EMERGE is an annual event organised by the Digital Society Lab of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade. Its goal is to connect actors from the tech industry, policy makers, and academic researchers in discussing the social and economic impact of emerging technologies. EMERGE 2022 will consist of the EMERGE Forum on The Future of AI driven Humanity and the International Scientific Conference on Digital Society Now. It will take place at the Institute for Philosphy and Social Theory and at the Dorcol Platz in Belgrade, Serbia and online, 16–18 December.
The topics of the EMERGE 2022 Conference include, but are not limited to:
- AI technology
- Creativity in digital society
- Virtual reality in theoretical perspectives
- Journalism and emerging technologies
- Users and emerging technologies
- Metaverse
- Cyber order
- Societal impact of blockchain
- New normal or new vision for society
- Techno-narratives
- Posthumanism
The language of the conference is English. There are no participation fees. Presentations will be delivered both online and in person. EMERGE 2022 outputs will include the Book of Abstracts and an edited book.
Download Book of Abstracts and Conference Program
Apply for audience here. Note that attendance is free of charge, but early registrations are encouraged because of limited audience size
Important News: The venue has been changed for the first day of the conference, December 16, to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, 45 Kraljice Natalije St. (4th floor). The second and third days of the conference, December 17 and 18, will be held at Dorcol Platz, 59b Dobracina St., as planned.
Tune in online:
16 December (Main Hall – Zoom Link | Small Hall – Zoom Link)
17 December (Main Hall – Zoom Link)
18 December (Main Hall – Zoom Link)
EMERGE 2023 Speakers
Kevin LaGrandeur
Director of Research
Global AI Ethics Institute, New York, USA
Julia Haas
Adviser
OSCE, Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Vienna, Austria
Christof Royer
Assistant Professor
Forward College, Paris, France
Silvia Milano
Senior Lecturer
University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Ricardo Baeza-Yates
Director of Research
Institute for Expieriental AI, Northeastern University, Silicon Valley, USA
Dina Damnjanovic
High School Student
Third Belgrade Gymnasium, Belgrade, Serbia
Robert Braun
Senior Researcher
Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria
Photo credit: Arpad Krizsan
Max Talanov
Senior Researcher
Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia
Bojana Kostic
Senior Researcher
Pen to Paper, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mario Hibert
Associate Professor
University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Philosophy, Sarajevo, BiH
Jelena Guga
Research Fellow
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Cedomir Markov
Research Fellow
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Srdjan Vesic
Research Fellow
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Lens, France
Ljubisa Bojic
Senior Researcher
Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Ambassador Jan Braathu
Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia
Dubravko Culibrk
Director
Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia
Luka Glusac
Assistant Director
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Friday, 16 December
EMERGE 2022: International Conference on Digital Society Now
Important News: The venue has been changed for the first day of the conference, December 16, to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, 45 Kraljice Natalije St. (4th floor). The second and third days of the conference, December 17 and 18, will be held at Dorcol Platz, 59b Dobracina St., as planned.
08:00-08:50 Registration & Morning Coffee
08:50-09.00 Opening Words
Gazela Pudar Drasko, IFDT, University of Belgrade, Director
Ljubisa Bojic, IFDT, University of Belgrade, DigiLab Coordinator
9:00-9:45 Keynote Lecture: News and Political Information in the Digital Society – The Role of Human and Algorithmic Feedback Loops
Damian Trilling, University of Amsterdam
09:45-10:00 Short Break
10:00-11:00 Panel Discussion: Democracy & Technology: Bringing Deliberation to the Mass Public
Ceri Davies, Centre for Deliberative Research, NatCen
Suzanne Hall, Policy Institute, King’s College London
Alice Siu, Deliberative Democracy Lab, Stanford University
Irena Fiket, IFDT, University of Belgrade, moderator
11:00-11:30 Coffee break
Parallel scientific Sessions, Dorcol Platz, Room 1/2
11:30–12:45 AI and Society / Online Political Communication
12:45–13:45 Standing Buffet
13:45–15:00 Digital Democracy / Techno-Narratives
15:00–15:15 Coffee Break
15:15–16:30 Cyber order / Postdigital Art and Culture
16:30–16:45 Coffee Break
16:45–18:00 AI in Practice / New Realities
See Detailed Conference Agenda
19:00-21:00 Conference Dinner
Smokvica Restaurant (45a Gospodar Jovanova St.)
