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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T180000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240604T123453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240605T144026Z
UID:10000145-1718960400-1718992800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Designing Data and Innovation Futures to Wear
DESCRIPTION:Join us to explore the future of sustainable technology through design\, engineering\, and finance. \n\n\n\nEdinburgh Futures Institute introduces\, ‘Designing Data and Innovation Futures to Wear’ a symposium to learn from and engage with leading academics and innovators across interconnected industries of robotics\, data\, design and healthcare on how they are harnessing technology to create our future\, sustainable world. We will explore the possibilities that novel\, wearable technologies and associated data provide to achieve a sustainable\, circular future. Looking beyond hype\, we will adopt a regenerative\, holistic and design led approach to innovation in a multidisciplinary setting with an entrepreneurial mindset. \n\n\n\nThe aim of this event is to create the conditions for experimental dialogue across robotics\, data\, design\, and healthcare\, collaborating to inform a radically different approach to research and innovation at Edinburgh Futures Institute. The day will include a series of keynote speakers\, a future thinking workshop\, panel discussions and networking opportunities which aim to prompt new research and innovation opportunities at the intersection of material\, data-science\, business\, engineering\, and health. Look forward to a human and system centred explorative day of inspiration\, possibility\, and convergence. \n\n\n\nAgenda\n\n\n\n\n9.30am – Welcome and Session 1 – Data Design: Environmental data and the body\n\n\n\n11am – Coffee break\n\n\n\n11:30 – Session 2 – Green finance: Mining Materials\, Green Data and Finance\n\n\n\n1pm – Lunch\n\n\n\n2pm – Session 3 – Robotics and Health: Novel Narratives\n\n\n\n3.30pm – Coffee break\n\n\n\n4.30pm – Event close\, reflection and thanks\n\n\n\n4.40pm – Drinks Reception until 6pm\n\n\n\n\nConfirmed speakers to be announced soon!
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/designing-data-and-innovation-futures-to-wear/
LOCATION:Room 2.55\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF
CATEGORIES:Symposium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Data_2_Wear_2-e1717506152502.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T203000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240528T121242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240605T103333Z
UID:10000144-1718911800-1718915400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:How to Reclaim Our Humanity in the Age of AI
DESCRIPTION:How can we reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking? \n\n\n\nJoin us this June to celebrate publication of Shannon Vallor’s latest work The AI Mirror\, one of the most important books we can read right now to find our way through the AI-hype headlines and harness its power to reinvigorate our sense of human agency and possibility. \n\n\n\nThe AI Mirror\n\n\n\nFor many\, technology offers hope for the future—that promise of shared human flourishing and liberation that always seems to elude our species. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies spark this hope in a particular way. They promise a future in which human limits and frailties are finally overcome—not by us\, but by our machines. \n\n\n\nYet rather than open new futures\, today’s powerful AI technologies reproduce the past. Forged from oceans of our data into immensely powerful but flawed mirrors\, they reflect the same errors\, biases\, and failures of wisdom that we strive to escape. Our new digital mirrors point backward. They show only where the data say that we have already been\, never where we might venture together for the first time. \n\n\n\nTo meet today’s grave challenges to our species and our planet\, we will need something new from AI\, and from ourselves. \n\n\n\nShannon Vallor makes a wide-ranging\, prophetic\, and philosophical case for what AI could be: a way to reclaim our human potential for moral and intellectual growth\, rather than lose ourselves in mirrors of the past. Rejecting prophecies of doom\, she encourages us to pursue technology that helps us recover our sense of the possible\, and with it the confidence and courage to repair a broken world. Vallor calls us to rethink what AI is and can be\, and what we want to be with it. \n\n\n\nAbout Shannon Vallor\n\n\n\nShannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford Professor in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh\, where she directs the Centre for Technomoral Futures at Edinburgh Futures Institute. She is a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute and former AI Ethicist at Google. Her work explores how new technologies reshape human moral and intellectual character and includes advising government and industry on the ethical design and use of AI. She is the author of Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting (Oxford\, 2016).
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/shannon-vallor-how-to-reclaim-our-humanity-in-the-age-of-ai/
LOCATION:Topping & Company Booksellers of Edinburgh\, 2 Blenheim Place\, Edinburgh\, EH7 5JH
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-AI-mirror-event.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240619T083000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T180000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240517T135230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240604T123746Z
UID:10000141-1718785800-1718992800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Economics of Financial Technology Conference
DESCRIPTION:Against the backdrop of regulatory developments\, innovations in technology have significantly reshaped the finance landscape across the world\, upending long-established orders of asset transformation. The economic processes in the finance sector are inextricably linked to the wellbeing of everyone in a modern economy. Therefore\, our ongoing understanding of the evolution of the sector is non-negotiable. Academics\, finance experts\, and policymakers have a responsibility to lead this drive. \n\n\n\nTo this end\, the Edinburgh Centre for Financial Innovations and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission\, with support from the University of Edinburgh Business School and the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, are pleased to host the third installment of the Economics of Financial Technology Conference in order to stimulate debate and research on financial innovation and the digital economy. The conference will bring together academics\, policymakers\, and finance professionals to share new insights and discuss the economic issues related to the application of technology to the practice of finance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. \n\n\n\nThe three-day conference will include keynote lectures\, panel discussions\, and novel research presentations and discussions.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/economics-of-financial-technology-conference-2/
LOCATION:Auditorium\, Business School\, The University of Edinburgh\, 29 Buccleuch Place\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9JS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Conference
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Calton-Hill-view-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240614T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240614T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240606T120709Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240606T123606Z
UID:10000147-1718359200-1718384400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:TikTok: Work\, Time\, and Play in a Platform Economy
DESCRIPTION:TikTok: Work\, Time\, and Play in a Platform Economy brings together papers that analyse emerging digital visual culture(s) and aesthetics through critical platform analyses. We are particularly interested in TikTok\, as it is a platform where many dynamic digital subcultures proliferate and circulate.  \n\n\n\nOver the last decade\, the internet has been subsumed by a complex of privately owned online services that call themselves ‘platforms’. This has radically altered the coordinates of the internet\, from a peer-to-peer communications infrastructure to an extractive arguably ‘neo-feudal’ system.  \n\n\n\nIn light of these recent shifts\, the conference will rethink a number of questions about digital culture that were initially explored in the early 2010s\, with the rise of Web 2.0. Papers will explore contemporary understandings of the construction of the self and collective identity\, digital labour and cultural production\, political discourse online\, digital affect\, and more.  \n\n\n\nKeynotes by Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou and Y7 (Hannah Cobb & Declan Colquitt). \n\n\n\nFull programme\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n09:00 Coffee and Tea \n\n\n\n09:30 Content Providers Introduction (morning session) \n\n\n\n09:40 “Working Around the Clock App. Algospeak As Content Creation    Strategy on TikTok” – Daniel Klug \n\n\n\n10:00 “Reimagining Work and Domesticity: The Stay-at-Home-Girlfriend Phenomenon on TikTok” – Marsha Batubara & Lucia Bainotti \n\n\n\n10:20 “‘Scraper’ and the Folkless Lore of Ritualised Prediction” – Most Dismal Swamp \n\n\n\n10:40 Break \n\n\n\n11:00 “FIRST PHONE (2024)” – Ruba Al-Sweel \n\n\n\n11:20 “Artistic Resistance in the Era of TikTok/Douyin” – Shiyu Gao \n\n\n\n11:40 Q & A work and time \n\n\n\n12:00 Lunch and Refreshments \n\n\n\n12:50 Content Providers Introduction (afternoon session) \n\n\n\n13:00 Keynote and Q & A- Y7 \n\n\n\n14:00 ““Stich Incoming”: TikTok Tarot Reading and the Return of the Scam” -Karen Gregory \n\n\n\n14:20 “Counterspeculative Constellations: A card reading format to unsettle the use of tarot and astrology in queer feminist artistic practice” – Frances Breden \n\n\n\n14:40 “‘This Message Is For You’: Decoding Angelic Interfaces and Images on TikTok” – Sara Nuta \n\n\n\n15:00 Q & A play \n\n\n\n15:10 Break \n\n\n\n15:30 Keynote and Q & A – Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou \n\n\n\n17:00 Drinks Reception \n\n\n\n\nPlease\, register for attendance via Eventbrite before 7th June. \n\n\n\nContent Providers is a research collaboration between researchers Ian Rothwell (University of Edinburgh)\, Idil Galip (University of Amsterdam)\, Ingrid Luquet-Gad (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne). \n\n\n\nThe conference is supported by The New Real and the Edinburgh College of Art\, with additional funding from the College of Humanities\, Arts and Social Science.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/tiktok-work-time-and-play-in-a-platform-economy/
LOCATION:Lister Learning and Teaching Centre\, 5 Roxburgh Place\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9SU
CATEGORIES:Conference
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Titktok-event-image-new-real.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240606T120142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240606T134442Z
UID:10000146-1718287200-1718305200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:The Creative AI Forum
DESCRIPTION:Join the Scottish AI Alliance & Creative Informatics for the Creative AI Forum\, Thursday 13 June in Glasgow. \n\n\n\nThis event will showcase the potential for AI in the creative industries\, while we come together to discuss how to ensure that our relationship with AI is rooted in trust\, ethics and inclusion. By getting involved you can help shape the future of both the creative industries\, and artificial intelligence\, in Scotland. \n\n\n\nIf you are interested in seeing how artists and creatives are working with AI\, join us to hear from the participants in Creative Informatics’ Creative AI Demonstrator Project. \n\n\n\nThe event will be hosted in The Boardwalk\, Impact Arts\, Glasgow: \n\n\n\n14:00-16:45 Welcome & networking \n\n\n\n\nJoin the conversation on AI\n\n\n\nRefreshments available.\n\n\n\n\n15:00-16:45 Presentations \n\n\n\n\nHear from Creative AI Demonstrator participants about their experiences of working with AI.\n\n\n\n\n16:45-19:00 Forum & Demonstrator Exploration Showcase \n\n\n\n\nJoin the conversation on AI in the foyer\, and discover how people have been using AI in their creative practice.\n\n\n\nRefreshments & light snacks available.\n\n\n\n\nGuests are encouraged to join from either 14:00\, or 16:45. For further information\, please get in touch via hello@ScottishAI.com \n\n\n\nThis event is free\, but ticketed. Please let us know if you are unable to join after securing a ticket\, to allow us to maximise the number of guests we can welcome.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/the-creative-ai-forum/
