Fluent but Hollow: Why Nobody Fully Trusts AI

Changing Perspectives is a monthly talk series dedicated to stories of transformation. Each event invites an inspiring guest to share how a shift in perspective opened unexpected paths, new discoveries, or even a new way of living. These talks are not about abstract ideas alone, but about real turning points; an open invitation to reflect on how even small changes in our perspective can spark creativity, courage, and new directions in life.

The series is initiated and hosted by Dr. Thalia Traianou, astrophysicist and postdoctoral researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, and member of the Philosophical Society of Heidelberg.

✨ The upcoming Talk
Fluent but Hollow: Why Nobody Fully Trusts AI

Generative AI has arrived faster than any technology before it. It can write, code, answer questions, and hold a conversation, and yet something feels off. It flatters us, confuses us, and occasionally makes things up with complete confidence. It's a little like that charming new friend who is fun to be around but somehow you never quite trust.
Three and a half years in, the picture is becoming clearer, and stranger. Bosses are mandating AI in the workplace, but productivity hasn't improved. Workers use it every day, but somehow it creates more tasks, not fewer. Companies are pouring billions into AI while using it as justification for mass layoffs, before the returns have even materialized. AI features are appearing in every app and device, often uninvited, and most people quietly ignore or resent them. And the people who built these systems? They can't fully explain how they work either.

This talk takes an honest look at how we arrived at this moment, and will try to offer some practical ideas for navigating a world increasingly shaped by technology that is powerful, but not quite what it promised to be.

📅 Date & Time: Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 18:00
📍 Location: Seminar Room 11, 5th floor, Mathematikon, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR),
Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69120 Heidelberg
🗣️ Discussion will follow and all are warmly welcome!