Saturday, 17 December
EMERGE 2022: Forum on the Future of AI driven Humanity
Important News: The venue has been changed for the first day of the conference, December 16, to the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, 45 Kraljice Natalije St. (4th floor). The second and third days of the conference, December 17 and 18, will be held at Dorcol Platz, 59b Dobracina St., as planned.
08:00-08:50 Registration & Morning Coffee
08:50-09:00 Opening Words
Gazela Pudar Drasko, IFDT, University of Belgrade, Director
Ljubisa Bojic, IFDT, University of Belgrade, DigiLab Coordinator
09:00-09:45 Keynote Lecture: Echo Chambers and Polarization in Online Social Media
Matteo Cinelli, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
09:45-10:00 Short Break
10:00-10:45 Echo Chambers as a Threat to Democracy
Jörg Matthes, University of Vienna
Damian Trilling, University of Amsterdam
Achim Rettinger, University of Trier
Matteo Cinelli, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
Gazela Pudar Drasko, IFDT, University of Belgrade, Moderator
10:45-11:00 Short Break
11:00-11:10 Presentation: What on Earth is Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence? A Quick Tour of ML, AI and Data Science
Dejana Ugrenovic, United Cloud
11:10 -11:30 Presentation: Understanding MetaHumans as a Virtual Identity Standard
Uros Sikimic, 3lateral
11:30-11:45 Short Break
11:45-12:30 How can We Build Ethical AI? Experiences from the Work Group and Beyond
Claudia Roda, American University of Paris
Nevena Ruzic, Open Society Foundation Serbia
Vladimir Cvetkovic, IFDT, University of Belgrade
Milan Gospic, Microsoft Serbia
Ana Corkovic, United Cloud, Moderator
12:30-13:00 Coffee Break
13:00-13:10 Presentation: Data HighWay for Researchers
Radovan Bacovic, GitLab
13:10 -13:20 Presentation: Computational Social Sciences and Digital Skills (For Development?)
Tiago Peixoto, World Bank
13:20-12:30 Short Break
13:30-14:15 The Prospects of Metaverse
Francesco Parisi, University of Messina
Ivana Uspenski, McCann Germany
Dusan Zica, 2142AD
Aleksandra Jovanic, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade
Jelena Guga, IFDT, University of Belgrade, Moderator
14:15-15:00 Standing Buffet
19:00-20:30 Conference Dinner
Smokvica Restaurant (45a Gospodar Jovanova St.)
