About
Researchers are already using AI to write, code, analyze data, and teach. The interesting question is not whether they should, but what happens when they do.
Machine Collaborators is a bi-weekly conversation series. Every session, a researcher presents how AI has entered their actual practice — then we discuss it openly.
Not a tech demo. Not a policy debate. A seminar about practice.
Next Session
May 28, 2026 · 7:00 PM ET
Alexander Kustov · Associate Professor, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
Using Agentic AI to Improve Your Public Engagement as a Researcher
Most academics want their research to matter beyond the academy, but few have time to translate their work for broader audiences. The incentives reward peer-reviewed publications, not public engagement. In this session, I describe my experience using agentic AI to bridge that gap: building a multilingual public-facing academic website, writing pitches, prepping for media interviews and podcasts, drafting policy briefs and social media posts from academic papers, evaluating public engagement opportunities, and brainstorming how to frame research for different audiences. I will focus on practical workflows, and share what worked and what didn't.
Learning with AI
From Pixels to Patterns: Vision-Language OCR and LLM-Based Text Analysis
AI Is Not an Algorithm: What That Means for Research Practice
Tracing AI Assistance and AI Agents in Survey Research
Ethical, Effective, and Transparent Workflows: How to Set Clear Guidelines Surrounding AI Usage for Academic Research
Speak
Present your work.
We're looking for researchers with firsthand experience — a workflow that worked, one that didn't, a methodological question you're still sorting out.
Nominate yourself or suggest a colleague.
Nominate a SpeakerConvener
Charles Crabtree
Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash University.
Community
The conversation doesn't end when Zoom closes.
Share workflows, discuss sessions, and connect with researchers across disciplines — between meetings.
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Topic, speaker, date, and Zoom link. Bi-weekly. Nothing else.