Associate Professor in science and engineering education, Umeå University

The wicked problems concept and its uses across disciplines

This presentation aims to provide a conceptual basis and a shared vocabulary for the continued discussions during the TAIGA days. For that purpose, Johanna will introduce the wicked problems concept, outline competing definitions, and discuss different ways in which the concept has been used across scientific disciplines. Finally, Johanna will show how the concept can be used in empirical research, focusing on examples from engineering education research.

Read more: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504509.2020.1859415

Associate Professor in Sociology of Law, Lund University

Vulnerability in the Automated State: A Posthumanist Perspective

The automation of society tends to promise both more efficient and sustainable solutions to everything from waste management, transport systems and the management of welfare rights. In this presentation, I discuss which types of vulnerabilities that automation is understood to be as solving as well as what types of new vulnerabilites such automation processes may give rise to. By applying a posthumanist perspective on both automation and vulnerability, I further seek to paint an even more layered picture of the challenges in automating the state while not (re)producing new forms of vulnerability, and what this means from a legal point.

Professor in Computational Linguistics, Umeå University

Countering Disinformation with Artificial Intelligence in the Context of the Russian-Ukrainian War

The presentation examines misinformation as a critical challenge in contemporary society, analyzing the pervasive propagation of false information across digital platforms. We assess the potential risks of propaganda in the context of spreading misinformation regarding the Russian-Ukrainian War.

By integrating technical and psychological perspectives, we investigate the impact of misinformation across multiple societal sectors, with particular emphasis on the capability of using artificial intelligence to counteract disinformation.

Associate professor at Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Umeå University

Benevolent or respectful AI?

If we could ever create a machine that would optimally promote human interests, would we want it? We do not always want what is best for us, either because we value other things higher, or because we are confused or mistaken about what is good for us. In such cases, our choices still warrant respect. How can future AI systems handle this moral dilemma?

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is a multidisciplinary artist examining our fraught relationships with nature and technology

"Programmable nature"

A presentation and conversation with Sarah Cook, WASP-HS, related to the premiering exhibition Machine Auguries.

Guest professor in Art and AI with UmArts at Umeå University as part of the WASP-HS programme

Sarah will be our host for the second day of the symposium at Curiosum, Arts Campus. Opening with an intriguing presentation on the wicked problems of generated art and the terms and conditions of art-making in an age of AI.