History & Future of A.I. with Dr. Hugh Burns, Part 1

As writers question algorithms and A.I, Kathryn called on one of her favorite professors, and went back to class to learn more. Hugh Burns is one of the pioneers who literally wrote the book, and the code, 45 years ago.

Hugh Burns’ dissertation (PhD in Rhetoric, University of Texas) broke ground by combining composition instruction with artificial intelligence research. His work created a program that led to the award-winning education platform Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment (DIWE).

About Our Guest:

Hugh Burns, Professor Emeritus, Texas Woman’s University, is best known for encouraging writers across all disciplines and pioneering exploratory research in rhetoric and technology.

A retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, he served most of his career investigating how artificial intelligence may improve education and training. He’s taught writing and digital humanities courses at The University of Texas at Austin, Smith College, and the Air Force Academy. He served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a Visiting Scholar of Digital Media and Composition at The Ohio State University, and as Chairman of the Board of the Daedalus Group.

Since 1990, the Hugh Burns Dissertation Award has been given annually to the best dissertation in the field of computers and composition. In 2011, he was appointed as the Holland H. Coors Endowed Chair at the Air Force Academy.

He and his wife, Mary, live in Colorado Springs; they have three daughters, seven grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.  Connect with Dr. Burns on Facebook and Twitter.

See the tab above “Chapter Markers” for a list of topics & timestamps. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Note:  When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.

• The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel
• Quagmire: Personal Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, edited by Donald Anderson
• The Carrying by Ada Limon
• The Best American Essays 2021, edited by Kathryn Schulz
• Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey
• “Intimate Machines,” chapter by Hugh Burns, PhD. Edited by: Horning, Alice S., and Norbert Elliot. Talking Back: Senior Scholars and Their Colleagues Deliberate the Past, Present, and Future of Writing Studies. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2020. 

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Chapters

• 0:49 Welcome & Currently Reading
• 4:18 Reading Journal practice & Cicero’s “Servile Copying”
• 9:02 Make friends of the librarian
• 10:42 Rhetorical Principles apply to everything
• 12:14 Intertwining all the interests and education and careers
• 16:00 Dr. Burns asks about Kathryn’s research, Follow the Bibliographic Trail!
• 19:17 Research can spur creativity imagining "what if"
• 20:09 Moving from interesting to necessary, from artificial to authentic
• 21:28 From Drama & Speech teacher to the Air Force 1966
• 24:55 Writing code for artificial intelligence in 1977 for educational use for PhD Dissertation
• 27:30 Rhetorical Invention
• 31:23 Takes the AI code back to the Air Force… Discovery & Recovery
• 32:39 Applications for writers like Jasper, MIT’s Shelley, and InferKit
• 37:14 Potential for misuse and abuse
• 41:15 1986 Daedalus Group
• 41:54 Founding Director of Artificial Intelligence Research Lab and Human Systems, Air Force
• 42:40 University education inspiration and networking
• 53:49 Internet changed the economics of business and education
• 54:33 Internet security
• 59:28 Deep A.I. management of distribution
• 1:01:46 Consulting with Smith College
• 1:06:19 Transitioning to Chair of English Department at Texas Woman’s University