture also invites attendees to reconsider what it means to learn, not just for machines, but for people. As AI systems become more capable, Chung suggests that humans can reallocate our precious attention away from routine processes and toward creativity, interpretation, and sense-making. New capabilities afforded by AI may create new challenges, but they also offer new solutions and opportunities beyond our imagination.

In that sense, the event is less about technology itself and more about the future of knowledge.

By bringing a business faculty member into a lecture series long associated with the breadth of the liberal arts, William & Mary is exploring the integration of AI and its impact as the university leads national discussions on AI educational policy. The boundaries between disciplines are becoming less rigid and the most pressing questions are increasingly shared.

The Tack Lecture Series has always aimed to make the university's intellectual life accessible. This spring's lecture continues that mission while asking the audience to engage with a question that feels both immediate and enduring: How do we ensure that as machines become more capable, human wisdom keeps pace?

Elizabeth Eldredge, Raymond A. Mason School of Business

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