February 2025 - netsociety - server-nexa.polito.it

Re: [netsociety] NoC @ IGF 2025: Collaboration Platform

by Celina Beatriz

Thank you Armando for pulling this together! We filled out with the proposals - would be great to have collaboration from those who will be attending IGF. Please feel free to shoot and email directly in case you have suggestions or is interested in being part of the panel. Best regards, Celina Em ter., 25 de fev. de 2025 às 11:49, Guio Espanol, Armando < arg911(a)harvard.edu> escreveu: > Dear NoC Colleagues, > > We are excited to invite you to our NoC @ IGF 2025 Proposal Hub > <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zdgC28lVpxqgPJerHg1deOSYLiB7TSRnPh5…>—a > collaborative platform designed to foster engagement and co-develop > proposals for the upcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Norway. > > IGF 2025 has an *open call for session proposals > <https://intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2025-call-for-session-proposals>*, > a very good opportunity to showcase the important work from the Centers and > engage in this global discussion. In order to facilitate collaboration, we > have created the Proposal Hub, where Centers can add their own proposals or > join efforts initiated by others. More information on the Proposal Hub is > available in this *concept note > <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCOEXQXB7gl7yoRRfO9-RokXzjfv2L9UCossa8W…>* > . > > Key dates: > > - Proposals are due for submission on IGF’s website on 12 March 2025, > 23:59 UTC. > - The Secretariat encourages Centers who would like to *add their own > proposal* to the Hub to do so by 3 March 2025, in order to ensure > enough time for collaboration. > - The Secretariat encourages Centers who would like to *join *a > proposal to do so by 5 March 2025, so proposals can be finalized by > IGF’s deadline. > > > Our goal is to have a strong presence in this space. Once the selected > proposals are confirmed, we will share the panels chosen by the IGF > organization for everyone's information. > > We look forward to exciting and fruitful exchanges. Please let us know if > you have any questions. > > Best, > > Armando — On behalf of the NoC Secretariat > > > > > -- *Celina M.A. Bottino* *Diretora de Projetos* *Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade do Rio de Janeiro (ITS)* https://www.facebook.com/ITSriodejaneiro itsrio.org +55 21 3486-0390

Feb. 28, 2025

NoC @ IGF 2025: Collaboration Platform

by Guio Espanol, Armando

Dear NoC Colleagues, We are excited to invite you to our NoC @ IGF 2025 Proposal Hub<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zdgC28lVpxqgPJerHg1deOSYLiB7TSRnPh5…>—a collaborative platform designed to foster engagement and co-develop proposals for the upcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Norway. IGF 2025 has an open call for session proposals<https://intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2025-call-for-session-proposals>, a very good opportunity to showcase the important work from the Centers and engage in this global discussion. In order to facilitate collaboration, we have created the Proposal Hub, where Centers can add their own proposals or join efforts initiated by others. More information on the Proposal Hub is available in this concept note<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCOEXQXB7gl7yoRRfO9-RokXzjfv2L9UCossa8W…>. Key dates: * Proposals are due for submission on IGF’s website on 12 March 2025, 23:59 UTC. * The Secretariat encourages Centers who would like to add their own proposal to the Hub to do so by 3 March 2025, in order to ensure enough time for collaboration. * The Secretariat encourages Centers who would like to join a proposal to do so by 5 March 2025, so proposals can be finalized by IGF’s deadline. Our goal is to have a strong presence in this space. Once the selected proposals are confirmed, we will share the panels chosen by the IGF organization for everyone's information. We look forward to exciting and fruitful exchanges. Please let us know if you have any questions. Best, Armando — On behalf of the NoC Secretariat [cid:4e6df181-882c-48fa-9af0-234b929244ad]