LOCATION:The Boardwalk\, 105 Brunswick Street\, Glasgow\, G1 1TF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Creative-AI-forum.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240610T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240614T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240408T140205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240408T140340Z
UID:10000133-1718010000-1718384400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:CDCS Summer School 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Centre for Data\, Culture & Society is delighted to announce applications for the 2024 Summer School are now underway. \n\n\n\nHeld in Edinburgh Futures Institute\, the Summer School will be an intensive\, 5-day\, in-person event\, with a practical focus. There will be a choice of two streams\, which will run throughout the week: A Gentle Introduction to Coding for Data Analysis\, and Text and Data Analysis in the Wild. Find out more about each stream and which best suits your needs below.  \n\n\n\nA Gentle Introduction to Coding for Data Analysis\n\n\n\nThis course is designed for researchers who are complete beginners with no prior knowledge of coding and data analysis. Through lectures and exercises\, attendees will learn how to code in Python\, starting from core concepts such as variables and loops\, through to coding live data visualisation.  \n\n\n\nThe course explores the basics of programming: variables\, functions\, loops\, operating on data structures\, data wrangling\, and visualisation. \n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, attendees will understand how to bridge the gap between humans and computers\, and how to apply the skills they have learnt to their own data analysis and research. This course is intended to be a foundation for those starting out with data-led Humanities and Social Sciences research. \n\n\n\nText and Data Analysis in the Wild\n\n\n\nThis course is designed to help researchers with coding experience understand how data and text analysis projects are performed in a research environment.  \n\n\n\nIt starts with identifying a series of research questions connected to this year’s core topic (Living in Scotland Past and Present).  \n\n\n\nThen it explores how computational methods can be used to obtain\, clean\, and analyse structured and unstructured datasets in R to answer those questions.  \n\n\n\nTopics will include data wrangling\, web scraping\, text analysis\, sentiment analysis\, statistics\, and data visualisation.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/cdcs-summer-school-2024/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Main-Image-CDCS-Summer-School-2024.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240607T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240607T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240522T140921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240604T123803Z
UID:10000142-1717752600-1717781400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:AI as the Broken Machine
DESCRIPTION:AI Ethics & Society is excited to announce the 2024 symposium ‘AI as the Broken Machine’\, sponsored by The Edinburgh Futures Institute\, the Algorithmic Societies research group at Durham University\, and the Centre for Technomoral Futures. \n\n\n\nThe symposium will explore brokenness\, care\, and repair in the age of AI\, offering perspectives on the inclusion of marginalised epistemologies and expertise\, modes of refusal and methods to critically interrogate emerging technologies such as generative AI. \n\n\n\nOur three panels address themes of margins\, data patchwork and justice; error\, uncertainty and categorisation; and care\, repair and craft. \n\n\n\nInvited Keynote Speaker: Prof. Louise Amoore (Durham University) \n\n\n\nInvited panellists include: Alex Taylor (University of Edinburgh)\, Shannon Vallor (University of Edinburgh)\, Anne Lee Steele (Alan Turing Institute)\, Alex Campolo (Durham University)\, Cindy Lin (Pennsylvania State University)\, Ben Jacobsen (Durham University)\,Natassa Philimonos (University of Edinburgh)\, Morgan Currie (University of Edinburgh)\, and Srravya Chandhiramowuli (University of Edinburgh). \n\n\n\nThe symposium is free to attend and will include a catered lunch\, tea\, coffee and pastries.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/ai-as-the-broken-machine/
LOCATION:Playfair Library Hall\, Old College\, South Bridge\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9YL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Symposium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-Broken-Machine.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240605T153000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240605T183000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240514T143327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105212Z
UID:10000140-1717601400-1717612200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Where are AI’s publics?
DESCRIPTION:Image credit: Anton Grabolle / Better Images of AI / AI Architecture / CC-BY 4.0 \n\n\n\nNoortje Marres\, Bettina Nissen and Alison Powell will invite discussion on the public’s role in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through prompts and engagements with a diverse audience\, they’ll discuss tilting the balance away from those actors and agencies who usually wield the power. Opening a space for alternatives\, they’ll explore possibilities for involving the public in the developments and uses of AI and how it is governed and regulated. \n\n\n\nAbout this event\n\n\n\nWhat role should the public have in shaping Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Should the public have a voice in how AI is being developed and used\, and how it’s governed and regulated? And how might a diverse cross section of the public be involved in the decisions made by big tech\, regulatory bodies\, and local and national government? \n\n\n\nAI is having an undeniable impact on daily life. From the apps and services we use on our digital devices to the infrastructures that surround us in our built environments\, AI is being deployed to categorise and classify complex information and in some cases make decisions on people’s behalf. Take\, for example\, the role of AI in healthcare and medical diagnosis\, the use of AI in self-driving cars and transport infrastructure\, or wider civic or urban planning policies being informed by AI. The range of innovations that fall under AI are cutting across all walks of life. \n\n\n\nGiven this widespread and pervasive presence of AI in the everyday\, what’s startling is the absence of a public voice in decision making\, and in particular decisions being made about AI safety\, governance and regulation. The social and ethical challenges arising from AI continue to attract attention\, but commentary and decisions are circling amongst sector leaders\, policy makers\, and politicians. The question increasingly being asked is “where are the public?” \n\n\n\nThis open event will invite discussion on the public’s role in AI. How should the public be involved in AI’s development and use\, and in what ways might the public be consulted and engaged in the decisions likely to have significant impacts on their lives. Our speakers\, Noortje Marres\, Bettina Nissen and Alison Powell will respond to prompts and engage with a diverse audience around questions of public involvement and participation in AI. The aim will be to shift the focal point of decision making away from the usual actors\, and make the space for alternative voices and ideas in AI. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n15:30 – 17:30 In conversation: Noortje Marres\, Bettina Nissen and Alison Powell17:30 – 18:30Reception\n\n\n\nLimited seats at Inspace are available\, please book tickets in advance. \n\n\n\nContributors\n\n\n\n\n\nNoortje Marres\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNoortje Marres is Professor in Science\, Technology and Society in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies at the University of Warwick (UK). She studied sociology and philosophy of science and technology at the University of Amsterdam\, and has conducted extensive research on participation and publics in technological societies. Noortje is currently developing new work in the area of AI and Society\, with a special focus on the curation of environments for AI innovation in society and the implications for public participation. She just completed a Leverhulme Fellowship on intelligent technology testing beyond the laboratory\, and is the project lead for the scoping project “AI in the street” as part of the AHRC-funded BRAID programme for Bridging Divides in Responsible AI. Noortje also is a Visiting Professor in the Media of Cooperation research centre at the University of Siegen (Germany) and an external faculty member of the Institute for Advanced Study\, University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). She has published three books Material Participation (2012)\, Digital Sociology (2017) and Inventing the Social (2018\, co-edited with Michael Guggenheim and Alex Wilkie). \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Bettina Nissen\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Bettina Nissen is a Lecturer in Interaction Design and researcher in Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. With a background in product and interaction design\, digital fabrication and data physicalisation\, her practice-based research focuses on engaging audiences with complex technological concepts and data through tangible means and makings. Bettina completed her AHRC-funded PhD in Human Computer Interaction at Newcastle University in 2018 and has recently worked on a series of RCUK-funded research projects spanning topics of trust and consent in pervasive environments (part of EPSRC-funded PACTMAN) and the future of value(s) (part of ESRC-funded collaboration After Money with the Royal Bank of Scotland and New Economics Foundation). Bettina is currently working with the People’s Bank of Govanhill and artist Ailie Rutherford in Glasgow to explore feminist economic approaches to cryptocurrencies through craft and knitting. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Alison Powell\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Alison Powell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE\, where she also serves as Programme Director for the MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society). She researches rights\, ethics and values in technology design – focusing on living well together in cities and imagining alternative media futures. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis event is organised by the AHRC BRAID Programme funded project\, AI in the Street: Scoping everyday observatories for public engagement with connected and automated urban environments. The event has been supported by the AHRC BRAID Programme in conjunction with the Edinburgh Futures Institute and Inspace\, part of the Institute for Design Informatics. \n\n\n\nAI in the Street is a collaborative project exploring the divergences between principles of responsible AI and the messy reality of AI as encountered in the street\, in the form of automated vehicles and surveillance infrastructure. The aim is to ground understandings of AI in lived experiences. The project’s collaborators are based at the University of Warwick\, University of Edinburgh\, King’s College London\, Cambridge University\, Monash University and Careful Industries.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/where-are-ais-publics/
LOCATION:Inspace\, 1 Crichton Street\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Where-are-AIs-publics.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240601T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240602T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240507T104755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240507T104833Z
UID:10000137-1717228800-1717347600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Edinburgh Futures Institute Guided Tours – Meadows Festival Weekend
