Rage against the machine

Paula will talk about some of the current grand visions for the future of AI and the future of humanity, and the values these may presuppose, and how they see our place in the universe. Thinking about this can shed light on the use of AI now and in the near future. A central set of questions raised concerns human agency; what we should do for ourselves, and what we can outsource to a machine. One commonly perceived ‘threat’ is that the machines take over our lives; but what if the real threat was that we control the machines too much, and make our lives too easy?

In recent years, a series of controversies and debates on the role of social media in facilitating political violence, hate speech and hate crimes, and trolling and bullying have emerged. Drawing on work focusing on cultures of hate online, Bharath argues that the notion of an entirely unregulated internet is unattainable, and presents risks to law, order, and security. Of course, this presents a tension with our freedom to express ourselves online. Based on ongoing research, Bharath considers the consequences and politics of free speech online.