[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
12 and 13 May 2022
& Edited volume (2023)


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 precursorsas 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 abstractsof approximately 4,000 to 6,000 characters in
    length (excl. references) should be submitted no later than 20
    September 2021to (ai21 /at/ hiig.de) <mailto:(ai21 /at/ hiig.de)>

  *

    Speakers will be notified by 15 November 2021.

Conference and publication of selected papers in an edited volume

  *

    The conference will take place on Thursday12 and Friday 13 May
    2022in Berlin.

  *

    Invitations for the submission of selected full manuscripts sent out
    inJune 2022.

  *

    Full manuscriptsof between 30.000 to 50.000 characters (excluding
    references) to be submitted by September 2022.

  *

    Comprehensive review returned to authors in December 2022; final
    papers due in February 2023.

  *

    The edited volumewill be published in mid-2023.



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>.


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