DESCRIPTION:The University of Edinburgh has transformed the iconic\, category-A listed\, Old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh into a space for interdisciplinary collaboration\, education\, research and partnership – the new Edinburgh Futures Institute. As custodians of this much-loved\, Edinburgh city landmark\, we are opening the doors and welcoming visitors into the building for the first time. \n\n\n\nOver the Meadows Festival weekend of 1-2 June\, we are offering guided tours of the building\, giving you a chance to see the restored interiors and new spaces\, to learn about the history of the building\, and get a taste of the work being done in the Futures Institute. \n\n\n\nA key feature of the building project was to restore public access from Middle Meadow Walk – and our new café Canopy – Kitchen & Courtyard\, will be opening over the weekend. Canopy will be open from 9am-6pm for sit-in and takeaway refreshments on Saturday and Sunday\, 1-2 June. \n\n\n\nAccess to the café is through the former A&E entrance\, from the steps on Lauriston Place at the top of Middle Meadow Walk. \n\n\n\nWe are offering a series of guided tours of the Futures Institute from 10am (last entry at 4pm)\, please book one tour only. Tours will be limited to ticket holders only. \n\n\n\nTours will last around 50 minutes and cover a range of spaces and points of interest over the building. Spaces for tours are limited and you must book in advance and present your ticket on arrival. \n\n\n\nHow to book your ticket\n\n\n\nPlease first select the day you would like to attend (near the top of the page) and then choose your tour time in the ‘tickets’ section. \n\n\n\nAs this is a limited capacity event\, please select one tour only. We reserve the right to cancel any ticket holder who books multiple tours. \n\n\n\nAdditional Information\n\n\n\nTicket holders should assemble at the south entrance on Porters Walk a few minutes prior to the start time of your tour\, where a Futures Institute staff member will greet you. \n\n\n\nThe open day will be photographed/recorded\, and images may be used for future marketing\, promotional or archive purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed\, please let us know on the day.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/edinburgh-futures-institute-guided-tours-meadows-festival-weekend/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Guided-Tours-Meadows-Festival-Weekend.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240529T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240529T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240429T143734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105212Z
UID:10000135-1716998400-1717003800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Imagining AI: computing stories in a museum context
DESCRIPTION:Oxford’s Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe\, and the second largest in the UK\, holding over 13 million printed items alongside archives of figures such Byron\, Shelley and Tolkien. In recent years it has sought to work with mathematicians and scientists\, as well as its more traditional humanities partners\, to create compelling displays\, based on Oxford’s collections\, that educate and inspire.Historians of mathematics and science are key to this process\, providing accurate contemporary scholarship and linking specialist items to their broader context. At the same time\, designing such displays involves imagination and creativity in bringing items to new audiences through the power of the object alone\, often supported only by a brief 20 word caption. We contrast two recent such displays\, looking at the principles of selection\, the lessons learned\, and the techniques used to evaluate them.In 2015 a small display celebrated the bicentenary of Ada Lovelace\, bringing to the fore her mathematical ability through a focus on archival materials that had not previously been studied by historians of mathematics. The display then transferred to the worlds largest Computer  Museum\, in Mountain View California. Oxford’s Lovelace work was submitted as an “Impact Case Study” for the UK’s 2022 Research Evaluation Framework.In 2022 a display entitled “Imagining AI” used a variety of materials in the collections to illustrate early work on data (numerical\, logical and text)\, algorithms and computation that underpins modern AI. By focussing on simple examples\, with calculations small enough to be done by hand\, we drew attention to issues and challenges for AI that pre-date modern computation and shed new light on questions such as AI ethics.  Exhibits included Florence Nightingale’s rose diagram\, as an early example of data visualisation; Jevon’s reasoning piano\, that reduced reasoning a concrete process involving wood and wire; and Christopher Strachey’s early computer poetry. We conclude with a broader look at the context of mathematics in museums\, and the opportunities such work offers for collaborative research and broader impact. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography\n\n\n\n\n\nUrsula Martin\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUrsula Martin CBE FREng FRSE  is a computer scientist and mathematician\, whose work recently broadened from the highly technical to collaborate with humanities and social science scholars on the culture and context of mathematics. Now retired\, she formerly held professorial roles at Edinburgh and Oxford\, funded 2014-2023 by an EPSRC Fellowship.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/project-deep-dive-ursula-martin/
LOCATION:Research Suite – 6th Floor\, University of Edinburgh Main Library\, 30 George Square\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LJ
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240514T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240514T163000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240513T145125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240513T145306Z
UID:10000139-1715698800-1715704200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Liquidity and execution: The resiliency effect on institutional trading costs
DESCRIPTION:Resiliency is an important dimension of market liquidity. In this paper we aim to bridge the gap between resiliency and institutional trading costs. By analysing a proprietary parent order dataset which is synchronised with depth and execution data\, we find that institutional trading costs increase with non-resiliency\, even after controlling for key prominent contributing factors of impact costs such as order size\, participation rate and quoted spread. The resiliency effect is robust to trade direction\, subperiods\, and various order aggregation methods. In addition\, we examine how the trading schedule of parent orders affects impact costs under different resiliency profiles. Overall\, we establish that resiliency is a considerable determinant contributing to institutional trading costs. \n\n\n\nAbout Dr Petko Kalev \n\n\n\nDr Petko Kalev is an Honorary Professor at La Trobe University Business School\, La Trobe University\, Melbourne. Since finishing his PhD in Financial Econometrics at Monash University in 2002\, Dr Kalev has been actively involved in high-quality research\, PhD supervision\, mentoring\, partnership with the industry and leadership. Petko’s main research interests are in: (i) Corporate Finance (ii) Market Microstructure (iii) Behavioural Issues and; (iv) Carbon Finance. Professor Kalev secured over $4.35 million CAT3/4 funding from the RoZetta Institute (formerly Capital Markets CRC for funding/placement of industry PhD students). His publications have appeared in top-tier journals such as Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis\, Energy Economics\, Journal of Banking & Finance\, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control\, and Scientific Reposts among others. \n\n\n\nPlease note: this event is for University of Edinburgh staff and students only and is not open to the public. Guests will be required to sign in and show staff ID.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/liquidity-and-execution-the-resiliency-effect-on-institutional-trading-costs/
LOCATION:Room 1.60\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240514T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240514T150000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240502T090809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240502T091002Z
UID:10000136-1715688000-1715698800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Robotics in Hospitality & Tourism: Practical Solutions for Your Business
DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to announce a collaborative event hosted by The National Robotarium in partnership with Traveltech at The Edinburgh Futures Institute and Edinburgh Napier University’s tourism academics. \n\n\n\nThrough engaging presentations and a practical workshop\, participants will gain valuable insights into the potential practical applications of robotics\, fostering innovation and strategic thinking. \n\n\n\nThis event is specifically designed for professionals within the hospitality and tourism sector who are eager to explore what value robotics can bring to their businesses. Embark on a journey into the future of hospitality and tourism and better understand the role robotics can play in addressing pressing challenges faced by the industry\, such as staffing shortages. \n\n\n\nThis event is part of the popular Tech Tuesdays series dedicated to making sense of technology within the tourism\, travel\, and hospitality industries.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/robotics-in-hospitality-tourism-practical-solutions-for-your-business/
LOCATION:The National Robotarium\, Third Gait\, Edinburgh\, EH14 4AS
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240510T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240510T200000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240422T092707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240725T095236Z
UID:10000134-1715360400-1715371200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Creative Feedback: The Feats and Failures of Technology
DESCRIPTION:To what extent can human creators exercise control on the technological tools they are using? And how does the control that technology exerts on them influence the creative process? \n\n\n\nThis event will feature two audiovisual performances – Figure Infinity by Louis McHugh and Jung In Jung and Traumgraz by Jung In Jung and Lynda Clark – which reflect on issues around the platformisation of labour\, communication dynamics between humans and Artificial Intelligence\, disinformation\, and creative agency. The performances will be followed by a panel discussion where artists\, technologists\, and researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Abertay University will engage in conversations on the interplay between technology\, creativity\, and human agency. The aim of the event is to foreground the opportunities and limitations of the feedback between humans and machines and to suggest creative directions to promote human expression in the digital age. \n\n\n\nThe event will also mark the launch of the new research cluster “Creativity\, AI\, and the Human”\, led by Caterina Moruzzi. \n\n\n\nThe panel will be followed by a reception in the Inspace Gallery. \n\n\n\nImage credit: Still from Figure Infinity performance\, xCoAx 2023\, photo by Caterina Moruzzi \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRunning order:\n\n\n\n17:00Doors open17:30Traumgraz17:50Welcome + break18:10 Figure Infinity18:30Panel19:00Reception20:00End\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPerformers and Speakers:\n\n\n\n\n\nLouis McHugh\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLouis McHugh\, is a sound and new media artist and engineer currently based in Glasgow. Often generating bespoke software and hardware for his projects\, he works with sound\, video and lighting to create site-specific installations\, fixed-media work\, theatrical design and live improvisational performances. He is currently exploring ideas to do with emergent systems\, taking inspiration from biological structures\, social media interactions and artificial intelligence. He currently works as Audio Studio Manager at the Edinburgh College of Art and is a resident DJ with Radio Buena Vida\, Glasgow where he host’s a monthly experimental music show; The Rhizome. