AI as sociotechnical systems

This event is part of Greaterthan's Annual Solstice Jamboree, taking place from June 21 - July 21, 2023. See all events.

With recent developments, tech tools called "AI" are more visible and discussed than ever before. The discourses depicting AI as anthropomorphic characters and inviting to consider the apocalypse, however, distract from a range of current issues involving the unethical use of workforce and environmental resources in building today's technologies, hidden labour and epistemic injustices in deploying them, etc. 

This session hosts a discussion on AI with the focus on how to make humans, their work and agency more visible in these complex sociotechnical systems, and to find ways to make an impact to this direction on the general media discourse on AI.

About this event

Here's what we'll get up to....

• A sharing circle about the question "What are your first impressions of AI technologies?"
• A sharing circle about the question "What are you most worried about, when it comes to using AI tools in communities and societies?"
• Ideating and documenting on a collaborative online whiteboard
• Breakout rooms and full group spaces

Which theme best describes the event?

• #systems

Who is this for?

Anyone who is interested in the intersections of technology and society, or feels impacted by the recent developments in AI and the related discussions in media.

What to expect

• Depending on the number of participants, we discuss in a full circle or in occasional breakout rooms.

• You can join anytime!

Your Hosts

Auli Viidalepp is a PhD candidate in semiotics at the University of Tartu. Her research focuses on the cultural representations and beliefs about technology, specifically the concept of artificial intelligence. She is also running the Technosemiotics research seminar, taking place every third Monday.

* Image Credit: Koushik Chowdavarapu on Unsplash