Imagine waking up each morning and scrolling through a stream of headlines, videos, and posts, some written by humans, some generated by artificial intelligence, and many of them designed to provoke a reaction before you have time to think. That is the reality of modern life, and it is exactly why the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is launching a new community engagement series called “Truth, Trust and Technology: Information in the Age of AI.” Beginning this October, the series will run through the 2026-2027 academic year and will offer a space for ordinary people, not just scholars, to talk about how we navigate the complicated information landscape we all share. The goal is not to turn everyone into a computer scientist or a media critic, but to help people become more confident, curious, and careful as they read, watch, and share information. With AI now capable of generating text, images, and even voices that look and sound convincingly real, the old rules of thumb for deciding what is true no longer seem sufficient. We used to judge a source by its reputation, its design, or its author. Now, a polished website might be built by a bot, a heartfelt video might be a deepfake, and a viral rumor might be planted by someone who knows exactly how to exploit our emotions. The series will try to cut through the confusion, explain what is actually happening, and give people practical ways to protect themselves and their communities from misinformation, manipulation, and digital exhaustion. It is not a lecture series designed to make people feel bad about their screen time. It is an invitation to become more aware, more resilient, and more thoughtful about the tools we use every day. The first public event in this series will be a welcoming entry point for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the speed of technological change or uncertain about what to believe online.
The kickoff event, titled “Technology Brought Us Here, Now What?” will feature Chad Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Computing and New Media Technologies at UWSP. Johnson is not going to deliver a dry lecture full of jargon. Instead, he will guide participants through a conversation about how humans can protect themselves and adapt to a technological environment that seems to change faster than we can keep up with. He has described the series as an attempt to “cut through the smoke screen, separate the signal from the noise, understand what we’re facing, and learn about how to survive it all.” That language is telling: this is not about rejecting technology or pretending we can opt out. It is about learning how to live with it, question it, and use it without being used by it. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 27, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Laird Room at the UWSP Dreyfus University Center, located at 1015 Reserve Street in Stevens Point. Attendees can expect a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of room for questions and discussion. Whether you consider yourself tech-savvy or you still feel a little overwhelmed by your own smartphone, this session is designed to meet you where you are. You will not be expected to understand algorithms or write code. You will, however, be invited to think about how technology has shaped the way you receive information, how it has changed your trust in what you see and hear, and how you can make more intentional choices about the digital tools you use. The conversation will be grounded in real life, not abstract theory, and it will give you language to talk about things that might have felt confusing or unsettling for a long time.
One of the best things about this series is that it is completely free. The university wants to make these conversations accessible to everyone in the Stevens Point area and beyond, which is why there is no charge to attend. However, because space is limited and the university wants to make sure everyone who wants to join can get a seat, tickets are required. You can reserve your spot online by visiting uwspcolslecture.eventbrite.com. The process is simple: go to the page, choose the event, and register. It is a small step that makes a big difference for the organizers, allowing them to plan for the right number of chairs, handouts, and refreshments. If you have never been to the Dreyfus University Center, this is also a great excuse to visit campus and see what the university offers. The event is being hosted by the College of Letters and Science, but it is not just for students or faculty. It is for neighbors, local workers, retirees, parents, high schoolers, and anyone else who has ever felt confused or concerned about the role of AI in their daily life. The more diverse the audience, the richer the conversation will be. When people from different generations, professions, and backgrounds sit in the same room and talk about something as universal as trust, everyone benefits. You might come in with one set of questions and leave with a dozen new ones, but you will also leave with a stronger sense that you are not alone in navigating this strange new world. The ticket reservation system also means you can plan ahead, bring a friend, and make an evening of it. There is something powerful about gathering in person to discuss issues that are usually experienced alone, through a glowing screen.
The series will continue on Thursday, November 12, with a second lecture titled “When We Can’t Trust Facts.” This session will dig into one of the most unsettling aspects of the current information environment: the feeling that we no longer agree on basic facts, or that facts themselves have become negotiable. In a world where AI can generate convincing articles, fake images, and even fabricated audio recordings, trusting a source is no longer just about checking whether a website looks professional. It is about understanding how information is produced, how it spreads, and why some stories gain traction while others are ignored. The November event will explore these questions in a way that is grounded in everyday experience, not abstract theory. Attendees will have the chance to think about how they decide what to believe, how they talk to friends and family members who see the world differently, and how they can contribute to a more honest and thoughtful public conversation. It is easy to say that we should all just “do our own research,” but the reality is more complicated. We have limited time, limited attention, and limited access to the original sources behind the stories we consume. We rely on journalists, scientists, and institutions to help us make sense of the world, but those sources are not always reliable, and even when they are, their messages can be distorted by the time they reach us. The November lecture will not offer a simple checklist or a magic solution. Instead, it will help participants develop a more nuanced understanding of what facts are, how they are established, and why they matter. More details about this event, including registration information and any updates, can be found at uwsp.edu/college-of-letters-and-science/community-engagement-series/. The website also lists other events in the series, so you can plan ahead and maybe bring a friend.
This series is arriving at a moment when many people are feeling a strange combination of excitement and anxiety about technology. AI has the potential to help us write, learn, create, and solve problems in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. But it also has the potential to confuse, divide, and exploit us. The same tools that can draft a thoughtful letter can also produce a convincing fake news story. The same algorithms that connect us with old friends can also feed us a steady diet of outrage and fear. The College of Letters and Science seems to understand that the answer is not to hide from these challenges, but to face them together. By creating a community engagement series, the university is making a statement: critical thinking is not a solitary skill, it is a communal practice. We need each other to test our assumptions, hear different perspectives, and develop the kind of wisdom that no single algorithm can provide. This is especially important in a place like Stevens Point, where community ties are strong and where people from different backgrounds and political views still share the same grocery stores, parks, and schools. The series is an invitation to have those conversations in a respectful, open-minded setting. It is also a reminder that universities have a role to play in public life that goes beyond degrees and research. They can be gathering places, neutral ground, and sources of light in a time of confusion. The “Truth, Trust and Technology” series is a small but meaningful example of what that can look like. It acknowledges that the challenges we face are not just technical but human, and that the solutions will require not better algorithms alone, but better conversations, better habits, and better relationships with the information we consume.
As the 2026-2027 academic year unfolds, the “Truth, Trust and Technology” series promises to be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to stay informed without being overwhelmed. The kickoff event on October 27 will set the tone, offering a chance to step back from the daily flood of information and think about the bigger picture. Chad Johnson’s presentation, “Technology Brought Us Here, Now What?” will ask the questions that many of us are already asking ourselves: How did we get here? What is happening to our attention, our trust, and our sense of reality? And what can we do about it? The answers will not be simple, but the conversation will be a start. Whether you attend in person or follow along online, whether you come with strong opinions or a lot of questions, you will be welcome. The event is free, but remember to reserve your ticket in advance at uwspcolslecture.eventbrite.com. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 27, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Laird Room at the Dreyfus University Center, and plan to join the next session on November 12 as well. This is a chance to learn, to connect, and to become a more thoughtful participant in the digital world we all share. In an age of AI, the most human thing we can do is think together. We cannot stop technological change, and we probably would not want to, but we can decide how we respond to it. We can choose to be intentional rather than passive, curious rather than fearful, and connected rather than isolated. That is exactly what this series is about, and it is why the community is invited to take part. The future of information may be uncertain, but the future of conversation does not have to be. It starts with showing up, asking questions, and listening to one another, one event at a time.