Free lecture with Prof Minna Ruckenstein

Prof Minna Ruckenstein will address the disparity between the promises of AI and its actual implementations, questioning who shapes the future of AI and advocating for a more inclusive dialogue. She will present three persistent visions for the future of AI to stimulate conversation before outlining areas that require greater attention. She will highlight these areas with examples from her ongoing research in healthcare and data labor. The topics will include the materiality of AI, the human-powered nature of AI automation, and the shifting nature of expertise. Additionally, she will address the role of algorithmic techniques in positioning professionals. It makes a difference whether the algorithmic setup positions the expert as an AI quality controller or works to facilitate the care process. Her talk will demonstrate that there are many ways to implement AI technologies, and we need to be more imaginative about how they can benefit the health of humanity. To achieve this, we must develop a better understanding of what is truly needed and carefully consider when AI should be part of our potential futures.

Minna Ruckenstein is a Professor of Emerging Technologies in Society at the Consumer Society Research Centre, University of Helsinki. She leads the Datafied Life Collaboratory and currently directs projects involving senior researchers, post-docs, and PhD students in seven countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, UK, Slovenia, and China. These collaborative projects combine cutting-edge research themes addressing algorithmic systems with classical social scientific concerns regarding the formation of values, individual and social ties and the organization of society. A recently published article discusses our approach to collaborative research journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/29768640241308332