Feb. 25, 2025

NoC Secretariat Report: Shaping the Future of AI in Africa

by Guio Espanol, Armando

Dear NoC colleagues, Attached, please find the report Shaping the Future of AI in Africa, prepared by the NoC Secretariat in collaboration with our colleagues from the Certa Foundation and the Center for Law and Innovation in Rwanda. The report summarizes the key findings and recommendations from the AI Stakeholder Meeting we held in Kigali in 2024. We deeply appreciate the outstanding work of our colleagues and the leadership of Isobel Acquah, Ridwan Oloyede, and Professors Sandra Cortesi and Christian Fieseler in making this possible. We look forward to expanding our reach in Africa, strengthening capacity-building efforts, and engaging with many other regions in the coming months! Best regards, Armando Guio Executive Director [cid:4f1f97b4-8cf8-486d-9a72-87218ffd4493]

Feb. 24, 2025

Call for Papers to the Luhmann Conference 2025 in Cambridge (9-12 September 2025)

by Dr. Steffen Roth

Call for papers to the Luhmann Conference 2025 Topic: Programmes. Observed with social systems theory Venue: University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Submission deadline (abstracts): 15 May 2025 Conference dates: 09-12 September 2025 Pre-conference dinner: 08 September 2025 Supported by the European Sociological Association and the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik Theme “… the differentiation of coding and programming makes the reappearance of the third value possible” (Luhmann, 1989, p. 41) In observing programmes through the lens of social systems theory (Luhmann, 2018), we discover a centre pillar of decided orders and structural feature of organised complexity. Programmes guide decisions, establishing the conditions under which they are deemed good or bad, right or wrong, or lucrative or ruinous. Programmes constitute interfaces between organisations and the codes of the function systems (Sales et al., 2022; Roth, 2023), but may also refer to, or be understood as, forms of moral code (Laursen, 2022), including coded preferences for particular function systems. As preference resonates with precedence, programmes are also instrumental in creating rankings and other stratified orders. Moreover, programmes define what is on screen or “on line”, shaping what occupies the centre, and not only the periphery, of social attention. Programmes also operate a diverse set of guiding distinctions to decide who or what is included or excluded the multifaceted segments of modern world society. In this way, programmes are compatible with the source codes of all four basic forms of social differentiation (Roth, 2025): segmentary, centre-periphery, stratified, and functional. At the same time, the concept of programmes as architectures of code is compatible not only with the guiding distinctions of society as observed by social systems theory in the tradition of Niklas Luhmann (Roth et al., 2025), but also with the key technologies and self-descriptions of a digitally transforming society. While the notion of programmes predates the digital computer revolution, architectures and metaphors of programmes and code have become as ubiquitous today as have the computers processing them to mediate almost every aspect of organic, psychic, and social life. This pervasiveness now seems to extend even to the heartlands of analogue communication, which some argue are currently being taken over by technologies (Tække, 2022) that others view as hardly more than glorified search engines such as ChatGPT or Gemini. The possibility that this very text on programmes has been generated by a computer programme adds an intriguing layer of complexity or, at least, complication. Whether attributed to a software programme or a group of wetware computers, the existence of such opaque text in the age of AI underscores the pervasive interplay between programmes as forms of social systems and the social systems they shape … Read the full Call for Papers here: https://wp.me/pvO07-256 Consider also subscribing to the Systems Theories JISCMAIL mailing list for updates at: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/systems ***** Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Steffen Roth Full Professor of Management, Excelia Business School La Rochelle, France Full Professor of Social Sciences, Kazimieras Simonavicius University, Lithuania Adjunct Professor of Economic Sociology, University of Turku, Finland Visiting Academic, University of Cambridge, UK myURL: http://derroth.com <http://derroth.com/> ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8502-601X X: derrothdotcom <https://twitter.com/derrothdotcom> Recent articles GUIDING DISTINCTIONS OF SOCIAL THEORY. Results from two online brainstormings and one quantitative analysis of the ISA Books of the XX Century corpus @CS: https://wp.me/pvO07-24Z THE STATE AS CREATIVE DESTROYER: A systems perspective on entrepreneurship by organised monopolies on violence @IJEBR: https://wp.me/pvO07-24C RAINMAKING. Observed with social systems theory @SRBS: https://wp.me/pvO07-23o SPACESHIP EARTH. A total institution @EcolEc: https://wp.me/pvO07-1Zy TRUTH TABLES, TRUE DISTINCTIONS. Paradoxes of the source code of science @SPAA: https://wp.me/pvO07-1Pu HEALTH BEYOND MEDICINE. A planetary theory extension @SH&I: https://wp.me/pvO07-1ID

