Blessed by the Algorithm: AI Teleology and Popular Discourse

29 jan ft ht20 singler

The first Futures Thinking event of Hilary Term 2020 features Dr Beth Singler, JRF in AI, Homerton College, Cambridge on the topic: 'Blessed by the Algorithm': AI Teleology and Popular Discourse.

Drawing on anthropological fieldwork, both on and offline, this talk will explore how over-hyped and aspirational imaginaries of artificial intelligence have traceable effects on both discourse and society, while also becoming entangled with older narratives and tropes from cultural and religious contexts. We will begin this exploration with the four word expression “Blessed by the algorithm” (BBtA): initially the public expression of the feeling that you have been lucky in what appears on your feed on various social media platforms, or in the success or virality content as a creator, or in what gig economy jobs you are offered.

Dr Beth Singler is the Junior Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. Prior to this she was the post-doctoral Research Associate on the “Human Identity in an age of Nearly-Human Machines” project at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. She has been an associate fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence since 2016.

Venue: TORCH Seminar Room, Radcliffe Humanities, Woodstock Road
Time: 5.30pm-7pm
Wine reception to follow.

This venue is wheelchair accessible, please contact us at futuresthinking@torch.ox.ac.uk if you have any inquiries or access needs.

Click here to book via Eventbrite. If you prefer not to use Eventbrite, please contact the TORCH team directly at torch@humanities.ox.ac.uk