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJung In Jung\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJung In Jung\, is a Lecturer in Creative Computing at the School of Design and Informatics\, Abertay University. She is a sound artist and researcher. She has produced interactive sound and dance collaborations with contemporary dancers and presented them at various international festivals and conferences. She explores various ways to create interactive forms of performance using game technologies and AI/ML tools. In the last recent years\, she has investigated anonymous play in a VR platform using hand gestures and sound as a method to deviate from biases for her post-doc research at InGAME. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlex McCabe\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlex McCabe\, is a Glasgow-based performer\, performance maker and facilitator in dance and music. With this dual specialisation he has worked extensively and internationally in choreography for opera (Wexford Festival Opera; Teatro Reggio; Scottish Opera) and experimental interdisciplinary projects (British ParaOrchestra\, Marc Brew; Fattoria Vittadini). Alex works with various organisations in Scotland towards broadening access to experiences and careers in dance and music\, most significantly through his project SIIATE\, supported by the Scotland-Europe Fund. Trained in dance and choreographic practice through Dance Base Edinburgh’s DEBS\, Alex also holds an MA\, PhD and Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Glasgow. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLynda Clark\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLynda Clark\, is Lecturer in Creative Writing (Interdisciplinary Futures) and Programme Director of the Narrative Futures MSc at the University of Edinburgh. She is a novelist\, short story writer and creator of interactive narratives. Lynda is primarily interested in how new technologies shape us and the world around us. This manifests in her prose\, interactive stories and video game work. She also has a keen interest in depicting unusual and disordered voices in creative forms. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJadgeep Ahluwalia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJadgeep Ahluwalia\, is a Research Fellow at Abertay University\, specialising in the fields of image super-resolution\, image generation\, and the optimization of deep learning algorithms. His research draws inspiration from the human visual system\, guiding the adaptation of artificial intelligence models to create super-resolution images with remarkable perceptual accuracy. He also has experience in the research & development of machine learning algorithms for research startups and charity organisations particularly in the fields of material sciences\, health and social care and bioinformatics. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMartin Zeilinger\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMartin Zeilinger is Senior Lecturer in Computational Arts and Technology at Abertay University. His work as a researcher and curator focuses on artistic and activist experimentation with emerging technologies\, and on exploring the cultural and societal impacts of such technologies. He has published widely on AI in digital culture\, and is the author of the monograph Tactical Entanglements: AI Art\, Creative Agency\, and the Limits of Intellectual Property (2021). \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPanel chair: Caterina Moruzzi\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPanel chair: Caterina Moruzzi\, is a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Institute for Design Informatics\, School of Design at the University of Edinburgh. Her research lies at the intersection between the philosophy of art\, history and philosophy of human and artificial creativity\, and the philosophy of AI. In her ongoing projects\, she collaborates with researchers\, artists\, and technology companies to investigate modes of shared agency and creativity between humans\, data\, and technology. She is lead of the new research cluster “Creativity\, AI\, and the Human” at the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, University of Edinburgh. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPerformances:\n\n\n\nTraumgraz (audiovisual performance with interactive story)\, by Jung In Jung and Lynda Clark\n\n\n\nThe work is inspired by the anthropomorphism term ‘hallucination’ used for artificial intelligence’s confident response but unjustified false information. An interactive story is written between a large language model and Lynda Clark based on pictures sent from Graz by Jung In Jung during her Styrian Artist in Residency (St.A.i.R) and is set in a building with escalating levels of weirdness. Jung performs live with the randomly generated story by choosing paths along with sound materials she generated by experimenting with various AI models. \n\n\n\nFigure Infinity (audio-visual performance)\, by Louis McHugh and Jung In Jung\n\n\n\nFigure Infinity is an audio-visual performance project that connects human performers in a self-reflexive network of control and communication with Artificial Intelligence. It responds to recent narratives surrounding “AI”\, which largely obscure the collective human endeavour that produced the data these systems are built on\, by inviting audiences to partake in the development of a real-time performance data set. Encountered uncannily through absurdity and play\, audiences can experience some of the creative possibilities and limitations of AI systems. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlease note limited seats are available at Inspace\, so please book tickets in advance. \n\n\n\nThis event is supported by Creative Informatics and the Edinburgh Futures Institute. \n\n\n\n*Important Notice* This event will be photographed and recorded and the data published online and used for research\, promotional and reporting purposes by the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, University of Edinburgh. For further information please contact the organisers. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/creative-feedback-the-feats-and-failures-of-technology/
LOCATION:Inspace\, 1 Crichton Street\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Performance,Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240501T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221128
CREATED:20240402T092807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105212Z
UID:10000131-1714579200-1714584600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Project Deep Dive: David Williamson Shaffer
DESCRIPTION:ChatGPT and the other new advances in artificial intelligence have the potential to change work\, education\, and even what it means to “think” in the first place. In this talk\, Professor David Williamson Shaffer looks at what AI is (and isn’t)\, its impact on what and how we learn\, and how AI can change what it means to do research. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography\n\n\n\n\n\nDavid Williamson Shaffer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDavid Williamson Shaffer is the Sears Bascom Professor of Learning Analytics in the Department of Educational Psychology\, a Data Philosopher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research\, and Director of the Center for Research on Complex Thinking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professor Shaffer’s PhD is from the Media Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, and he has been a teacher\, teacher-trainer\, curriculum developer\, and game designer. Professor Shaffer’s current work focuses on unifying statistical\, qualitative\, and critical methods to construct fair models of complex and collaborative human activity. His most recent book\, Quantitative Ethnography\, launched a field that includes scholars from anthropology\, cognitive science\, computer science\, education\, engineering\, environmental science\, game design\, geography\, history\, human–computer interaction\, learning analytics\, learning sciences\, linguistics\, medicine\, psychology\, robotics\, sociology\, and statistics.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/project-deep-dive-david-williamson-shaffer/
LOCATION:Digital Scholarship Centre\, Main Library\, University of Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LJ
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240424T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240424T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240403T102746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240423T103820Z
UID:10000132-1713970800-1713978000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Book Launch – Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy
DESCRIPTION:In the seminar\, Ben will introduce the new book\, Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy (MIT Press\, 2024). \n\n\n\nA biography of Tor—a cultural and technological history of power\, privacy\, and global politics at the internet’s core. \n\n\n\nTor\, one of the most important and misunderstood technologies of the digital age\, is best known as the infrastructure underpinning the so-called Dark Web. But the real “dark web\,” when it comes to Tor\, is the hidden history brought to light in this book: where this complex and contested infrastructure came from\, why it exists\, and how it connects with global power in intricate and intimate ways. In Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy\, Ben Collier has written\, in essence\, a biography of Tor—a cultural and technological history of power\, privacy\, politics\, and empire in the deepest reaches of the internet. \n\n\n\nThe story of Tor begins in the 1990s with its creation by the US Navy’s Naval Research Lab\, from a convergence of different cultural worlds. Drawing on in-depth interviews with designers\, developers\, activists\, and users\, along with twenty years of mailing lists\, design documents\, reporting\, and legal papers\, Collier traces Tor’s evolution from those early days to its current operation on the frontlines of global digital power—including the strange collaboration between US military scientists and a group of freewheeling hackers called the Cypherpunks. As Collier charts the rise and fall of three different cultures in Tor’s diverse community—the engineers\, the maintainers\, and the activists\, each with a distinct understanding of and vision for Tor—he reckons with Tor’s complicated\, changing relationship with contemporary US empire. Ultimately\, the book reveals how different groups of users have repurposed Tor and built new technologies and worlds of their own around it\, with profound implications for the future of the Internet.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/book-launch-tor-from-the-dark-web-to-the-future-of-privacy/
LOCATION:High School Yards Teaching Centre\, Classroom 2\, 57 High School Yards\, Edinburgh\, EH1 1LZ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240410T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240410T180000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240328T115607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105213Z
UID:10000130-1712764800-1712772000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Book Launch: Environmental Ethics & Medical Reproduction by Cristina Richie
DESCRIPTION:We invite you to join us in celebrating the publication of Environmental Ethics and Medical Reproduction (Oxford University Press\, 2024)\, a new book by Dr Cristina Richie (Centre for Technomoral Futures at the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute). In this book\, Dr Richie evaluates ‘medicalized reproduction’ (MR) from an environmental perspective. From pre-conception gamete retrieval to in-vitro fertilization (IVF)\, to birthing suites\, MR has an enormous carbon footprint. But\, unlike other areas of high-carbon health care\, such as organ transplantation or chemotherapy\, medicalized reproduction does not treat\, cure\, or prevent disease. It is supported by an economized medical industry\, and as such\, is open for ethical scrutiny. The event will be followed by a drinks reception. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Cristina Richie\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Cristina Richie is Lecturer of Ethics of Technology at the University of Edinburgh. She has previously held positions as Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics at Delft University of Technology (2020-23)\, Assistant Professor in Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Brody School of Medicine\, East Carolina University (2017-20)\, and Visiting Assistant Professor in Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School (2019).
