Night of Ideas presented by Villa Albertine
L’AIL – Languages of AI in/and Louisiana
The LSU Museum of Art (LSUMOA), in partnership with The Consulate General of France in Louisiana, Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, and LSU’s Center for French and Francophone Studies, is pleased to present a Night of Ideas program L’AIL: Languages of AI in/and Louisiana, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 5:30–8:00 p.m. at the Shaw Center for the Arts.
This program considers the evolving relationship between language, culture, and artificial intelligence.
Panel discussion
At the center of the evening is a panel discussion featuring:
Olivain Porry, a 2026 Villa Albertine “Arts in the Age of AI” Resident and artist
Jonathan Mayers, Creole scholar, artist, and former Baton Rouge Poet Laureate
Together, they will examine how AI models are reshaping how we speak, write, read, and think—often privileging a dominant, standardized English. The conversation, co-presented with the LSU Center for French and Francophone Studies – Professor Jeffrey Leichman, will explore how Louisiana’s diverse vernacular traditions offer playful and critical ways to disrupt these systems, challenging assumptions embedded in artificial intelligence and reclaiming linguistic humanity.
Reception & Student Project
Following the discussion, guests are invited to a reception featuring a collaborative student project developed during Porry’s residency with Professor Brendan Harmon, Emerson Womack Professor of Landscape Architecture in LSU’s College of Art & Design. Titled Creolization of Large Language Model Workshop, the project engages directly with the themes of language, technology, and cultural hybridity, and complements Porry’s installation currently on view at LSUMOA, Lies Language Models.
The evening will also include music and refreshments. Learn more about this program here.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Discussion begins: 6:00 PM
Location: Third floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts (100 Lafayette Street, Baton Rouge, LA)
Admission: Free and open to the public. Registration is recommended.
Night of Ideas 2026 is presented by Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation thanks to the leadership support of the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation. It is coordinated worldwide by the Institut Français. Media Partner: TV5MONDE.