We offer open and participatory events that showcase interdisciplinary work and impact and spark ideas, inspiration and debate.
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Utopia is a ‘no-space’ for contemplation, innovation and collaboration. The term utopia was coined from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean. The word comes from Greek: οὐ ("not") and τόπος ("place") and means "no-place", and strictly describes any non-existent society 'described in ... Read more
Join us for a drink and delicious, celebratory treat as we reveal the winners of the Edinburgh Futures Institute's Student Photography Competition and view a selection of the submitted photographs. Professor Liz Grant, Assistant Principal (Global Health) and Director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh, will announce the winners and speak ... Read more
Since 2014, Palestinian dancer and choreographer Farah Saleh has been creating an Archive of Gestures through the re-enactment, transformation, and analyses of bodily gestures and movements. In What My Body Can/t Remember, Saleh explores what her body can and can’t remember of her life in Ramallah in 2002 when, living under curfew, she returned to ... Read more
Author Gaia Vince draws attention to mass migration and climate change at a time when huge swathes of the world are becoming uninhabitable. ‘Gaia Vince's new book should be read not just by every politician, but by every person on the planet, because it lays out, much more clearly than any existing scientific assessment, the ... Read more
What is the impact of AI on the planet? There are reasons to hope that data-driven efficiencies and insights can help produce innovative solutions to the climate emergency, touching areas such as energy, biodiversity monitoring and conservation, transportation, water conservation, and agriculture, among others. On the other hand, there are also real concerns about the ... Read more
In this participatory workshop, poet Anthony Anaxagorou will be asking what happens if we expand the idea of ‘air’ or first breath to mean a new beginning. Can the idea of air invoke fresh possibilities or social reform? Can air and breath can be reshaped to move beyond the conventional understanding of these terms? How ... Read more
This is an opportunity for the EFI and its extended community to come together and join a live viewing of the online event, 'The Fight for Climate after Covid-19: A conversation with Alice C. Hill' in a casual and relaxed atmosphere.
The catastrophic risks of pandemics and climate change carry deep uncertainty as to when they will occur, how they will unfold, and how much damage they will do. The most important question is how we can face these risks to minimize them most. Alice C. Hill’s book, The Fight for Climate after COVID-19, draws on ... Read more
From the classical period through the early modern, tales abounded of distant islands inhabited by demons, devils, evil spirits, and all manner of winged creatures. The Sirens lured sailors to shipwreck with singing voices. The sprite Ariel conjures up a storm. The stories we tell ourselves to make sense of wind. An Island of Sound ... Read more
This event marks the opening of the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s Spring 2023 season and is by invitation only. After this event, bookings will officially open to everyone for our Spring 2023 programme of events, created in collaboration with partners across the Edinburgh Futures Institute, will run from March to May 2023!
This panel opens the fourth in the University’s Futures Conversations series on Artificial Intelligence. In this event, we bring together leading experts from the worlds of science, politics, and civil society to debate what our AI futures may bring, and to develop ideas for what is needed to advance our collective ability to put AI to the best possible use.
This show is part of our Futures Conversations series – Shaping our AI Futures – and explores the delicate and intricately evolving relationship between humans and machines, through a dynamic dance between a dancer and a soft robot as the focal point.
In this panel, speakers will briefly showcase their work on the intersections of technology and sexuality. When we are repeatedly told who and what to desire by apps, platforms and websites the relationship between technology and sexuality feels impossible to escape. We might not know what we really, really want.
A panel discussion among experts on what it means to ‘live well’ with robots.
Professors from the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh will share their speculative scenarios for Higher Education Futures in an event which will be a mix of research-sharing, storytelling and collaboration.
This audio-visual performance by composer Philly Holmes responds to Limbic, a poetry collection by Peter Scalpello. Through words, sound and imagery, the performance traces a personal narrative exploring intimacy and queer discovery, enacting the confusions and graces of a queer life through hybridity of storytelling forms.