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/book-launch-environmental-ethics-medical-reproduction-by-cristina-richie/
LOCATION:Project Room (1.06)\, 50 George Square\, 50 George Square\, Newington\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9JU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T192000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240226T165001Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240328T092413Z
UID:10000125-1711562400-1711567200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Technomoral Conversations: Who is Responsible for Responsible AI?
DESCRIPTION:Taking inspiration from the Edinburgh Declaration on Responsibility for Responsible AI\, this conversation will look at what matters most when we talk about ‘Responsible AI’ and responsibility for autonomous systems. Together\, we will discuss what it will take to make the framing of Responsible AI meaningful and conducive to real change in the AI ecosystem. \n\n\n\nDuring the event\, there will be an opportunity to get involved in the conversation (both in person and online). Featuring Rachel Coldicutt (Careful Industries)\, Dr Rhianne Jones (BBC R&D\, BRAID Programme)\, Dr Jack Stilgoe (UCL) and Steph Wright (Scottish AI Alliance)\, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss! \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\nProfessor Shannon Vallor (chair): Professor Shannon Vallor holds the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence in the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Philosophy. She is Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures in the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, and co-Director of the UKRI BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) programme. Professor Vallor’s research explores the ethical challenges and opportunities posed by new uses of data and AI\, and how these technologies reshape human moral and intellectual character. She is a former AI Ethicist at Google\, and advises numerous academic\, government and industry bodies on the ethical design and use of AI. She is the author of Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting (Oxford University Press\, 2016)\, and The AI Mirror (Oxford University Press\, 2024). \n\n\n\nRachel Coldicutt: Rachel Coldicutt is a researcher and strategist specialising in the social impact of new and emerging technologies. She is founder and executive director of research consultancy Careful Industries and its sister social enterprise Promising Trouble. She was previously founding CEO of responsible technology think tank Doteveryone where she led influential and ground-breaking research into how technology is changing society and developed practical tools for responsible innovation. Prior to that\, she spent almost 20 years working at the cutting edge of new technology for companies including the BBC\, Microsoft\, BT\, and Channel 4\, and was a pioneer in the digital art world. Rachel is an advisor\, board member and trustee for a number of companies and charities and\, from 2020-2023\, served as a non-executive director at Ofcom. In 2019\, Rachel was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours for services for the digital society. \n\n\n\nSteph Wright: Steph Wright has a diverse background ranging from astrophysics to genomics in academia and film & TV to dance in the arts and the third sector. A project and programme management professional\, she loves to develop and build collaborations across organisations to help people with their data/AI journey. Steph led on The Data Lab’s efforts in support of the Scottish Government in developing Scotland’s AI Strategy and she’s now leading on the delivery of the strategy’s vision for Scotland to be a leader in the development and use of trustworthy\, ethical and inclusive AI as Head of Scottish AI Alliance. She is also Co-Founder of Diverse AI and was recognised as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2023 and one of the Top 10 Women in Tech in Scotland in 2023. \n\n\n\nDr Jack Stilgoe: Dr Jack Stilgoe is a professor in science and technology studies at University College London\, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies. He is part of the UKRI Responsible AI leadership team. He was principal investigator of the ESRC Driverless Futures project (2019-2022). He worked with EPSRC and ESRC to develop a framework for responsible innovation that is now being used by the Research Councils. Among other publications\, he is the author of ‘Who’s Driving Innovation?’ (2020\, Palgrave) and ‘Experiment Earth: Responsible innovation in geoengineering’ (2015\, Routledge). He previously worked in science and technology policy at the Royal Society and the think tank Demos. He is a fellow of the Turing Institute and a trustee of the Royal Institution. \n\n\n\nDr Rhianne Jones: Dr Rhianne Jones’ work focuses on ensuring emerging technology and uses of data support public service media values and a healthy media and information ecosystem. As a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow\, Rhianne is establishing and leading a new research centre focused on building desirable and resilient public media futures. Prior to this Rhianne led the Responsible Innovation programme in BBC R&D where she collaborated with academic and industry partners to deliver well-timed research to inform technology\, policy\, and strategy. Rhianne holds a PhD in digital media and society\, an MA in social research and professional qualifications in data\, law\, policy\, and regulation\, AI ethics and society\, and public policy analysis. Rhianne currently leads the BBC’s engagement with the AHRC BRAID programme\, the ESRC Digital Good Network and the EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens\, with which her new centre will connect. She also holds strategic advisory roles for the UK TAS Hub and Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute. 
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/technomoral-conversations-who-is-responsible-for-responsible-ai/
LOCATION:Playfair Library Hall\, Old College\, South Bridge\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9YL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240327T153000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240304T165248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105225Z
UID:10000128-1711548000-1711553400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Project Deep Dive: Sal Hagen 
DESCRIPTION:‘Who is /ourguy/?’: Tracing memes to study online subcultures \n\n\n\nIn fast-paced attention economies\, Internet memes and catchphrases that manage to ‘stick’ have arguably come to form anchor points in rapidly changing discourse: from discussions on ‘wokeness\,’ clashes between ‘boomers’ and ‘zoomers\,’ to catchphrase-laden conspiracy theories. This talk discusses how we may repurpose these objects as nodal points for research into online subcultures. In specific\, I discuss several case studies of where I follow how memetic phrases proliferate on and around the far-right 4chan/pol/ forum\, an infamous space that has been at the root of many political memes. I outline how these methods may reconfigure our ideas memes as objects of study\, as well as challenge some assumptions and procedures embedded in digital methods research. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography\n\n\n\n\n\nSal Hagen\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSal Hagen is a researcher affiliated with the Digital Methods Initiative and OILab of the University of Amsterdam. His PhD research concerned the collectivity of radical imageboard groups\, which he examined through quali-quantitative\, data-driven methods. As part of this\, he works on research tools to study online platforms and digital culture\, notably through 4CAT (4cat.nl).
