Episode 3: What is Contingent in This Class? AI and Higher Education (Part 1)

Episode 3: What is Contingent in This Class? AI and Higher Education (Part 2)

OK THIS DID NOT GO UP AFTER A WEEK. I am still learning how to be a consistent podcaster, I beg forgiveness. This is the second part of our conversation about AI We talk about the following pieces in this episode: Marc Watkins, “Can We Justify College? [https://marcwatkins.substack.com/p/can-we-justify-college]” Carlo Rotella, “I’m a Professor. AI Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/magazine/ai-higher-education-students-teachers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OFA.h4bm.CICTjE0Vkoqj&smid=url-share]” Patrick Lin, “Why We’re Not Using AI in This Course, Despite Its Obvious Benefits [https://emergingethics.substack.com/p/why-were-not-using-ai-in-this-course]” We also mention one old blog post of mine: “Either the Precarity That Fuels the Banking Model of Education Goes, or We All Do [https://afamiglietti.org/uncategorized/either-the-precarity-that-fuels-the-banking-model-of-education-goes-or-we-all-do/]” A door stands open [https://flic.kr/p/2rGX1uX]

Episode 3: What is Contingent in This Class? AI and Higher Education (Part 1)

We’re back after too long! But good news, this is a two-parter! You’ll hear from us again NEXT WEEK. This one is a conversation about AI and Higher Education. Yeah, AI again. More about why that is soon. We talk about the following pieces in this episode: Marc Watkins, “Can We Justify College? [https://marcwatkins.substack.com/p/can-we-justify-college]” Carlo Rotella, “I’m a Professor. AI Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/magazine/ai-higher-education-students-teachers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OFA.h4bm.CICTjE0Vkoqj&smid=url-share]” Patrick Lin, “Why We’re Not Using AI in This Course, Despite Its Obvious Benefits [https://emergingethics.substack.com/p/why-were-not-using-ai-in-this-course]” We also mention one old blog post of mine: “Either the Precarity That Fuels the Banking Model of Education Goes, or We All Do [https://afamiglietti.org/uncategorized/either-the-precarity-that-fuels-the-banking-model-of-education-goes-or-we-all-do/]” A door stands open [https://flic.kr/p/2rGX1uX]

Episode 2: Butlerian Jihad and Other AI Contingencies

In this one Andy and Matt talk about AI, copyright, remix, creativity, and the future. Is there going to be a Butlerian Jihad? What do cover bands got to do with anything? Tune in to learn about Zazzles the chicken [https://thehangedman.com/personal/chicken-caper-i-zazzles-lost/], hear Matt pronounce the word “flutist” and catch Andy proclaiming “there has never been a famine of song.” Pieces discussed today: “AI as Normal Technology: An alternative to the vision of AI as a potential superintelligence [https://kfai-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/c3cac5a2a7/AI-as-Normal-Technology---Narayanan---Kapoor.pdf]” By Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor “Photography Specializations Facing Extinction in the Next Decade [https://fstoppers.com/artificial-intelligence/photography-specializations-facing-extinction-next-decade-713064]” by Alex Cooke “Can we Justify College? [https://marcwatkins.substack.com/p/can-we-justify-college]” by Marc Watkins Also Mentioned Andy’s “Exploring the Phase Space of Stable Diffusion, Discovering Procedural Nonsense [https://afamiglietti.org/uncategorized/exploring-the-phase-space-of-stable-diffusion-discovering-procedural-nonsense/]” Mark Sample’s “Your Mistake Was a Vital Connection [https://samplereality.com/2015/09/05/your-mistake-was-a-vital-strategy/]” Bethany Nowvskie’s “Resistance in the Materials [https://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/read/untitled/section/c2d3c339-bcf3-47d7-9520-2939c22837f8]” (which, it turns out does not make a citation mistake when discussing Morris, Andy just misread it!) A door stands open [https://flic.kr/p/2rGX1uX]

Episode 1.1 MK2 What is Contigent (RADIO EDIT)

RADIO EDIT - NOW WITH SIX MINUTES OF FEWER UMMMS! In this introductory episode, Andy and Matt explain what it means to say that media and technology are “contingent” and why it matters! Along the way, they talk about two of their own blog posts, Matt’s “Internet History, Media Archaeology [https://thehangedman.com/philosophy/internet-history-media-archaeology/]” and Andy’s “The Read-Only Hangover [https://afamiglietti.org/2019/10/].” It’s a long fascinating conversation that touches on “All Your Base Are Belong to Us,” Ted Nelson, Usenet, Karl Marx, Hank and John Green, Neil Postman, and Tacos. Jump on in and learn about the weird and wonderful pasts and always in motion futures of contingent media and technology. A door stands open [https://flic.kr/p/2rGX1uX]