The Pleasure of Artificial Experience, University of Birmingham

Can intellectual joy be had in the era of disruptive generative AI? Alexa Alice Joubin says that the joy of estrangement is in and by itself the purpose of education. Both generative AI and imaginative literature create virtuality which can be theorized as artificial experiences. She proposes restoration of meta-critical joy as a solution to AI’s interference of creativity. 00:00 Interdisciplinary AI Network 00:05 Introducing Alexa Alice Joubin 01:17 Artificial experience 01:39 Joy in literary interpretation 02:17 The subjunctive mood in Macbeth 05:31 Can AI interpret imaginative literature? 07:23 Holding contradictory thoughts 07:43 Joy of literature 08:17 AI is shaped by fiction 08:29 Mathematical version of intertextuality 09:25 LLMs train heavily on stolen novels 10:24 AI’s interface creates a chat experience 11:32 “Talking” machines in literary history 12:21 AI companies advertise literary capacity 13:01 Literary versus algorithmic simulation of social situations 13:39 Literary versus mechanical mimesis 15:10 AI estranges human language 16:01 AI is a killjoy 17:06 Can we still have joy in world dominated by AI? 17:52 What is artistic creativity? 17:59 Microsoft Copilot’s terms of use 18:15 Celebration of uncertainty and ambiguity 19:46 AI as mad lib gone wrong 20:18 Turning estrangement into joy 22:21 Question: What’s lost in AI? 24:56 Question: How to counter transactional culture 27:44 Question: Can AI interpret literature? 30:53 Question: Can AI write literature? 35:49 Question: What should we hold onto? 37:55 Follow Joubin online Joubin offers pedagogical strategies to restore curiosity and to develop meta-critical joy as learning methods. Educators can give value to iterative processes rather than merely the end results. Learning is a journey, rather than a destination. By reframing human relationships with technology, educators and students can prioritize the affective processes of discovery and community-oriented storytelling. Learning may be an artificial and curated experience, but it should not be contrived. Restoring joy in this process is a pathway to genuine human connection. Professor Joubin’s talk was part of the Interdisciplinary AI Network (IAIN) convened by Dean Hill at the University of Birmingham. It took place on September 15, 2026.