In this workshop, participants will learn basic coding elements to create a simple poem generator. The emphasis is on play and experimentation, with some background information on literary techniques. Participants will experience how computational poetics and computational thinking can jumpstart or become part of a creative writing process.
The multidisciplinary event will feature short performances by Scottish Dance Theatre’s dancers, including an excerpt from ‘Thin h/as h/air’ by choreographer Pauline Torzuoli. Inspired by the natural phenomena of Itla Okla and Hair Ice, this playful and poetic solo work follows the journey of a man: from scientist to the spirit of a tree.
Our love of fashion is driving an unsustainable system of manufacturing, distributing and disposing of our clothing that is impacting our planet. How can we change our behaviour and the system for the love of the planet? How can we harness new technology such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics and informatics, and creative tools such as Augmented and Virtual Reality?
A discussion with Rule of the Robots author Martin Ford, who argues that the true AI revolution is yet to come.
This writing workshop will look at a range of writers and theories, exploring interdisciplinary strands of New Media hybrid writing. You will be provided with the tools and ideas to craft your own digital poetics, and means by which to use the virtual on the page, creating and fostering a relationship between the machine and the author.
How can the latest developments in technology, robotics and implants lead to powerful and liberating possibilities for what bodies can be? In this event, speakers share their eye-opening accounts of disability, identity, and how robotics and AI are altering what it means to be human.
How has technology exacerbated systems of oppression in the 21st century, and what can we do to resist? This event features a conversation with authors Matthew Williams and Lilia Giugni whose works examine different yet intersecting issues of human behaviour in the digital era.
Our Utopia 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 invited speakers will present visions of their Utopia, which we will (individually or in groups) respond to by creating our own artistic and creative mini-Utopias.
Join us as we explore the themes, ideas and methods our researchers used to produce FestForward magazine – a fictional, speculative cultural magazine, set in 2030.
A creative research project led by Beverley Hood, an artist and Reader in Technological Embodiment & Creative Practice at the University of Edinburgh, featuring actor, Pauline Goldsmith. How does sentiment recognition technology actually work and how accurate is it? This performance will reveal how emotional AI databases actually work, behind the smoke and mirrors.
A panel discussion with experts in banking and fintech who will examine the benefits and risks of using AI in financial services.
This Galvanised seminar addresses the opportunities that collective behaviour and collective intelligence may offer for addressing a wide range of social and political issues. In keeping with the dual science/arts theme of Galvanised, the seminar will be presented by a biological scientist and a social and political scientist.
Technomoral Conversations is a “fireside chat” series organised by The Centre for Technomoral Futures. This event will focus on our relationships with machines, from robot pets and therapeutic companions to apps for dating and romance, to technologies embedded in our bodies.
As part of Adversarial Acoustics Unit Test (Martin Disley and Murad Khan) will screen their new short film, investigating the relationship between vocal forensics and machine learning through a mix of critical and speculative aesthetic practice.
The rise of Virtual, Augmented, and Extended Reality (AR/XR) with their applications urge us to investigate whether “catharsis” is still conceivable, in hybrid or entirely artificial environments; and how a reconfigured concept of “catharsis” can be envisioned as part of the co-evolution of human, natural, and artificial life forms.
In this workshop, artist Yana Knight will share a few ideas and techniques of working with AI as a creative medium and the potential that lurks within this collaboration to extend, support and enrich creativity.
Raw Green Rust are an improvising laptop trio that make abstract glitch-dub that draws on wide ranging musical interests and interconnectedness. For this event, the trio will perform as an ‘Antagonistic Sextet’ with and against their own performance history.
The New Real’s research team and newly commissioned artist will present insights into what is happening in this area and new work currently in development using The New Real Observatory Platform, an unboxed AI tool created with and for artists.
The Summer School is an intensive, 5-day, in-person event, with a heavy practical focus. It consists of two simultaneously run streams: 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.