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/project-deep-dive-sal-hagen/
LOCATION:Online\, Edinburgh
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240326T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240326T193000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240308T110920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240308T154928Z
UID:10000129-1711472400-1711481400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Tech Tuesdays: The Future of Technology in Hospitality\, Finance & Payments
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an exclusive evening event hosted by Traveltech for Scotland\, Stripe\, and Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) at Dovecot Studios. This event marks the launch of Tech Tuesdays\, a new series dedicated to making sense of technology within the tourism\, travel\, and hospitality industries. \n\n\n\nWho Should attend?\n\n\n\nThis event is designed for owners\, managers\, and decision-makers within the hospitality sector\, including hotels\, B&Bs\, restaurants\, and bars\, as well as fintech professionals looking to innovate in the tourism space. Whether you’re seeking to enhance your customer experience\, streamline operations\, or explore new payment solutions\, you’ll find valuable insights and connections here. \n\n\n\nWhy attend?\n\n\n\n\nDiscover: Learn about the latest advancements in hospitality tech and fintech\, and understand how these innovations can transform your business.\n\n\n\nNetwork: With 50 places available\, seize the opportunity to connect with industry leaders\, tech innovators\, and fellow business owners.\n\n\n\nEngage: Participate in a lively panel session hosted by James Lemon\, Global Lead for Travel\, Transport\, and Leisure\, followed by a rapid showcase featuring 4-5 pioneering tech companies.\n\n\n\n\nAbout Tech Tuesdays\n\n\n\nTech Tuesdays\, in partnership with ETAG\, is a monthly event series focusing on a thematic area of technology relevant to tourism\, travel\, and hospitality businesses. Tech Tuesdays offer a direct path for tourism and hospitality businesses to discover and adopt the latest tech solutions\, ensuring they stay ahead of industry trends and future-proof their operations. Attendees gain exclusive access to transformative technologies that drive efficiency\, enhance customer satisfaction\, and secure a competitive edge.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/tech-tuesdays-the-future-of-technology-in-hospitality-finance-payments/
LOCATION:Dovecot Studios\, 10 Infirmary Street\, Edinburgh\, EH1 1LT
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240322T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240322T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240226T161744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240318T152521Z
UID:10000124-1711119600-1711126800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Datafied Publics: Inaugural Event for EFI Critical Data Studies Cluster
DESCRIPTION:At this event speakers will explore how civil society politically mobilises when citizens are subject to data systems that algorithmically govern them but remain opaque. From ad-driven platforms to digital labour and border control\, collectives have formed to understand the ways people are sorted\, shaped and targeted and to demand greater control over these processes. The panel will present cases across a range of domains showing how datafied publics take shape\, the forms of participation they engage in and new modes of political accountability as a result. \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\nBen Collier – University of Edinburgh\, School of Social and Political Sciences\n\n\n\nJamie Duncan – University of Toronto Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies\n\n\n\nKaren Gregory – University of Edinburgh\, School of Social and Political Sciences\n\n\n\nGavin Sullivan – University of Edinburgh\, Law School\n\n\n\nAlex Taylor – University of Edinburgh\, Design Informatics\n\n\n\n\nThe event will be followed by a catered drinks reception.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/datafied-publics-inaugural-event-for-efi-critical-data-studies-cluster/
LOCATION:Inspace\, 1 Crichton Street\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240318T123000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240318T140000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240228T111555Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240228T112033Z
UID:10000126-1710765000-1710770400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Using poetry to communicate about research
DESCRIPTION:In this hands-on workshop organised by The Binks Hub\, you will learn how to use poetry as an effective tool to communicate your research to a variety of different audiences. You will also explore how poetry is an effective public engagement method\, from dissemination to dialogue and participation. \n\n\n\nDr Sam Illingworth is an Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University and a world-leading expert in the intersections of poetry\, research\, and pedagogy. He is also the founder of Consilience\, the world’s first science and poetry journal. Find out more about Sam and his work at www.samillingworth.com.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/using-poetry-to-communicate-about-research/
LOCATION:Medical School (Old Medical School)\, The University of Edinburgh (MST_Teaching Room 12 (01M.469) – Doorway 3)\, Teviot Place\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AG
CATEGORIES:Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240313T174500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240313T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240221T151928Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T114223Z
UID:10000123-1710351900-1710356400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Compassion & Transforming the Economy: Merging the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’
DESCRIPTION:Is compassion relevant to the economy? Or even visa-versa?Compassion and the economy have more to say to each other than might be obvious at first glance.A compassionate approach that incorporates an economic lens asks questions about how the economy operates: the distribution of resources\, the nature of jobs\, what sort of work is paid for\, costs of goods and services\, and provision of amenities.Thinking about the economy using a compassionate lens shifts the emphasis from individuals becoming more resilient\, able to withstand burdens and shocks and the punches thrown at them to ask why these burdens are there in the first place\, what holds these burdens in place\, and how can they be removed? Economy with a compassionate lens means no less than economic system change.Join us for a ‘conversation’ style event exploring these possibilities and how compassion requires not only transformation of the economy\, but why compassion needs to be at the centre of how the change happens.Hosted by Professor Liz Grant and Dr Katherine Trebeck (Global Compassion Initiative\, EFI)\, the evening will feature a talk by Sandrine Dixson-Declève (Co-President of the Club of Rome) and will be followed by a dialogue with Mel Young (founder of the Homeless World Cup) and Arnaud Blandin (entrepreneur-in-residence at INSEAD). \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\nSandrine Dixson-Declève is the co-president of The Club of Rome and the Executive Chair of Earth4All. She is an Ambassador\, for the Energy Transition Commission (ETC) and the Wellbeing Alliance (WeAll) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Science & Art. Sandrine has sat on the European Commission’s Mission on Climate Change & Adaptation. She has also been recognised by Reuters as one of 25 global female trailblazers and by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business.Arnaud Blandin is the visionary founder of the Beyond Ecosystem\, an innovative platform dedicated to assisting organisations of varying scales in implementing and quantifying their positive impacts. With over two decades of experience in the high-tech industry\, he expertly harnesses data and metrics to navigate the complexities of our world\, guiding entities towards sustainable practices. Arnaud is a distinguished speaker and educator\, sharing his insights and expertise at leading global institutions.Mel Young MBE is the President and co-founder of the Homeless World Cup\, an organisation established to use sport as a mechanism to create change. He co-founded The Big Issue in Scotland in 1993\, the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) in 1995 and Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland (Senscot) in 1999. He is Chair of Sport Scotland and is the Scotland Member of UK Sport.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/compassion-transforming-the-economy-merging-the-why-and-the-how/
LOCATION:Online\, Edinburgh
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240313T133000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240313T150000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240304T164408Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105225Z
UID:10000127-1710336600-1710342000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Project Deep Dive: Sruthi Herbert
DESCRIPTION:Digitization for Social Welfare: Examining the Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Funds in India \n\n\n\nPost-colonial nations such as India exhibit a variant of techno-nationalism\, wherein technological prowess serves as a surrogate for self-sufficiency\, fostering a sense of pride in the adoption of digital solutions for governance. Within this context\, I delve into a case study where the techno-nationalist approach converges with the welfare entitlements of migrant construction workers situated on the peripheries of capitalist development. \n\n\n\nThe welfare of construction workers in India is addressed through the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) welfare boards\, established specifically to mitigate the vulnerabilities faced by this demographic. These boards\, operating at the regional or state level\, boast unique administrative structures that have grappled with varying degrees of dysfunctionality over the years. However\, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic\, there has been a notable acceleration in the digitization efforts of these boards\, aimed at enhancing welfare delivery. \n\n\n\nThrough examination of digital data sets and interviews with officials affiliated with these welfare boards\, I explore the evolving landscape of digital welfare delivery in India. This inquiry provides valuable insights into both the opportunities and challenges arising from the convergence of the administrative state with digital technologies. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biography\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Sruthi Herbert\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Sruthi Herbert is a Digital Research Postdoctoral Fellow. She is also affiliated with the project ‘Reversing the Gaze’ at the Edinburgh Law School where she worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. During this time\, she studied the mutual interaction and constitution of the fiscal and the administrative state in India. She has a PhD in Development Studies from SOAS University of London that focused on people’s interface with India’s developmental and administrative state and their differential experience of citizenship based on their social identities.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/project-deep-dive-sruthi-herbert/
LOCATION:Digital Scholarship Centre\, Main Library\, University of Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LJ
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240301T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240301T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240209T161735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240209T161737Z
UID:10000122-1709305200-1709314200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Governance for a secure digital world
