A recent research workshop for BDFI affiliates featured vibrant discussion on issues of trust, regulation and risk within the current tech landscape.
Organised by BDFI academics Devika Narayan and Colin Gavaghan, the event included a series of fascinating research presentations.
- Robin Holt, Professor of Strategy and Aesthetics asked, ‘How does technology organise life’ and presented insights from a collaboration between artists and academics based around an exhibition – Proof of Stake - curated by Simon Denny and Bettina Steinbrügge. He enquired into the ethical potential of different organizational forms and atmospheres, specifically those being created around smaller, entrepreneurial firms that are explicitly considering the question of how technology might be claimed. More information about the study can be found in their book.
- Nina Di Cara, Senior Research Associate, presented ‘The Data Hazards Project’, a community-led initiative that is creating a shared vocabulary of data science hazards to try to reduce downstream harms and improve interdisciplinary communication about data ethics.
- Albert Sanchez Graells, Professor of Economic Law, presented ‘Governing public sector digitalisation ... and slowing it down’. He summarised the main ideas coming from his monograph Digital Technologies and Public Procurement, where he demonstrates that the current approach to 'regulation by contract' of public sector technology adoption and automation is bound to leave significant risks unaddressed. He also presented the main proposals in a related article to deal with those risks.
- Pete Winter, Senior Research Associate, presented ‘Trustworthy Autonomous Systems: Ethnographic tales from the in-house frontier of risk and regulation’. The UKRI-funded Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) Node in Functionality focused on the technical, social, and ethical considerations for evolving autonomous systems, including the verification, validation, and regulation of these systems.
- Tonia Novitz, Professor of Labour Law, presented ‘The emergence of "Digital Trade" chapters in free trade agreements: Their wider implications for labour’. The paper offered analysis of the emergence of digital trade chapters in free trade agreements and explored their evolving content.
- Natasha Mulvihill, Associate Professor in Crimonology, presented ‘Robots, Intimacy and Harm’, focusing on two areas: first, a recently published paper with a Swedish roboticist, Katie Winkle, on robots and domestic abuse; and second, ideas for future papers on sex robots and virtual sexual violence.
- Ola Michalec, Research Fellow, presented “Digital twin: one of a kind?” which discussed the role of hype and strategic framings in the development of digital twin initiatives in the UK energy sector.
- Jessica Ogden, Lecturer in Digital Futures, presented ‘The Grey Zone?: Thinking critically about new forms of web data for social research’. She discussed ethical issues related to the ways that ‘datafication’ – or the proliferation of new forms of web data – have brought both opportunities and ethical dilemmas related to how these data are understood and deployed for social research.
These presentations were followed by a stimulating discussion and Q&A as well as informal conversation and networking.
Organiser Devika Narayan said: “This was a great opportunity to bring our colleagues and affiliates together and have useful discussions about the different things we’re all working on. Collaboration is central to how we work at BDFI and it was really valuable to be able to hear about the range of research and projects underway in a critical thematic area, and look at more opportunities for working together.”