Feb. 19, 2025

webinar “AI Sovereignty in the BRICS Countries”

by Luca Belli

Dear colleagues, In case you are interested, the Center for Technology & Society at FGV and the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are organizing a webinar on “AI Sovereignty in the BRICS Countries” that will take place tomorrow, Thursday 20 February, from 10:00 to 12:00 BRT (GMT-3). The webinar is part of the series of events on Digital Policies in the BRICS that CTS-FGV and MFA are organizing to discuss the most pressing digital issues for the BRICS grouping ahead of the BRICS Summit that will take place in Rio de Janeiro on 6-7 July, under the Brazilian rotating presidency https://brics.br/en Here some useful links * the webinar webpage https://direitorio.fgv.br/en/event/webinar-ai-sovereignty-brics-countries * "The webinar will be broadcast live on FGV's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/live/iWbFgQ3ZFzE"<https://youtube.com/live/iWbFgQ3ZFzE%22> * LinkedIn post with flyer and speakers https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fgv-direito-rio_fgv-fgvriolaw-fgvdireitorio-… The goal of the webinar is to provide an understanding of i) what is AI Sovereignty, ii) to what extent BRICS countries are AI sovereign and how their enhanced cooperation could increase their digital sovereignty, iii) and what can other countries learn from BRICS experiences. Here some background readings that can be useful * What is AI Sovereignty and Why Brazil Can Lead the Global Debate About It https://www.medianama.com/2024/06/223-views-ai-sovereignty-brazil-global-de… * The Quest for AI Sovereignty Transparency and Accountability https://cyberbrics.info/pre-print-the-quest-for-ai-sovereignty-transparency… * BRICS countries and AI sovereignty: Introduction to Thematic Section https://doi.org/10.23962/ajic.i34.20864 * Digital Sovereignty in the BRICS Countries: How the Global South and Emerging Power Alliances are Reshaping Digital Governance https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/digital-sovereignty-in-the-brics-count… Please feel free to share this message through your networks! All the best Luca [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_direito_rio.jpg] Luca Belli, PhD Professor | FGV Law Schoool Coordinator | Center for Technology & Society [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_tel.jpg]+55 21 3799 5763 t@1lucabelli<https://twitter.com/1lucabelli> [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_direito_rio_map.j… de Botafogo, 190 13º andar Botafogo - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - CEP: 22250-900 [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_ass_url.jpg]perso… www.lucabelli.net<https://lucabelli.net/> [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_ass_url.jpg]CTS-F… direitorio.fgv.br/cts<https://direitorio.fgv.br/cts> [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_ass_url.jpg]CPDP LatAm www.cpdp.lat<http://www.cpdp.lat/> [http://www.fgv.br/mailing/2018/direito_rio/assinatura/fgv_ass_url.jpg]cyber… www.cyberbrics.info<http://www.cyberbrics.info/> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This message, as well as any attached document, may contain personal data and information that is confidential and privileged and is intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying or distribution of this email or attached documents, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email by mistake.

