[Commlist] Cfp: AI cultures: Communications between humans and machines in a plural world

Cfp: AI cultures: Communications between humans and machines in a plural 
world
International Symposium, University of Turin, Italy, 24-25 October 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly at the forefront of lively 
debates involving academic researchers, private and public stakeholders, 
and the public. In many of these debates, AI is usually defined in the 
singular form. Since contemporary AI technologies enter in interaction 
and communication with human users that are situated in specific 
linguistic, cultural, and national contexts, however, AI should always 
be defined in the plural form: there is not one “AI” but a plurality of 
technologies that are framed, developed, used and discussed in specific 
places and contexts.

This symposium aims to empower ongoing attempts to frame more rigorously 
AI technologies in a global context and in specific local cultures. We 
aim to unveil the heterogeneity of ways through which AI is created and 
used around the world, moving from the consideration that, as studies in 
Human-Machine Communication have shown, all interactions with these 
technologies need to be understood in the specific cultural and social 
contexts and imaginaries within which the interaction takes place.

We encourage submission of proposals that illustrate the above-mentioned 
dynamics with specific cases, examples, and empirical studies as well as 
theoretical and methodological proposals to advance this agenda. We are 
especially interested in research based within the broad remits of 
communication and media studies but work conducted in other disciplines 
and interdisciplinary approaches are also invited.

  Selected proposals could address questions such as:
- How do different linguistic, cultural, and national dimensions impact 
the functioning and outcome of AI technologies?
- How do different legislations, social and economical structures, and 
marketplaces shape AIs in diverse contexts?
- How can we better understand the plurality of AI and algorithmic 
imaginaries, human-machine communication cultures and users in a global 
world?
- How are technologies such as AI and robots domesticated in different 
cultural environments?
- How do cultural histories and traditions in different cultural 
contexts inform development, legislation, appropriations, and responses 
to contemporary AI technologies?
- How can the scope of human-machine communication research be enlarged 
to encompass wider historical trajectories and geographical boundaries?

Interested authors should send a 200 words abstract and a short 
biographical note to (simone.natale /at/ unito.it) 
<mailto:(simone.natale /at/ unito.it)> and (federico.biggio /at/ unito.it) 
<mailto:(federico.biggio /at/ unito.it)> by 30 June 2023. Selected authors will 
be notified by 15 July 2023. The conference will not require the payment 
of a registration fee. A small amount of funding might be provided for 
selected participants to contribute to travel and accommodation fees; 
based on availability, priority will be given to researchers from low 
income countries and to early career researchers. If you wish to be 
considered for a contribution to your travel expenses, please state this 
with a brief justification in your email upon submission.

Organizers: Federico Biggio (University of Turin, Italy), John Downey 
(Loughborough University, UK), Riccardo Fassone (University of Turin), 
Emily Keightley (Loughborough University) Simone Natale (University of 
Turin)


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