DESCRIPTION:Ensuring the safety of our information infrastructures is a huge challenge that involves human\, legal\,  and technical cooperation at a global scale. The rise of new technology\, especially AI\, poses great challenges for the development of effective law and regulation. In this session we have a perspective from law and social science from the University of Edinburgh’s leading scholar of law and cybersecurity\, Gavin Sullivan\, and a visiting researcher from Toronto\, Jamie Duncan. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\nDr Gavin Sullivan\n\n\n\nGavin Sullivan joined the University of Edinburgh in 2021. His research focuses on the politics of global security law\, technology and rights using socio-legal and ethnographic methods. Gavin’s research interests include international organisations and collective security; algorithmic governance\, accountability and international human rights; transnational and informal law\, global pluralism and constitutionalism; counterterrorism and preemptive security. In 2020 Gavin was awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship for his socio-legal research project\, Infra-Legalities: Global Security Infrastructures\, Artificial Intelligence and International Law (2021 – 2028).  He leads an interdisciplinary team of scholars in international law\, anthropology\, socio-legal studies\, computer science and security studies to examine how AI-led security\, and the data infrastructures that sustain it\, are reshaping global security law\, rights and accountability and security decision-making. Gavin has worked widely as an expert consultant on counterterrorism issues\, including for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He is a member of the ‘Transparency’ and ‘Legal Frameworks’ working groups of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism\, co-covenor of the ESIL International Law and Technology Interest Group and on the Editorial Committee of the journal\, Transnational Legal Theory. Gavin’s book – The Law of the List: UN Counterterrorism Sanctions and the Politics of Global Security Law(Cambridge University Press\, 2020) – was awarded the 2021 International Studies Association STAIR Book Award for research bringing STS into dialogue with global politics. \n\n\n\nWebsite: https://www.law.ed.ac.uk/people/dr-gavin-sullivan \n\n\n\nJamie Duncan\n\n\n\nJamie Duncan is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. He is a fellow of Massey College and the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Jamie is an interdisciplinary social scientist studying information policy\, technology governance\, and security. His work has appeared in academic journals like The British Journal of Criminology and Internet Policy Review as well as popular outlets like The Globe and Mail. Jamie’s doctoral research investigates the role of technology adoption in deepening international cooperation on border security among the Five Eyes partners (Australia\, Canada\, New Zealand\, the United Kingdom\, and United States). This work is supported by a Canada Graduate Scholarship in Honour of Nelson Mandela. \n\n\n\nWebsite: https://www.jamieduncan.ca/
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/governance-for-a-secure-digital-world/
LOCATION:Newhaven Lecture Theatre\, 13-15 College Street\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AA
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240220T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240220T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240131T141259Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105226Z
UID:10000120-1708423200-1708448400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:A New Sound
DESCRIPTION:We are living at a time of extraordinary crisis. What can we do collectively to pick a path through the current uncertainty? Join us for a day of creative discussion with other makers of multi-disciplinary and music driven performance to identify how we overcome barriers and envision a future together. \n\n\n\nA New Sound is for artists in the field of opera\, music theatre\, music driven performance. The day will be led by Mahogany Opera\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, and Snap – Elastic. Please note that some of the sessions will be quite physical\, so please wear clothes you are comfortable to move around in. \n\n\n\nFollowing the day at the Edinburgh Futures Institute we would love for you to join us for a drink. Location: TBC. \n\n\n\nThe Day\n\n\n\nFinding Common Ground\n\n\n\nIntroductory and closing sessions led by Frederic Wake-Walker\, Mahogany Opera \n\n\n\nWhat burning questions\, ideas and concerns would you like to explore today? Through movement\, singing and writing exercises inspired by Mahogany’s recent Great Learning project\, we will come together as a group\, gather expectations and themes\, collectively define the communal threads of the day and formulate some key actions and principles to take away with us. \n\n\n\nBeing a freelance artist making music and theatre can often feel like a lonely or isolated place to be. Let’s find some solace in sharing and strength in community. \n\n\n\nHow to Get Things Going with the Skills You Already Have\n\n\n\nA Self – Producing Workshop with Snap – Elastic \n\n\n\nEszter Marsalko and Claire Willoughby of Snap-Elastic will lead a workshop aimed at artists interested in self producing\, to unpack how best to get started and realise your work. How can we support each other and pool our resources at a time when they are most scarce? In this workshop\, we will connect with our inner Artist\, and explore the ways in which those creative intuitions can best serve us\, and our community as a whole. \n\n\n\nUtopia Lab\n\n\n\nSession led by Jennifer Williams\, Edinburgh Futures Institute \n\n\n\nUtopia Labs are ‘no-spaces’\, places where everyone is welcome to join us in dreaming futures that inspire our experience of the present. In this session\, we will be dreaming about the future of opera and art-making: what is your utopian vision? What do you want for your own work in the future\, and how do you envisage the community and artform in 10 years\, 50 years\, 100 years? What can we learn about these desires and imagined futures that can influence how we act and create today? What does it mean to make work that can change the way we think and behave\, that can encourage us to think about the world in new ways\, that can inspire and support positive change… and also be a wonder to behold? \n\n\n\nUtopia is movement\, meditation\, poetry and imagination – you can participate in ways that feel good for you! For more information about Utopia Labs\, please see our website: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/utopialab/ \n\n\n\nA more detailed schedule will be distributed to attendees a few days before the event. \n\n\n\nAbout the session leaders\n\n\n\nMahogany Opera\n\n\n\nMahogany Opera is a leading commissioner and producer of new opera and music theatre. We work across the UK and internationally. Our vision of opera as an inclusive\, collaborative\, and dynamic artform informs our aim to stretch the boundaries of what opera can be and who it is for. \n\n\n\nWe are committed to developing diverse artists and audiences through three programmes:Snappy Operas – award-winning participatory young people’s programmeVarious Stages – R&D programme supporting artists and new ideasCommissioning innovative work for the stage through partnerships \n\n\n\nEdinburgh Futures Institute\n\n\n\nEFI is a cross-University institute\, with active working relationships with Schools across the University. At the Edinburgh Futures Institute we challenge\, create\, and make change happen. We are focused on tackling today’s increasingly complex issues by bringing people and disciplines together to spark the unexpected and make better futures possible. \n\n\n\nSnap-Elsatic\n\n\n\nSnap – Elastic is an artist-led performance collective making multidisciplinary work for diverse audiences. The three core members are experienced artists and creative leaders\, with backgrounds in theatre\, clown\, opera and movement\, and they work hard to embrace innovation\, to play\, and to engage in cross-form performance and collaboration.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/a-new-sound/
LOCATION:Project Room (1.06)\, 50 George Square\, 50 George Square\, Newington\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9JU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Performance
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240219T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240219T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240123T144847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105226Z
UID:10000114-1708358400-1708363800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Project Deep Dive: Anja Neundorf
DESCRIPTION:(When) Does civic education work? Evidence from a cross-national online experiment (with Aykut Öztürk\, Steven Finkel\, and Ericka Rascon Ramirez) \n\n\n\nCivic education is an important effort in strengthening the resilience of existing and new democracies. However\, little is known about 1) whether these programs can be conducted online (instead of traditionally in-person)\, 2) what is the best frame to promote democracy\, and 3) whether there are contextual differences in the impact of these interventions. Our project aims to answer these questions through online experiments\, which were conducted in 33 countries\, representing varying levels of democratic and economic development. Over 40\,000 respondents were recruited via social media and were randomly shown one of three treatment videos\, promoting different aspects of democracy (civic rights\, separation of power\, provision of economic and public goods) or a placebo treatment. Our results show that the treatments positively affected support for democracy and that the effect can still be detected after two weeks. However\, contrary to expectations\, the political and economic context of respondents does not condition the impact of our interventions. Our study is the most comprehensive study ever conducted in the field of civic education\, allowing us to explore how democracy promotion works in different countries. \n\n\n\n\n\nAnja Neundorf\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnja Neundorf is a professor of Politics and Research Methods at the University of Glasgow. Before joining Glasgow\, she worked as an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham (2013-2019) and a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College\, University of Oxford (2010-2012). She received her PhD from the University of Essex. Her research interests lie at the intersection of political behaviour\, research methods\, and comparative politics. She is currently the principal investigator of the ERC-funded Consolidator Grant “Democracy under Threat: How Education can Save it”.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/project-deep-dive-anja-neundorf/
LOCATION:Online\, Edinburgh
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240216T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240216T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240209T155903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105226Z
UID:10000121-1708095600-1708104600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Protecting the State\, Protecting our Homes: governing and designing cybersecurity
DESCRIPTION:As our society has become increasingly dependent on information infrastructures that reach into our pockets\, homes and workplaces\, we have become increasing vulnerable to attacks on and through these systems. Cybersecurity is perhaps one of the most important modern threats that we don’t talk enough about. Adversaries range from specialist military government teams attacking infrastructure and penetrating state organisations\, or managing large scale organised theft of commercial secrets\,  state sponsored and commercial criminal groups that are stealing personal data\, run ransomware attacks on hospitals and business\, through to teenage hackers doing simple denial of service attacks on their friends\, or even spying via home webcams.  Why do our systems have these vulnerabilities? How can we improve legal\, technical and human dimensions of design and use to ensure future protection and resilience? \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Lachlan Urquhart\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Lachlan Urquhart is a Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human-Computer Interaction at the Edinburgh Law School. He is Founder and Director of the Regulation and Design (RAD) Lab. He is a Director of both the Centre for Research into Information\, Surveillance\, and Privacy (CRISP) and the Scottish Research Centre for Intellectual Property and Technology Law (SCRIPT). He is part of the management team of the Designing Responsible NLP Centre for Doctoral Training\, and the Institute of Design Informatics.  