The Faculty of Social Sciences celebrated her research initiatives and revealed the winners of the annual Research Awards: the master thesis award, the dissertation award, and the junior research award. It was an inspiring afternoon with interesting presentations, three exciting awards and convivial drinks. The event started with the Talma Lecture.
Talma Lecture and reflection
The title of the Talma lecture this year was: “Break Now, Fix Later? Ensuring Responsible AI in Government and Society”, held by Prof. Dr. Madalina Busuioc. The lecture took place in a context where there is tremendous societal excitement around artificial intelligence and its potential. This year’s lecture, while recognizing this potential, provided a critical reflection on how AI shapes government and society. It put a spotlight on how the current hype surrounding the technology has led to the adoption of AI technologies in government that are not always fit-for-purpose, and where suboptimal deployments can cause serious harm, with high consequences for citizens’ lives. The talk moved towards a healthier, more balanced discourse on AI that affirms the technology’s potential, while simultaneously busting some myths, emphasizing the need for a thoughtful approach to the technology’s adoption in government to leverage AI for the public good. Enhanced public sector AI literacy and governance know-how will be a critical ingredient to empowering public organisations in this regard, precisely also what our FSW Master in Artificial Intelligence and Governance aims to achieve.
The Talma lecture was followed by a complementary reflection "Social Sciences for AI", by Dr. Federica Fusi.
Fusi's presentation examined the role of the social sciences as research and policy increasingly focus on artificial intelligence, automation, and data. Model-centric approaches to AI research often assume that the shortcomings of AI can be addressed by enhancing the capabilities of AI systems themselves or optimizing the interaction between AI systems and human users. By broadening the focus of AI research beyond model development to include data practices and implementation, the presentation underscores the importance of investigating the complex processes and decisions involved in deploying AI in real-life settings, such as public and private organizations or research teams. Social sciences, therefore, can play a crucial role in interdisciplinary teams, offering invaluable insights to ensure that AI is deployed responsibly.
The lecture and reflection were followed by a highly engaged and stimulating discussion with the audience.
FSS Research Awards
The Faculty of Social Sciences celebrated her research initiatives and revealed the winners of the annual FSS Research Awards: the master thesis award, the dissertation award, and the junior research award. Here you can read about the winners of the research awards.
Have a look at the photo impression here. (The password: 'Talma')