TCU Research Magazine Examines Paradox of Progress in the Age of AI
The spring 2026 issue of Endeavors, Texas Christian University’s dedicated research magazine, explores a question at the center of this moment: What happens when the tools we build to solve problems begin reshaping us in return?
As artificial intelligence transforms political campaigns, disaster response and medical research, TCU scholars are probing not only what AI can do but what it demands of people consuming its creations. First Amendment expert Chip Stewart, a professor of journalism and assistant provost for research compliance, finds that laws regulating AI-generated deepfakes face constitutional hurdles, while clear labeling may slow the spread of misinformation — if people remain vigilant.
Jie “Jackie” Zhuang, associate professor of communication studies, also in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, examines how AI-driven misinformation erodes trust in disaster response, underscoring a simple truth: Technology is only as responsible as the humans guiding it.
This issue also marks a level up in TCU’s research strategy. As Provost Floyd L. Wormley Jr. writes, the university is accelerating toward R1 status while remaining grounded in its teacher-scholar model, “a student-centered scholarship” that keeps discovery aligned with purpose.
He introduces Reuben F. Burch V, TCU’s new vice provost for research, whose charge is clear: research that matters, partnerships that deliver and students who lead the way.
Across disciplines, that vision is already taking shape. Criminology and criminal justice faculty in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts are partnering with local law enforcement to study leadership and accountability. Dance professor Jessica Zeller in the College of Fine Arts is reimagining ballet pedagogy through equity and collaboration. And in the College of Education, at Starpoint School — TCU’s laboratory school for children with learning difficulties — graduate students sit next to elementary readers, turning research on literacy into lived confidence, one chapter at a time.
The work spans from nursing research on restoring smell and taste in long COVID-19 patients to marketing studies on consumer trust after ethical misconduct to analysis of facial recognition technology and identity.
“Featured faculty in this issue aren’t offering simple solutions because there aren’t any,” said Caroline Collier, editor. “What they’re offering is something more valuable: the willingness to stay curious, stay critical and keep asking whether our innovations are actually making us better humans.”