The Economics of Financial Technology conference, organised by the Edinburgh Futures Institute and the University of Edinburgh Business School, brings together academics, policymakers, and finance professionals to share new insights and discuss the critical issues related to the application of technology to the practice of finance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
A free online training event exploring the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in the publishing industry.
Take a tour of the South College Street building during Doors Open Day.
Talk and discussion with Dr Chandré Gould about collaborative and multi-sectoral approach to violence prevention.
The Creative Informatics Innovation Showcase is an exciting two-day hybrid event and exhibition to explore how data-driven innovation is changing the world around us.
Fintech companies are constantly innovating and developing new products and services. However, while many of the technological solutions are user-centred, they are not necessarily human-centred. They typically focus on process, user experience and scalability, but often neglect the deeper needs, emotions, instincts, and social factors that impact people's financial wellbeing. This event challenges fintech leaders ... Read more
In this event, Dr. Elinor Carmi will share her latest research report titled “What mobilises people against Big-Tech?”.
This flagship panel event opens the fifth in the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Conversations series.
This performance is part of our Futures Conversations series on the Future of Leadership.
Michael Begg presents work undertaken with People Ocean Planet, Marine Alliance of Science and Technology in this seminar presentation.
Learning about the mental health needs of care-experienced young people.
How music in alternative spaces is making a difference to young people and their communities.
Join Professor David Runciman in conversation with Professor Shannon Vallor about his latest book, The Handover.
Join us for FutureGaze, a series of conversations providing time out to reflect and gaze into the future of the creative industries.
Cory Doctorow will be in conversation about his book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.
Hosted by comedian Susan Morrison, and now in its eleventh year, CODI is ninety minutes of rapid-fire research from some of the finest minds in the country.
This Black History Month event will take on a long-discussed topic in the Black and Afrocentric movements across the world: the challenged idea and risks of leadership.
This lecture will cover the regulatory issues emanating from the implementation of the UK government’s vision for an internationally competitive and innovative financial services sector in the UK.
A prerecorded conversation about the Disability Rights Movement with the makers of the film Defiant Lives.
In this session invited speakers will present visions of their Utopia, which we will respond to by creating our own artistic, thoughtful and creative mini-Utopias.
A panel event about the importance of creating spaces for listening in healthcare.
Digital Justice & Policing is the largest gathering for digital justice practitioners in Scotland
Dr Runa Mackay Legacy Lecture with Edinburgh Futures Institute's writer-at-large, Dr Katherine Trebeck.
In this event, The New Real's Creative Agent, Caroline Sinders, convenes a group of practitioners who work on and with AI. Together they will explore future landscapes for creative AI and what co-creation between AI and artists will look like in the future.
Speculative Futures Central Scotland hosts a conversation on participatory futures with Futurall, a research and design studio building hope, agency and action towards more equitable futures.
Join us to discuss the women building a robust transnational feminist network, the tactics developed in the global south which are now being shared with feminists in Europe and North America, and building a new model for international feminist solidarity.
Join us to discuss the human dynamics of the workplace, how to better understand our own inner theatre, and how this knowledge can create better managers and leaders.
As AI's influence grows, navigating its geopolitics becomes increasingly crucial for shaping the future of nations and their global relationships.
DigitalScotland is the largest annual gathering of public sector technology professionals.
This workshop will address the complexities, challenges and future scenarios facing the retrofitting and energy efficiency of existing buildings.
The UK FinTech Symposium is the annual conference for the FinTech National Network and is the gathering place for FinTech leaders to collaborate, cooperate and develop new market opportunities.
Join the Centre for Technomoral Futures for their Flagship Lecture, where delegates will hear from Dr Michael Veale on Governing the AI Business Model: Platforms All the Way Down?
The fourth CDCS Annual Lecture How to See What’s Missing presented by Mary Flanagan.
