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Oh Yé Y(ai)lle:Morning Symposium on AI and Louisiana Studies Research
Date and Time:
Friday - February 6, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location:
Center for Louisiana Studies
J.Arthur Roy House
1204 Johnston Street, Lafayette
Details:
The event is FREE. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Program Schedule
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.
Dr. Joshua Caffery (Director, Center for Louisiana Studies)
Opening Remarks:
Dewey Balfa, Not Dua Lipa: Local Archives and Mass-Market Machines
9:15 – 9:45 a.m.
UL Center for Louisiana Studies & Informatics Research Institute
The LaFLEUR Project: Automatic Speech Recognition for Louisiana French
9:45 – 9:55 a.m.
Questions / Transition
9:55 – 10:25 a.m.
Dr. Boisy Gene Pitre (Fellow, Center for Louisiana Studies)
From Fragmented Records to Structured Knowledge: AI-Assisted Archival Interpretation
10:25 – 10:35 a.m.
Questions / Transition
10:35 – 11:05 a.m.
David Ditch (Clerk of Court, Iberia Parish)
Tim Supple (Founder, iLandman)
Rusty Randol
AI in Louisiana Land and Title Research
11:05 – 11:15 a.m.
Questions / Transition
11:15 – 11:45 a.m.
JS Makkos (Intelligent Archives, L3C)
Activating the Archive: The Intelligent Future of Cultural Data
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Closing Discussion & Audience Q&A
Moderated by Dr. Rachel Doherty
12 - 1 p.m. Informal Reception
Program Description:
The LaFLEUR Project: Automatic Speech Recognition for Louisiana French
This session presents an overview of the LaFLEUR Project, an exploratory initiative applying AI-based speech recognition to archival and contemporary Louisiana French audio. Speakers will discuss project goals, early successes, and ongoing challenges related to vernacular speech, orthographic variation, and archival audio quality, while situating the work within broader ethical questions around AI and endangered languages.
From Fragmented Records to Structured Knowledge: AI-Assisted Archival Interpretation
This talk examines how large language models can be used to classify historical documents, extract structured metadata, and generate summaries from heterogeneous archival collections in rural Louisiana. It considers both the analytical promise of these tools and the interpretive limits they pose when reconstructing social, economic, and genealogical relationships from historical records.
AI in Louisiana Land and Title Research
This panel explores how AI tools are being leveraged in parish- and state-level land and title research, particularly in working with historical conveyance records, tax rolls, and legal descriptions. Panelists will discuss practical applications, efficiencies gained, and the continuing need for legal judgment, local knowledge, and human oversight.
Activating the Archive: The Intelligent Future of Cultural Data
This presentation explores how regional archives can function as active cultural infrastructure rather than static repositories, especially as AI systems increasingly draw on historical data. Focusing on vernacular print culture and large-scale archival collections, the talk considers issues of representation, ownership, and ethics while proposing community-centered approaches to cultural data and AI development.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1204 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA, United States, Louisiana 70503
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