Feb. 19, 2025

Call for Papers – Amsterdam Trust Summit 2025

by Balázs Bodó

Call for Papers – Amsterdam Trust Summit 2025 Don’t miss the chance to contribute to our annual Amsterdam Trust Summit, hosted by the Trust in the Digital Society Research Priority Area, on August 28–29, 2025! In recent years trust has become one of the central concepts in the digital society. On the one hand, the trustworthiness of our information infrastructures, such as platforms, AI, encrypted communications emerged as a central concern. On the other hand, trust relations in the digital society, such as trust in expertise, science, news, or public institutions have been fundamentally disrupted. We are at a critical juncture, where these two challenges meet. There is no rightly vested trust in the digital society without trustworthy information-communication technologies. The Amsterdam Trust Summit invites researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and activists to come together and start building a comprehensive account of the trust dynamics in the digital society. Contributions are welcome for various tracks: - Theories of trust and distrust in the digital society - Trust dynamics around emerging technologies - Individual trusting behaviors and their impacts - Trustworthiness safeguards of socio-technical infrastructures - Narratives of trust and distrust in popular culture - Innovative methods for studying trust in the information age Submit your work and learn more here: https://digitaltrust.uva.nl/amsterdam-trust-summit-2025/call-for-papers-ats… Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2025 Trust is the latest shared societal resource to be disrupted by digital innovation on a global scale. We see a growing distrust in institutions, practices, professions which were highly trusted before. More and more people have less confidence than before in journalism, science, vaccines, schools and universities, otherwise fair and reliable public institutions. Political polarization creates tensions in interpersonal trust relations, and sometimes tear friendships, and even families apart. While skepticism and distrust can also be understood as liberal democratic virtues, online they are all too often subject to ‘weaponization’ at the hands of trolls, online influencers, lying politicians and sock puppet accounts connected to authoritarian state sponsored disinformation campaigns. In online environments, where outrage often leads to higher levels of 'engagement', these dynamics feed into new ‘coalitions of distrust’ forming across and between different groups united by their shared antagonism of 'the mainstream'. On the other end of the spectrum, we also see an increase of ‘overconfidence’ in untrustworthy actors. Throughout history, people have often placed trust in the wrong hands, but what distinguishes the present is the scale at which this occurs online, where accountability is frequently lacking. The rise of the sharing economy has made it common to trust strangers with our homes, cars, and personal belongings, often without fully considering the risks involved. Similarly, the growing presence of generative AI has led many to trust the output of these systems without hesitation in their daily lives. Trust is fluid, and there are just too many opportunities for it to flow into the wrong places: the untrustworthy seem to be increasingly trusted, while the trustworthy aren’t. In each case we may be facing a slightly different formulation of the same fundamental questions. First: what makes these new digital innovations (un)trustworthy? What mix of regulation, transparency, accountability, oversights, technical design, business models will provide the greatest confidence that our new digital infrastructures can deliver on their promises, while keeping the best interest of their users and of the society in mind? Second, how does digital innovation shape trust in the digital society? What are the dynamics that shape trust relations vis-à-vis other people, institutions, technologies, etc.? How do the different components of trust change and transform due to digitization: the circumstances of the one who trusts, the characteristics of the one to be trusted, the environment in which trust emerges (or not). Third, what are the (unintended) consequences of the disruption of trust relations and the emergence of these new trust mediators to individuals, organizations, and society more broadly? And what may be effective pathways to, on the one hand, leverage the benefits of some of these developments while, on the other hand, addressing the risks and the issues that they bring?

Feb. 13, 2025

CfP From Platform Governance to Generative AI:Concepts, Methods, and Data for Studying Tech Governance

