Media Invitation: AI Research Will Be Further Developed at International Conference

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts our daily lives and the society we live in today, but the assumptions made in research must be regularly questioned. This will be discussed by experts during the international conference "AI for Humanity and Society 2023." The event is open to the public and will take place in Malmö, Sweden, between November 14-15.

Researchers in social sciences and humanities have made essential observations and analyses of how AI affects our daily lives and contemporary society in recent years. Nevertheless, the research community needs further results to gain an understanding of how AI affects us individually and collectively.

"During the conference, we will highlight the everyday aspects of AI, but with a critical eye. Teresa Cerratto Pargman and I believe that criticism is a stance motivated by the need to clarify what AI development entails for citizens and what it means for society as a whole," says Stefan Larsson, Associate Professor in Technology and Social Change at Lund University.

The organizer of the conference is the national research program WASP-HS (The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems, and Software Program – Humanities and Society), which is the Wallenberg Foundations' initiative for social science and humanities research on AI in society.

AI's Impact on Our Daily Lives and Society

The conference will include various activities such as workshops, panel discussions, and presentations from leading researchers on the subject of AI's impact on our daily lives and society. During the two-day conference, three keynote speeches will be held:

• Sarah Cook, WASP-HS Guest Professor in AI and Art at Umeå University, will discuss what we can learn about a world with AI by examining what artists do with information systems.
• Shannon Vallor, Professor of Ethics of Data and AI at the University of Edinburgh, will talk about human prediction and reflection in AI.
• Sofia Ranchordas, WASP-HS Guest Professor in Sociology of Law, will discuss how to refocus on humanity in the digital administrative world.

Each presentation will serve as a starting point for three panel discussions on the topics of "critique and AI studies," "norms, assumptions, and values," and "methodology and interdisciplinarity." Leading researchers, including Martin Ebers, WASP-HS Guest Professor in AI Law at Örebro University, Kivanç Tatar, Associate Professor in Interaction Design at Chalmers University of Technology, Amanda Lagerkvist, Professor in Media and Communication Studies at Uppsala University, and Michael Strange, Associate Professor in International Relations at Malmö University, will participate.

In conjunction with the conference, seven workshops are also arranged that address topics ranging from the role of trust in AI, surveillance issues, ethical technical cultures, generative AI and the information landscape to workshops that address knowledge generation, pedagogical implications and both the future of AI and implications of AI - practices in the cultural heritage sector. These workshops are coordinated by Liane Colonna, Assistant Professor at Stockholm University, and Donal Casey, Assistant Professor at Uppsala University, both recruited WASP-HS faculty.

To question the assumptions behind current AI research, WASP-HS opens its doors to the public at Malmö Live in Malmö on November 14 and 15, 2023.

For Media and Journalists
Media and journalists are welcome to participate in the conference, where there will be excellent interview and photo opportunities. Please note that the conference and all program items will be conducted in English. See full program.

Contact:
Hanna Nordin
Communications Officer for WASP-HS
Phone: 070-214 38 27
Email: hanna.nordin@umu.se

More About WASP-HS
The vision of WASP-HS is to foster novel interdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences about AI and autonomous systems and their impact on human and social development. WASP-HS enables cutting edge research, expertise and competence building in the humanities and social sciences. As such, WASP-HS contributes to the development of innovative humane technologies and their transformative interaction with society. Read more about WASP-HS.

For more information, interview requests, and participation
For more information, please feel free to contact our communications officer.