21:00 Exhibition & Party (N.eon Gallery, 10 Crnogorska St., Belgrade)
AI-Generated Art: Is a Swarm of Bees Happy? Should We Create a Future for Humans or Machines? [Artworks, Catalogue]
Sunday, 18 December
EMERGE 2022: Forum on the Future of AI driven Humanity
09:00-09:50 Registration & Morning Coffee
10:00-10:45 Keynote lecture: The End of Privacy
Michael Kosinski, Stanford University Graduate School of Business
10:45-11:00 Short Break
11:00-11:10 Presentation: The AI Institute of Serbia
Dubravko Culibrk, AI Institute of Serbia, Director
13:10-13.20 Presentation: Digital Transformation of Agriculture Using AI and Robotics
Oskar Marko, Assistant director of the Biosense Institute, University of Novi Sad
11:20-11.30
Video Addresses:
Teresa Ribeiro, The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
Jan Braathu, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia
Brankica Jankovic, The Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Republic of Serbia
Signing of the Belgrade Digital Freedom Plegde
11:30-12:00 Coffee Break
12:00-12:45 Human Rights and Democracy in the Digital Sphere
Michael Kosinski, Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Susan Perry, American University of Paris
Ljubisa Bojic, IFDT, University of Belgrade
Grant Baker, Freedom House
Cedomir Markov, IFDT, University of Belgrade, Moderator
12:45-13:00 Short Break
13:00-13:10 Presentation: How Telegram is contributing to disinformation related to the war in Ukraine
Walid Al-Saqaf, Södertörn University
13:10-13:20 Presentation: New Technologies and Forced Migration
Nina Khamsky, PhD candidate, Geneva Graduate Institute
13:20-13:30 Short Break
13:30-14:15 Winners and Losers in the Brave New World of Digitalized Work
Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrčela, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences
Andrej Kohont, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences
Miroljub Ignjatović, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences
Tej Gonza, University of Ljubljana
Branka Anđelković, Public Policy Research Center, moderator
14:15 – 15:00 Conference Closing and Standing Buffet
Scientific Committee
Ljubisa Bojic, Research Fellow, University of Belgrade, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Chair, Serbia
Jelena Guga, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Matteo Cinelli, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Venice, Italy
Milad Mirbabaie, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Paderborn University, Germany
Jörg Matthes, professor, Department of Communication, University of Wien, Austria
David Roden, Honorary Associate, Philosophy Department, Open University, UK
Claudia Roda, Professor, American University of Paris, France
Susan Perry, Professor, American University of Paris, France
Evi Sampanikou, Professor, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of Aegean, Greece
Zeljko Radinkovic, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Romina Surugiu, Associate Professor, Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies, University of Bucharest, Romania
Bojana Romic, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Culture and Society & School of Arts and Communication, Malmo University, Sweden
Smiljana Antonijevic, Adjunct Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, USA
Vera Mevorah, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Cedomir Markov, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Vladimir Cvetkovic, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Organizing Committee
Cedomir Markov, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Chair, Serbia
Jelena Guga, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Chair, Serbia
Jörg Matthes, professor, Department of Communication, University of Wien, Austria
Claudia Roda, Professor, American University of Paris, France
Vera Mevorah, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Susan Perry, Professor, American University of Paris, France
Ljubisa Bojic, Research Fellow, University of Belgrade, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Chair, Serbia
Simona Zikic, Research Assistant, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Novakovic, Research Assistant, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Ana Lipij, Research Assistant, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Serbia
EMERGE is an annual event organised by the Digital Society Lab of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade. Its goal is to connect actors from the tech industry, policy makers, and academic researchers in discussing the social and economic impact of emerging technologies. EMERGE 2022 will consist of the EMERGE Forum on The Future of AI driven Humanity and the International Scientific Conference on Digital Society Now. It will take place in Belgrade, Serbia and online, 16–18 December.
We invite scholars from diverse fields to evaluate the risks, benefits, and potential outcomes of emerging technologies and to critically examine the ways these technologies affect and shape societies. We welcome submissions examining different aspects of emerging technologies from the perspective of specific disciplines as well as interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approaches to the topic.
Emerging technologies have brought about ground-breaking changes to societies across the globe. Leading global regulators are struggling to keep up with technological development and impose new rules and regulations. Our choices and habits, personal freedoms, human rights, and power relations are being fundamentally transformed through our constant interaction with and reliance on technology. The development of autonomous vehicles, military drones, and other types of AI systems opens up significant questions in the domains of ethics and law.
In interacting with media such as news content, ads, and search engine results, citizens are exposed to algorithmic decisions by AI-based recommendation systems on an individual level and are subjected to echo chambers, misinformation, and personal data misuse by big tech and third parties. Freedom of speech and regulation of social media have been the battlefields of leading global tech corporations.