CreativeMornings Edinburgh invites you to join a conversation with the team behind the Recycling A Hospital project at Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Join the Centre for Data, Culture and Society for their first Project Deep Dive of the semester ‘Image and Text Analysis using Multi-modal Embeddings’ presented by Justin Chun-ting Ho.
The use of science and technology to optimise the output of workers for the profit of business is not a new phenomenon. For this session we welcome two sociologists who work on the quantification of the body and worker, Dr Mark Patterson, and Dr Karen Gregory. Dr Patterson will explore the history of measurement of the ... Read more
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 ... Read more
Join MusAI and The New Real to delve into the intriguing intersection of artificial intelligence and music copyright.
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 ... Read more
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. How can we improve legal, technical and human dimensions of design and use to ensure future protection and resilience?
Join the Centre for Data, Culture & Society and the Social Data Science Hub for a Project Deep Dive presented by Anja Neundorf, professor of Politics and Research Methods at the University of Glasgow.
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.
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 ... Read more
The CDCS Project Deep Dive series continues with ‘Digitization for Social Welfare: Examining the Building and Other Construction Workers' (BOCW) Welfare Funds in India’ presented by Dr Sruthi Herbert.
Join us for a live-stream of this conversation hosted by Professor Liz Grant and Dr Katherine Trebeck, University of Edinburgh.
This workshop organised by The Binks Hub will help you use poetry to communicate your research.
This event asks how people politically mobilise when subject to data systems that algorithmically govern them but remain opaque.
This event marks the launch of Tech Tuesdays, a new series dedicated to making sense of technology within the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries.
Join the Centre for Data, Culture & Society for a Project Deep Dive presented by Sal Hagen, University of Amsterdam.
The Technomoral Conversations series brings together leading experts in a “fireside chat” format to discuss futures that are worth wanting.
In her book Richie evaluates medical reproduction from an environmental perspective & confronts the carbon impact of the healthcare industry.
In the seminar, Ben Collier will introduce the new book, Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy (MIT Press, 2024).
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 ... Read more
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?
This 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.
Dr Petko Kalev discusses why resiliency is an important dimension of market liquidity. For University staff and students only.
Hear a project deep dive from Ursula Martin on Imagining AI: computing stories in a museum context.
Enjoy a guided tour to mark the opening of the Edinburgh Futures Institute building.
What 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?
Join this one-day symposium on 'Artificial Intelligence as the Broken Machine' with invited keynote speaker Prof. Louise Amoore.
Join the Centre for Data, Culture & Society for their 5-day Summer School.
This event will showcase the potential for AI in the creative industries.
Our Autumn 2024 programme of events explored the future of education through panel discussions, poetry readings, live music and performance, and deep intellectual debate and discussion.
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Our Autumn 2023 programme of events explored leadership in all its forms – from the seats of power to the front lines of activist movements and even in our own workplaces.
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Our Spring 2023 programme of events explored the interconnections of AI and data with humanity through conversations, performances, and workshops.
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Our Autumn 2022 programme featured more than 20 events exploring crisis, migration, displacement and equality coalescing around the theme of Climate Justice.
Watch recordings"The production and intellectual content of your recent events has been fantastic! Thank you for the opportunity to attend and learn. This is probably the best event I have been to all year."
Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023
"Really, really impressed with Futures Institute events. Properly impressive speakers, and seamless technical management. Thank you for keeping them hybrid/online – it's a really nice way to keep in touch!"
Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023
"Amazing! I hope that Utopia Lab can ring in every event season, the dream space that you curate and allow to flourish is an important and novel lens that Edinburgh Futures Institute offers partners, students, staff, researchers and anyone with an interest in collaborative thinking and doing."
Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023
Our public events seasons are co-created with people from across the University of Edinburgh. If you'd like to contribute ideas for the programme please contact the events team.
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Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) building, The University of Edinburgh, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9EF
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Email: efi@ed.ac.uk
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