by Christian Katzenbach

Dear colleagues, We are hosting the 2025 AoIR Flashpoint Symposium this year at my lab PGMT in Bremen, Germany. Please take note of the short deadline for abstract submissions (February 15, that is this Saturday!) – and the great line-up of plenary speakers (Natali Helberger, Tarleton Gillespie, Sarah T. Roberts, Thomas Poell). **From Platform Governance to Generative AI:Concepts, Methods, and Data for Studying Tech Governance** 2025 AoIR Flashpoint Symposium, 3-4 June 2025, Bremen, Germany Lab Platform Governance, Media, and Technology (PGMT), University of Bremen **Submission Deadline for Abstracts: 15 February 2025** Confirmed Plenary Speakers: Natali Helberger, Sarah T. Roberts, Thomas Poell Call for Papers (short): The study of platform governance and generative AI has become increasingly critical as these technologies significantly (re)shape public discourse, societal norms, and policy-making processes. By determining how information is created, shared, and consumed, these technological systems raise complex questions of accountability, fairness, transparency, contestability, and ethics. After 20 years of social media these challenges remain topical, and both current political developments as well as the advent of generative AI will exacerbate rather than relieve those challenges. The AoIR Flashpoint Symposium 2025 in Bremen aims to contribute to these urgent discussions on governance and normative questions. Submissions for research papers or policy/position papers, or for pre-curated panels, will take the form of 400-600 word abstracts. *The submission deadline is 15 February 2025.* The complete Call for Papers, more information on the symposium and the link for submissions are available here: https://platform-governance.org/aoir-flashpoint-symposium-2025/ Inquiries can be sent to aoir2025(a)uni-bremen.de <mailto:aoir2025@uni-bremen.de>. The Symposium organisers are Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach, Dr. Daria Dergacheva, and Dr. Dennis Redeker. It would be great to see some NOC colleagues with us in Bremen! Best, Christian Katzenbach — Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach Professor of Media and Communication Centre for Media, Communication & Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen www.uni-bremen.de/zemki Lab Platform Governance, Media and Technology (PGMT) platform-governance.org Associated Researcher Alexander von Humboldt Institut for Internet and Society (HIIG) www.hiig.de -- Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft gGmbH Französische Straße 9 · 10117 Berlin T +49 30 200 760 82 · F +49 30 206 089 60 · www.hiig.de <http://www.hiig.de/> · Bluesky <https://bsky.app/profile/hiigberlin.bsky.social> · Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/hiigberlin/> · LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/school/hiigberlin/> Gesellschaftssitz Berlin | Amtsgericht Berlin Charlottenburg | HRB 140911B | USt-ID DE 291 151 171 Forschungsdirektorium: Prof. Dr. Jeanette Hofmann (Geschäftsführung) · Prof. Dr. Björn Scheuermann · Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer · Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz | Geschäftsführung: Dr. Karina Preiß

Feb. 13, 2025

Re: [netsociety] Global Call for Submissions: UNDP AI Trust & Safety Programme

by susan ariel aaronson

Thank you. On Wed, Feb 12, 2025 at 6:03 PM Guio Espanol, Armando <arg911(a)harvard.edu> wrote: > Dear All, > > We are excited to share a timely opportunity to join the UNDP’s first-ever > AI Trust and Safety Re-Imagination Programme from innovators working at the > intersection of AI and T&S. > > Here is the information provided by UNDP colleagues: > > "The UNDP Trust and Safety Re-Imagination Programme seeks to: > > > - Gather practical experiences and data on how AI products and systems > manifest new risks that create harm in local contexts; > - Lay the foundations for equitable and safe AI development ecosystems > that support local startups and the safe application of AI in developing > countries; and > - Explore innovative partnerships that ensure safety-by-design in the > early stage of AI development and deployment. > > > Selected participants will present to global stakeholders in regional and > global convening sessions over the next 6 months. > > Submissions are encouraged from innovators working at the intersection of > AI and T&S, which may range from *prototypes, unpublished or recently > published research, to a fully-fledged product or solution that has been > deployed.* > > Below are the key dates for participants: > > - Information sessions will be held on* February 13 and 17*, March 6, April > 3, and May 1 (*Sign up here > <https://www.sparkblue.org/content/information-sessions-public-event-program…>* > ) > - Round 1: Systemic Trust and Safety regional challenges and the > impact of AI, Deadline: 20 February 2025. > - Round 2: Emerging AI risks and escalations, Deadline: 20 March 2025. > - Round 3: Theme to be determined by submissions and previous rounds, Deadline: > 24 April 2025 > - Round 4: Locally tailored solutions, Deadline: 22 May 2025. > > > We invite individuals and teams to learn more about the programme and > submit their projects here: *https://www.undp.org/digital/ai-trust-and-safety > <https://www.undp.org/digital/ai-trust-and-safety>* > > Please also take a look at the UNDP Chief Digital Office Trello site if > you're interested: > https://trello.com/b/hqZZdFhV/undp-chief-digital-office-2024 > > We encourage you to submit as early as possible and look forward to seeing > the amazing work that will come from this opportunity.” > > Best regards, > > Armando Guio > Executive Director > > -- *Susan Ariel Aaronson, Ph.D.* *Research Professor of International Affairs and GWU Public Interest Technology Scholar,* *co-PI, NSF-NIST Trustworthy AI Institute for Law and Society * *Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University* https://elliott.gwu.edu/susan-aaronson https://www.trails.umd.edu/ *Director, Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub* *https://datagovhub.elliott.gwu.edu/ <https://datagovhub.elliott.gwu.edu/>* *Also,* *Senior Fellow, Economics, Center for International Governance Innovation * https://www.cigionline.org/person/susan-ariel-aaronson *To see many of my publications go to:http://goo.gl/j9bdKY <http://goo.gl/j9bdKY>*

