[ecrea] Workshop "The Turn to AI in Communication Governance"

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Workshop: The turn to artificial intelligence in governing communication 
online

20.03.2018 | 9:00 - 18:00
Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Französische Straße 9, 
10117 Berlin


The technology underlying artificial intelligence research has 
increasingly found applications in the area of content moderation and 
communication governance on digital platforms. While the scale of 
problematic online content makes a stronger move reasonable, taking down 
content through automated means can be risky for online expression and 
access to information. Amid an obscure use of AI-systems, opaque 
implementation, vague definitions and a lack of accountability, 
governments and policy-makers are heavily pressuring companies to take 
action. And a few EU members states have already responded with new 
regulatory initiatives.

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and 
Access Now will host a workshop on technological advancements, the 
extent of Artificial intelligence deployment and the range of approaches 
to understanding the status and future impact of AI systems to govern 
social communication on the internet.

We invite experts from different fields and backgrounds to participate 
in the discussion on March 20, 2018 in Berlin. If you would like to 
participate in the workshop, we ask you to apply with an expression of 
interest being announced below.

Themes

The workshop will be organized around three problem-oriented questions 
in order to map challenges of this development:

	• Who are the primary agents of the socio-technical change to 
artificial intelligence in content moderation?
	• How is the turn to AI influenced (e.g. governance instruments)?
	• Why is the process of change accepted, or not?
Sessions will be chaired by known experts who will provide inputs and 
facilitate interaction among all participants.

Confirmed contributors

	• Niva Elkin-Koren (Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society | Haifa 
Center for Law & Technology)
	• Tarleton Gillespie (remotely – Microsoft Research New England | 
Cornell University)
	• Michael Latzer (University of Zurich)
	• Jillian York (Electronic Frontier Foundation | Center for Internet & 
Human Rights)

Participants

As the emerging issues transcend disciplinary boundaries and 
perspectives, workshop participants will have diverse backgrounds.The 
workshop particularly aims at the exchange between academics and 
non-academics. It will bring researchers and practitioners from key 
countries in Europe together.

We are looking forward to receiving applications from researchers from 
all disciplines, members of interest groups and NGOs, as well as 
practitioners (business, technology) with expertise in artificial 
intelligence and automation systems in the context of content moderation 
and the global governance of communication online.

Call for Expressions of Interest

If you would like to participate in the workshop, we ask you to apply 
with an expression of interest, including (1) your field of work and the 
related expertise, (2) the specific topics you would like to contribute 
to the workshop, and (3) how you would benefit from the expertise of 
other participants, and vice versa, how would participants benefit from 
your particular contribution (approx. 500 words).

The workshop is limited to 25 participants.

Please send your application to (kirsten.gollatz /at/ hiig.de) by no later than 
25 January 2018 with the subject line “AI and Communication Governance”. 
We would highly appreciate if you could forward this call across your 
network.

Organisers

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) 
explores the dynamic relationship between the Internet and society, 
including the increasing interpenetration of digital infrastructures and 
various domains of everyday life. Its goal is to understand the 
interplay of social-cultural, legal, economic and technical norms in the 
process of digitisation.

Access Now is an international not-for-profit civil society organisation 
that defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk around the 
world. We are a team of 40, with local staff in 10 locations around the 
world. We maintain four legally incorporated entities – Belgium, Costa 
Rica, Tunisia, and the United States – with our tech, advocacy, policy, 
granting, and operations teams distributed across all regions. By 
combining innovative policy, user engagement, and direct technical 
support, we fight for open and secure communications for all. Access Now 
focuses on freedom of expression, privacy and data protection, network 
discrimination and internet shutdowns, cybersecurity and more.




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