【Article by GCIT】

When artificial intelligence can provide instant answers and even act on users’ behalf, how can people retain their ability to question, judge, and choose? The 2026 Taiwan Association of Information Society (TAIS) Annual Conference, held on November 7 at National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) Center for Public and Business Administration Education, brought together Taiwanese and international scholars to address this question. Under the theme “AI or I? Agency under Human-Machine Communication,” the conference examined AI’s implications for communication, knowledge production, and human agency. NCCU’s Master’s Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology (GCIT) co-hosted the event, with GCIT Director Professor Tammy Jih-Hsuan Lin contributing as both a panel moderator and a research presenter, connecting international scholarly dialogue with empirical research in Taiwan.

In his opening remarks, NCCU President Tsai-Yen Li noted that generative AI can produce organized answers within seconds, making it all the more important for education to cultivate students’ ability to ask meaningful questions, exercise independent judgment, explore, and create. Lin expressed her hope that the conference would serve as a platform for scholarly dialogue and public reflection, bringing researchers across disciplines together to examine the changes arising from human–machine interaction. She encouraged continued reflection on a fundamental question: “What do we hope to preserve, and what do we hope to create together?” Participants also included Professor Yi-Ning Chen of NCCU’s Department of Advertising and scholars from other institutions, fostering exchange across universities and disciplines.

Professor Jörg Matthes of the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna, Austria, delivered the keynote address, “The Post-Questioning Era: The Danger of AI That Works Too Well.” He distinguished “critical trust,” grounded in evaluation and judgment, from “blind faith,” in which users accept answers without sufficient scrutiny. Matthes further warned that as AI becomes embedded in everyday life, people may keep relying on it even when they do not trust it because viable alternatives are unavailable. This “dependence without trust” shifts attention beyond the accuracy of AI-generated answers to whether people retain the freedom to decline its use, pursue alternatives, and exercise independent judgment.

Lin also moderated the featured panel, “AI-Augmented Research: Opportunities, Boundaries, and Global Inequalities,” joined by Matthes, Professor Chih-Hui Lai of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s (NYCU) Department of Communication and Technology, and Research Fellow Wen-Chin Wu of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Political Science. The discussion highlighted that while AI can lower barriers to academic writing in English and certain research tasks, it does not necessarily narrow global disparities in research resources. Well-resourced institutions may further strengthen their advantages through access to advanced tools and greater capacity to validate data. The panelists emphasized that efficiency cannot replace foundational research skills: researchers must understand theory and methods to assess AI outputs, identify model biases, and formulate original questions.

In addition to moderating the panel, Lin presented “Pieces of Me over time: Cross-platform SNS Style Transitions, Social Capital, and Well-Being” in a session showcasing findings from the Taiwan Communication Survey. Drawing on longitudinal panel data from Waves 2 and 4 of the survey’s third phase, the study used latent transition analysis to examine changes in social media use patterns across platforms and their relationships with social capital, well-being, and self-disclosure, identifying directions for further theoretical development. By extending the focus beyond individual platforms to changes across platforms over time, the research deepens understanding of social media use and individual well-being.

GCIT student Judy Yeh Ting-Yu served as the conference emcee, applying her professional communication and presentation skills in a formal academic setting. Through faculty research presentations, international panel discussions, and student participation in hosting the event, GCIT connected academic research, international exchange, and practical student learning.

TAIS, NCCU’s GCIT and College of Communication, and NYCU’s Department of Communication and Technology jointly organized the conference, with support from the Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC) and TVBS Publishing.

【全球傳播與創新科技碩士學位學程獲文化部與教育部高等教育深耕計畫補助。】