Feb. 12, 2025

Global Call for Submissions: UNDP AI Trust & Safety Programme

by Guio Espanol, Armando

Dear All, We are excited to share a timely opportunity to join the UNDP’s first-ever AI Trust and Safety Re-Imagination Programme from innovators working at the intersection of AI and T&S. Here is the information provided by UNDP colleagues: "The UNDP Trust and Safety Re-Imagination Programme seeks to: * Gather practical experiences and data on how AI products and systems manifest new risks that create harm in local contexts; * Lay the foundations for equitable and safe AI development ecosystems that support local startups and the safe application of AI in developing countries; and * Explore innovative partnerships that ensure safety-by-design in the early stage of AI development and deployment. Selected participants will present to global stakeholders in regional and global convening sessions over the next 6 months. Submissions are encouraged from innovators working at the intersection of AI and T&S, which may range from prototypes, unpublished or recently published research, to a fully-fledged product or solution that has been deployed. Below are the key dates for participants: * Information sessions will be held on February 13 and 17, March 6, April 3, and May 1 (Sign up here<https://www.sparkblue.org/content/information-sessions-public-event-program…>) * Round 1: Systemic Trust and Safety regional challenges and the impact of AI, Deadline: 20 February 2025. * Round 2: Emerging AI risks and escalations, Deadline: 20 March 2025. * Round 3: Theme to be determined by submissions and previous rounds, Deadline: 24 April 2025 * Round 4: Locally tailored solutions, Deadline: 22 May 2025. We invite individuals and teams to learn more about the programme and submit their projects here: https://www.undp.org/digital/ai-trust-and-safety Please also take a look at the UNDP Chief Digital Office Trello site if you're interested: https://trello.com/b/hqZZdFhV/undp-chief-digital-office-2024 We encourage you to submit as early as possible and look forward to seeing the amazing work that will come from this opportunity.” Best regards, Armando Guio Executive Director [cid:35770016-6dc9-4db4-a24c-bfa2fff3041f]

Feb. 12, 2025

AI Action Summit Event:

by Stefaan G Verhulst

Join us for an official AI Action Summit event in Paris : "Aligning Urban AI and Global AI Governance" which will bring together global leaders, policymakers, technologists, and visionaries to explore the intersection between artificial intelligence in urban environments and the frameworks of global AI governance. 📅 Date: February 11, 2025, 3:00- 6:00pm CET 📍 Location: Paris, France (will be shared upon registration) 🔗 Program and Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aligning-urban-ai-and-global-ai-governance-tic… Co-organized by Urban AI and The GovLab, in collaboration with MEDEF, OpenDataFrance, DemocracyNext and UN-Habitat Urban Lab What to Expect: 🌍 Best practices for governing and deploying AI in cities (AI Localism) 🔑 Ethical considerations and trust-building in urban AI 📜 Regulatory strategies to align local solutions with global governance of AI

Feb. 5, 2025