His monograph\, Clever Computing through Accountable Design\, is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Lachlan has published over 60 papers in leading venues in computing\, law\, and ethics. He has been an investigator on projects totalling nearly £17m. He is currently Principal Investigator of the £1.2m EPSRC ‘Fixing the Future: Right to Repair and Equal-IoT’ project and is Co-Investigator on the £9.75m Responsible Natural Language Processing AI CDT; the £3.2m EPSRC Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Governance Node\, and various projects in the EPSRC Horizon Trusted Data Driven Products hub. He was also investigator on the now completed ESRC Emotional AI in Smart Cities project \, EPSRC Defence Against Dark Artefacts and TAS Hub Envisioning Biometric AI Futures project. \n\n\n\nHis main research interests are in the socio-technical aspects of designing\, living with\, and regulating emerging information technologies. He has a multidisciplinary background in computer science (PhD) and law (LL.B; LL.M) and has studied at the Universities of Edinburgh\, Strathclyde\, and Nottingham. He is an editor on the Routledge Studies in Surveillance book series. He is a Visiting Researcher at the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute and member of the international Emotional AI Lab. He has been a visiting scientist at Fraunhofer AICOS\, Porto (2021); a Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute (2020-22)\, a Research Fellow at the Information Society Law Centre\, Universitá degli Studi di Milano (2022-23)\, and a visiting researcher at Centre for Business Information Ethics\, Meiji University\, Tokyo (2014). At Edinburgh\, he was the Law School lead for the Centre for Data\, Culture\, and Society 2019-2023; and is a research associate at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Tariq Elahi\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTariq Elahi received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and was fortunate to have Ian Goldberg as his supervisor. His thesis centered on censorship resistance systems and analyses of their security and privacy properties. He received his MSc from Royal Holloway – University of London under the supervision of Kenny Paterson where he investigated anonymous communications and file sharing systems. He researches computer and network security and privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) with an emphasis on effective\, efficient\, and robust deployments. His research has\, and continues to\, span the systematization and the game-theoretic analysis of censorship resistance and circumvention systems\, security analysis and designs of anonymous communication systems\, and privacy-preserving data collection in privacy-sensitive scenarios. He is interested in novel applications and enhancements to PETs techniques and strategies to exotic environments\, such as Smart Cities where standard trust and availability assumptions need not apply.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/protecting-the-state-protecting-our-homes-governing-and-designing-cybersecurity/
LOCATION:Newhaven Lecture Theatre\, 13-15 College Street\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AA
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240209T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240209T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240126T165949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240205T164918Z
UID:10000119-1707490800-1707499800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:AI Safety and AI Ethics: bridging cultures of existential and social risk
DESCRIPTION:2023 was undoubtedly the year of ‘AI’ – when we were all amazed by the capabilities of ChatGTP and image generators\, and stories of existential risks filled the media. This narrative seemed to be pushed by the very people who had invested most in developing Large Language Models\, and were interlinked with the ideology of Effective Altruism. The concept of AI Safety rose to the top of the political agenda. However\, concern about\, and research on how AI could be developed and used responsibly has a long history. In 2023 the EU passed the AI Act\, which was conceived well before current Generative AI as a framework for governance of risks and harms\, while promoting innovation. Edinburgh University has become a leading centre for research on AI Ethics – a paradigm lead by philosophers\, rather than one lead by computer scientists and engineers\, and emphasises social risks and harms – rather than civilisation destroying harms. However by the end of 2023\, the real life requirements of business for robust systems\, oversight by government concerned about weapons\, jobs\, fundamental rights and international power struggles have moved the focus of AI Safety towards practical concerns. In these talks we will hear about how and why existential risk became such a headline grabbing topic\, and understand how some ways we can start the hard work of bridging the responsible AI\, AI Ethics and AI safety paradigms. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\nDr Atoosa Kasirzadeh\n\n\n\nDr Atoosa Kasirzadeh is a philosopher\, mathematician\, and systems engineer at the University of Edinburgh. She is an Assistant Professor (Chancellor’s Fellow) in the Philosophy Department\, Director of Research at the Centre for Technomoral Futures\, and a Research Lead at the Alan Turing Institute. Prior to this\, she held research positions at DeepMind and Australian National University.  \n\n\n\nShe has a PhD in Philosophy of Science and Technology (2021) from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Mathematics (2015) from the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal. Her current research is focused on ethics\, safety\, and philosophy of AI (value alignment\, interpretability\, generative models\, recommender systems) and philosophy of science (explanation\, prediction\, complex systems\, automating science).  \n\n\n\nWebsite https://kasirzadeh.org/  \n\n\n\nDr Vassilis Galanos\n\n\n\nDr Vassilis Galanos is a Research Associate and Teaching Fellow at the Edinburgh College of Art\, conducting a risk-based assessment of Generative AI in journalism as part of the BRAID UK initiative and teaching about Technology Futures. Vassilis investigates the historical and sociological underpinnings of interwoven AI and internet technologies\, and how expertise and expectations are negotiated in these domains. Vassilis is Associate Editor of Technology Analysis and Strategic Management and prospective Lecturer in Digital Work at the University of Stirling’s School of Management. \n\n\n\nWebsite: https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/vassilis-galanos 
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/ai-safety-and-ai-ethics-bridging-cultures-of-existential-and-social-risk/
LOCATION:Newhaven Lecture Theatre\, 13-15 College Street\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AA
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240206T043000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240206T183000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240125T151822Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T105226Z
UID:10000115-1707193800-1707244200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Music\, Copyright & Generative AI: Social\, Ontological & Legal Perspectives
DESCRIPTION:“Music\, Copyright & Generative AI: Social\, Ontological & Legal Perspectives” is the second in a series of 4 public seminars taking critical and creative perspectives on the current state of AI in music; it is organised by the MusAI research programme in collaboration with the ‘AI and the Arts’ group at The Alan Turing Institute. The speakers address the challenges posed by generative AI to existing music copyright regimes. Born’s presentation draws on anthropological literature to highlight key ontological categories underwriting property and ownership. Drott’s presentation focuses on automatic music generation services\, asking whether copyright’s commitment to the individual author is called into question by the distributed nature of machine learning. Haworth examines the use of AI-based vocal cloning and source separation methods in official and unofficial productions of the Beatles’ and Beach Boys’ music. He highlights the moral anxieties that cluster around the use of vocal likenesses in pop\, and the artist-led initiatives being developed to address these––many of which are in advance of copyright law. \n\n\n\nFeaturing an electronic music performance by Owen Green (Max Planck Institute) and Jules Rawlinson (University of Edinburgh). Owen Green’s research centres on live electronic music\, with focuses on playing with and designing semi-autonomous performance systems\, and the philosophy of technology as it relates to music. \n\n\n\n\n\nGeorgina Born\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGeorgina Born is Professor of Anthropology and Music at University College London. She directs the MusAI research programme\, and previously held Professorships at the Universities of Oxford (2010-21) and Cambridge (2006-10)\, as well as having a professional life as a musician in experimental rock\, jazz and free improvisation. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEric Drott\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEric Drott is Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of Texas at Austin. His research spans contemporary music cultures\, streaming music platforms\, music and protest\, genre theory\, digital music and AI music\, and the political economy of music. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristopher Haworth\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristopher Haworth is Associate Professor in Music at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on electronic and experimental musics; British popular music; music and politics; the theory and analysis of music technology; AI music\, and music and the internet.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/music-copyright-generative-ai-social-ontological-legal-perspectives/
LOCATION:Inspace\, 1 Crichton Street\, Edinburgh\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240202T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240202T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T221129
CREATED:20240126T170020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240131T140402Z
UID:10000118-1706886000-1706895000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Climate Extremes and Decision-making: it's all about the models
DESCRIPTION:Prediction of the impacts of climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity\, crucial tools that will support policy\, business and civil society in planning mitigations – everything from the pricing of insurance to building community resilience and the speed of decarbonisation. Just as in the work done to demonstrate human impacts on the climate\, much of the heavy-lifting falls on the creation of predictive computer models that integrate scientific evidence. However for predictions of the impact of climate change and the actions we might take requires models that are not only about the science\, but also about the economic and social impact – so that policy makers\, politicians\, companies and citizens can debate resources and make trade-offs. This makes them inherently the site of controversy. \n\n\n\nIn this session two eminent scientists\, Prof Chris Dent and Prof Gabi Hegerl will explore the science\, maths\, and computing that makes these models possible and discuss what they can and cannot do\, how much we need them\, and how much we can or cannot rely on them. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\nProf Chris Dent\n\n\n\nChris Dent is Professor of Industrial Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh\, and a Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute. He has broad interests across energy and infrastructure analysis\, climate resilience\, and decision support in public policy. He currently works on a number of industrial innovation projects\, and holds a KE Catalyst grant from the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences to support the Global Power System Transformation consortium with their research agenda in system planning\, control rooms\, and AI. In 2021-2  he was Technical Lead for the National Digital Twin programme Climate Resilience Demonstrator. As well as working in a School of Mathematics\, he is also a Chartered Engineer. \n\n\n\nProf Gabi Hegerl\n\n\n\nGabi Hegerl is a Professor in Climate Change Science\, School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh. She is Fellow of the Royal Society\, the Leopoldina\, the Royal Society of Edinburgh\, and of the American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society. She has received the Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award and the Hans Sigrist Prize of the University of Bern.  She co-leads the World Climate Research Programme lighthouse activity ‘safe landing climates‘; and has co-led their Grand Challenge on Extremes. She researches causes of climate change\, including in temperature and precipitation\, from the recent period to the last millennium\, and has used this evidence to constrain future climate change\, with a special interest in climate extremes\, for example\, heat waves\, compound extremes and impacts of extremes.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/climate-extremes-and-decision-making-its-all-about-the-models/
LOCATION:Newhaven Lecture Theatre\, 13-15 College Street\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AA
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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