[Commlist] Call for Papers – Conference and Edited Volume: Artificial Intelligence and the Human – Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Science and Fiction

C A L L   F O R    P A P E R S
Conference and edited volume

Artificial intelligence and the human – Cross-cultural perspectives 
on science and fiction

A Japanese-German conference in Berlin, Germany (17 and 18 June 2021) & 
edited volume (2022)

Current debates on artificial intelligence often conflate the realities 
of AI technologies with the fictional renditions of what they might one 
day become. They are said to be able to learn, make autonomous decisions 
or process information much faster than humans, which raises hopes and 
fears alike. What if these useful technologies will one day 
develop their own intentions that run contrary to those of humans?
The line between science and fiction is becoming increasingly blurry: 
what is already a fact, what is still only imagination; and is it even 
possible to make this clear-cut distinction? Innovation and development 
goals in the field of AI are inspired by popular culture, such as its 
portrayal in literature, comics, film or television. At the same time, 
images of these technologies drive discussions and set particular 
priorities in politics, business, journalism, religion, civil society, 
ethics or research. Fictions, potentials and scenarios inform a society 
about the hopes, risks, solutions and expectations associated with 
new technologies. But what is more, the discourses on AI, robots and 
intelligent, even sentient machines are nothing short of a mirror of the 
human condition: they renew fundamental questions on concepts such as 
consciousness, free will and autonomy or the ways we humans think, act 
and feel.
Imaginations about the human and technologies are far from 
universal, they are culturally specific. This is why a cross-cultural 
comparison is crucial for better understanding the relationship between 
AI and the human and how they are mutually constructed by uncovering 
those aspects that are regarded as natural, normal or given. Focusing on 
concepts, representations and narratives from different cultures, the 
conference aims to address two axes of comparison that help us make 
sense of the diverse realities of artificial intelligence and the ideas 
of what is human: Science and fiction, East Asia and the West.

Papers are invited on the following topics (among others):
- Which meanings and functions are ascribed to AI technologies and robots?
- How is science informed by popular discursive images of AI?
- Which cultural differences are there concerning the relationship 
between the natural and the artificial? What are the particular 
traditions of how to represent the human and its technological surrogates?
- What can the different cultural and conceptual histories tell us about 
our present and future with artificial intelligence?

Besides papers on these more general topics, we also invite case studies 
on innovative technologies and their fictional precursors as well as on 
the social, ethical or political contexts in which they are applied. All 
contributions are expected to address the comparative perspective on 
East Asian and Euro-American discourses.
Relevant issues and perspectives for these comparisons include but are 
not limited to cyberpunk and science-fiction in literature and film, 
public debates and imaginations of AI, the relation between simulation 
and reality, materiality, historical and legal accounts, sociotechnical 
imaginaries and politics.
We welcome contributions from scholars of diverse disciplines, such as 
cognitive science, computer science, cultural studies, literature and 
film studies, media and communication studies, psychology, political 
science, science and technology studies or sociology. Interdisciplinary 
approaches (e.g., those combining social, cultural and technical 
perspectives) as well as perspectives from practitioners and developers 
are particularly encouraged.

Submission process:
- Extended abstracts of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 characters in 
length (excl. references) should be submitted no later than 10 
February 2021 to (ai21 /at/ hiig.de) <mailto:(ai21 /at/ hiig.de)>
- Speakers will be notified by 15 March 2021.
- No payment from the authors will be required.


Conference and publication of selected papers in an edited volume:
- The conference will take place on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June 
2021 in Berlin.
- Invitations for the submission of selected full manuscripts sent out 
in July 2021.
- Full manuscripts of between 30.000 to 50.000 characters (excluding 
references) to be submitted by September 2021.
- Comprehensive review returned to authors in December 2021; final 
papers due in February 2022.
- The edited volume will be published in early 2022.

If you have any questions, you can contact the conference organisers via 
(ai21 /at/ hiig.de) <mailto:(ai21 /at/ hiig.de)>.
For more information, visit our website at hiig.de/events/ai21 
<http://hiig.de/events/ai21>.

Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin
Thomas Christian Bächle, Christian Katzenbach

Japanese-German Center Berlin
Phoebe Stella Holdgrün

Waseda University, Tokyo
Katsumi Watanabe

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