Workshop "Envisioning the future of AI society: From a technical to a technosocial vision"

Theme

In recent years, an intense debate has emerged surrounding the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human society. Often presented as predictions based on objective data and robust foresight, these discourses frequently oversimplify the complex and dynamic relationship between technology and society, implicitly treating the future as predetermined by technological advancement. This seminar critically analyzes these dominant future-oriented narratives of AI, arguing for the necessity of a technosocial perspective to understand their underlying assumptions and broader significance. Our goals are to: (1) Develop a critical analysis of the normative and conceptual assumptions embedded within utopian and dystopian discourses about the future of AI in our societies; (2) Explore the significance of these futuristic discourses beyond their claim to objective prediction, examining their role in shaping present-day perceptions and actions; and (3) Propose alternative, technosocial future visions of human society co-existing with AI systems.

Dates: 21-23 July, 2025

Venue: Food & Medical Innovation (FMI) building, Hokkaido University [Google maps]

• CHAIN seminar #52 on 22 July will be held in Human and Social Sciences Classroom Building (Building W) [Google maps]

Program and abstracts

• Program - here

• Titles and abstracts - here

Acknowledgement

This workshop is funded by the JSPS-NWO Bilateral Program (Joint Seminar).