New markets are constantly being opened by the creative industry sector propelled by the evolution of digital technologies. This has become a sector of strategic importance. New apps are being developed on multiple platforms, offering additional functionalities and transforming the needs and habits of digital consumers. The fusion of creativity, art, advertising, and start-up culture has become a driving force of creative economy growth across the world.
Immersive virtual spaces are being introduced under the umbrella term Metaverse designated as an open and shared sum of all virtual reality spaces (worlds). The shift to the virtual realm has been significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and military conflicts around the world. Major corporations are investing billions to create a new market that will transport our daily activities, such as shopping, work, leisure, entertainment, and socialization, into the virtual realm.
Beyond its use in cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology has promising potential in handling misinformation and fake news and therefore could serve the purpose of regaining trust in online news media. At the same time, blockchain technology has a very significant environmental impact, it is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and any information stored on it (including, for example, child pornography) cannot be corrected or erased.
The fast pace of technological development is followed by the development of posthumanist concepts, shedding light on implants, cognitive enhancement, bio-hacking, and other emergent technologies. EMERGE 2022 seeks both specific and broad perspectives on current technological advancements. As Nick Montfort wrote in his exploration of the concept of the future, our goal should be consciously trying to contribute to future-making rather than anticipating and predicting the future.
The topics of EMERGE 2022
- AI technology (the ethics and implications of machine learning algorithms, the impact of AI on the future of societies, quantum computing, non-human agency)
- The question of creativity in digital society (creative industries, the future of art and culture, machine creativity)
- Virtual and augmented reality from philosophical and theoretical perspectives (tool or media, real virtuality, ubiquitous technologies, pervasive content)
- Journalism and emerging technologies (citizen journalism, fake news and post-truth discourse, blockchain, AI automated fact checking)
- Users and emerging technologies (digital citizens, privacy, activism, democratic processes, the digital divide, addictions, data monetisation, the impact of health tech, autonomous vehicles and IoT)
- Metaverse (cognitive load, the Brain-Computer Interface, interoperability, NFTs, digital twins)
- Cyber order (hybrid warfare, cyber security, surveillance and biometrics, Internet governance, digital capitalism)
- The societal impact of blockchain (NFTs, the ecological impact of blockchain tech, cryptocurrencies, security)
- The new normal or a new vision for society (the Covid-19 pandemic, human rights, Universal basic income technologies, attention economy, the (anti)sociality of social media, space technology, posthumanism)
- Techno-narratives (postdigital, science fiction as social reality, dystopia, film/literature/art, futurism, human – nonhuman relations)
- Posthumanism (trans/post/meta-humanism, post-nature, non-human cultures and communities, religious context, anthropocene)
Download Call for Papers or send your abstract now [use this template]
EMERGE 2022:
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Digital Society Lab at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University of Belgrade explores the impact of information and communication technologies on society, politics, economy, industries, culture, and art practices, examining how the processes of ubiquitous digitalization affect and transform all aspects of our lives on both individual and collective level.
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As a part of the Department of Communication of the University of Vienna, the Vienna Advertising and Media Psychology (AdMe) Research Group deals with the impact of modern media environments on people’s thinking, behavior, and opinions.
Renowned as an international center for cross-cultural and interdisciplinary teaching and learning, the American University of Paris shapes global explorers to be able to take their places as responsible actors in communities, civil societies, and countries around the world.
EMERGE 2022:
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United Group is a leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in South East Europe, offering its customers with a full range of telecommunications services.
Open Society Foundation supports civil society groups around the world, with aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization, with 57 participating States in North America, Europe, and Asia.
USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance.
3Lateral develops innovative technologies that enable digitization of human appearance and motion at an unprecedented level of realism. 3Lateral has been recognized as a pioneer in the gaming industry and has a long list of successful AAA gaming projects.
Original is a project of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, created with the desire to empower brave, creative and strong individuals, future leaders and decision makers, support bold entrepreneurs and innovators, promote positive examples of accomplished business people and enrich the community with new knowledge.