The Great TransformAItion

Collaboration, Work, and Agency in an AI World

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in the fabric of society, we are entering a period of profound transformation — of how we work, collaborate, and define human agency. AI is no longer simply a tool; it is a force that is reshaping institutions, labor, relationships, and the foundations of decision-making across every sector. This raises critical questions: How do we ensure that this transformation enhances human dignity and social cohesion? What new forms of collaboration — between humans, machines, and institutions—are emerging, and how can they be designed to promote justice, autonomy, and collective resilience?

This year’s conference, The Great Transformation: Collaboration, Work and Agency in the Age of AI, will explore how individuals, organizations, and societies can navigate this rapidly evolving landscape. It invites researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and civil society to come together to reflect on the new dynamics of power and participation in an AI-driven world. Through panels, keynotes and discussions, we will engage with topics such as algorithmic labor, augmented decision-making, digital justice, and the evolving nature of expertise and human value.

The WASP-HS AI for Humanity and Society 2025 conference offers a space not only to examine the challenges, but to imagine new pathways forward — where AI can be a catalyst for inclusive innovation, democratic collaboration, and meaningful work. We warmly welcome you to join us in Stockholm at the Stockholm School of Economics (Sveavägen 65, Stockholm) on October 9–10, 2025.

Keynotes

Stewarding the Future Commons: Imagining Desirable Futures in an Age of AI
The accelerating advance of artificial intelligence raises profound questions about humanity’s collective future. Will AI amplify crises of inequality, climate breakdown, and democratic erosion, or help us reimagine more just, sustainable, and inclusive societies? In this keynote, Juliane argues that how we conceptualize and govern the future is itself a contested commons. Building on recent work on prospective theorizing and stewardship of the future commons, she propose that imagining desirable futures requires more than forecasting trends. It demands acts of disciplined imagination, normative commitments, and collective responsibility for how today’s practices structure long-term possibilities. Juliane will introduce a framework for navigating diverse and often conflicting modes of future making, and suggest principles of “speculative rigour” that keep our theorizing both imaginative and grounded. In doing so, she aims to develop a conceptual vocabulary that enables interdisciplinary scholarship to critically engage with AI as a site of future-making.

Why One AI needs another AI (anthropology intelligence) to Make Sense of the Modern World
AI has emerged from the field of quantitative analysis and is often discussed with awe in those terms. However there is an urgent need to use social analysis to make sense of how it is impacting our lives and how humans are framing it. Nothing illustrates this better than the question of how we do – or do not – trust AI, and some fascinating new research from Jigsaw and other groups suggests that we are framing this entirely wrong, particularly for Gen Z. Most notably, AI is entering our lines through lateral networks of distributed trust and needs to be framed in that manner. 

Conference Program

Conference program may be subject to change.

Friday, October 10

08:30 Registration and coffee and tea

09:00–9:05 Welcome and opening
Lisen Selander, Professor of Information Systems, University of Gothenburg
Christofer Edling, Professor of Sociology, WASP-HS Program Director

09:05–09:45 Keynote and Q&A “Stewarding the Future Commons: Imagining Desirable Futures in an Age of AI”
Juliane Reinecke, Professor of Management Studies, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

09:45–10:35 Lightning Talks – WASP-HS Research Project and Results
Teresa Cerratto-Pargman, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, Stockholm University
Nicolette Lakemond, Professor in Industrial Management, Linköping University
Donal Casey, Senior Lecturer in European Law, Uppsala University
Pontus Strimling, Professor of Analytical Sociology, IAS and Research Leader, Institute for Futures Studies
Jonas Tallberg, Professor of Political Science, Stockholm University
Moderator: Helena Lindgren, Professor in Computer Science, Co-Director of WASP-HS, Umeå University

10.35–10.55 Coffee break

10:55–11.45 Lightning Talks – New Research Clusters
Martin Ebers, WASP-HS Guest Professor, Örebro University
Anne Kaun, Professor of Media and Communication studies, Södertörn University
Anna Foka, Professor in Digital Humanities, Uppsala University
Oskar Nordström Skans, Professor of Economics, Uppsala University
Eva Erman,  Professor of Political Science, Stockholm University
Moderator: Christofer Edling, Professor of Sociology, WASP-HS Program Director, Lund University

11:45-12:00 Closing words
Magnus Mähring, the Erling Persson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics
Christofer Edling, Professor of Sociology, WASP-HS Program Director
Hannah Pelikan, Postdoctor, Department of Culture and Society, Linköping University

Registration

Registration is closed.

Conference Chairs