Artificial Intelligence technologies are said to augur the fourth industrial revolution. In the drive to realise such forecasts of economic growth and productivity, data science has taken centre stage. More and more governments and industries are funding data science research to develop and integrate AI technologies in everything from healthcare, urban planning, governance, journalism and language translation, to finance, marketing, logistics, and manufacturing. By contrast, the relevance of the social sciences to AI projects is less recognised. Rigid demarcations between the social and the technical, displayed in computer science curricula as well as in the allocation of public research funds, continue to replicate this interdisciplinary imbalance. Some social science contributions unfold as post-hoc external critiques. Others are recognised within a shared yet limited conversation around ethical principles for AI and the trustworthiness of AI systems. We believe the social sciences can and should actively shape the design and implementation of AI technologies. We take inspiration from current attempts within LSE to achieve this, and we would like to push these cross-disciplinary dialogues further.

Deadline for submitting a paper is 7th September. Read more about the workshop in the attached document.