WASP-HS

Workshop: Girls Just Want to Have Sc(AI)ence—Part 5
2025-11-17 12:30 - 15:00 (Europe/Stockholm)
Reimagining the Politics of AI: Co-Creating Tools to Confront Gender-Related Violence
Please note that this event is independently organized by a WASP-HS researcher and not the WASP-HS Program Office.
Such of today’s AI development is driven by large-scale models that demand vast datasets, compute resources and invisible human labour — often reinforcing the very inequalities they claim to solve. But what might AI look like if we built it differently? Drawing from the participatory, feminist work of the Data Against Feminicide project, this talk will explore how we can shift the politics of knowledge and data production in AI development towards non-extractive approaches that centre context, collaboration and care.
Data Against Feminicide is a collaborative research and design project focused on supporting the work of civil society organisations and grassroots activists who monitor gender-related violence and feminicide — the gender-related killing of cisgender and transgender women and girls. Across the world, many activists and grassroots groups produce their own data to draw attention to this systemic, lethal violence, hold public institutions accountable, support collective action and remember lives lost.Since 2019, our interdisciplinary team has worked with activists and civil society groups across the Americas and in Sub-Saharan Africa to co-design machine learning tools that support activists’ existing data production strategies rather than replace their labour. This work has included participatory data annotation and model evaluation with attention to the socio-spatial and ethical complexities of defining and detecting feminicide across contexts.
The talk will reflect on what this work reveals about the politics of AI, showing how choices about who is involved, how technology is developed, and to what ends directly shape its social impact. It will argue for a feminist data epistemology that moves from centralised, extractive data practices towards collaborative forms of knowledge production; from abstract, generalising models towards bespoke tools attentive to local and contextual difference; and from harmful automation towards more reflexive, caring engagements that question not only what machine learning can do but whether it should be applied at all.
Using concrete examples from the project, the talk will also explore the tensions of co-producing AI: how such tools can alleviate activist labour, where biases remain and what it means to democratise technical know-how. Ultimately, it will invite researchers and practitioners to rethink how AI can be designed with and for communities on the frontlines of social justice.
Practical Information
The workshop is arranged in a hybrid format on 18 March, 2025– 12.30 to 13.20: Hybrid lecture on zoom– 12.30 to 15.30: On-site lecture plus workshop in SOL:A129b, Helgonabacken 12, Lund, Sweden
Invited speaker: Ericka Johnson, Professor at Linköping University
Programme 17 November
13.00 – 14.00 Lecture (hybrid)
14.00 Coffee break
14.15 Workshop session
Registration
To participate is free of charge. Registration for online lecture or for both lecture and workshop on-site in Lund at ai.lu.se.

Study Abroad Tips and Tricks
2025-11-24 16:00 - 17:15
Interested in going abroad for a semester? WASP-HS PhD students are welcome to this session where your fellow PhD students who have been abroad can share their ideas and thoughts about their experience.
Please join November 24, at 16:00 – 17:15.
Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/65780063878

Generously funded by the Wallenberg Foundations.

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PhD Defense: Mapping Small Water Channels Using Machine Learning
2025-12-05 08:30 - 12:00
Mariana Busarello defends her doctoral thesis “Mapping small water channels using machine learning” on December 5 at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Abstract
Boreal landscapes are shaped by a dense network of natural streams, modified streams, and ditches. Together, they regulate hydrology, nutrient transport, and ecosystem function. Historically, streams were modified to accommodate log transportation, and drainage ditches were dug to improve food and timber production. Although new ditching has mostly stopped, historical changes to the drainage network still affect forestry and water management. Small streams and ditches are the landscape’s capillaries, but they remain poorly mapped despite their vital hydrological and ecological roles. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge by developing a novel, national-scale framework for mapping small streams and ditches using high-resolution topographic data and machine learning techniques. Combining convolutional neural networks, XGBoost classification, uncertainty quantification, and drainage analyses, this work identifies geomorphological and hydrological indices that distinguish streams from ditches across the landscape. The highest-performing model shows that integrating digital elevation models with terrain indices and machine learning delineates the channel networks successfully for ditches (recall=76%, precision=88%) and moderately for natural streams (recall=58%, precision=56%). Furthermore, the produced uncertainty maps highlight low-certainty pixels from the background that can be used to potentially improve the mapping of streams in the future. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that can separate streams and ditches on maps across an entire nation. By providing consistent, scalable maps of small channels, this research supports restoration prioritization, sustainable forestry planning, and national reporting under EU and UN environmental frameworks. The methodology also offers a reproducible approach for characterizing coupled natural-artificial drainage systems in boreal and temperate regions worldwide.
See full thesis.
Supervisor
William Lidberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Opponent
Chris Soulsby, University of Aberdeen

AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives from PhD Graduates
2025-12-08 15:00 - 16:00
Welcome to second webinar in the AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives form PhD Graduates series! Join us as newly minted PhD students from WASP-HS Graduate School discuss their insights into the implications and entanglements of AI for society and humanity in a series of lightning talks.
Program
“Conflicting Aims of Welfare Technology” Maria Arnelid, Linköping University
“The End of a Platform Exeptionalism”Silvia A Caretta, Copenhagen Business School / Women in AI
“How to Build Nice Robots”Jakob Stenseke, Lund University
“Transparency in Trustworthy AI”Kasia Söderlund, Lund University
Registration
Register by 7 December to receive a zoom link.
Register here.

AI Futures: Navigating Ethics, Law, and Heritage
2025-12-16 13:15 - 15:00
Please note that this event is independently organized by a WASP-HS researcher and not the WASP-HS Program Office.
Can AI models be lawfully and ethically trained on copyrighted and cultural heritage–protected materials? This question has become one of the most pressing and contested issues in Sweden’s AI and cultural policy landscape. Recent debates between rights-holder organizations and public institutions have highlighted tensions around copyright, lawful access, and the future of generative AI.
This roundtable, hosted by WASP-HS Research Cluster AI Futures of Culture and Memory, WASP-HS Research Cluster The Rule of AI, the Swedish Research Council Research Environment VOICE and the Swedish Research Council Excellence Network in Ground Breaking Technologies Culture Code at Uppsala University, brings together experts from law, technology, cultural heritage, and creative sectors to foster an informed and respectful dialogue beyond polarized public discourse.
When & where: 16 December 2025, 13:15–15:00, Online event
Type: Workshop
Organiser: WASP-HS Research Cluster AI Futures of Culture and Memory, the Swedish Research Council Research Environment VOICE and the Swedish Research Council Excellence Network in Ground Breaking Technologies Culture Code at Uppsala University
Contact person: Kailin Hatlestad
Invited Speakers
– Jens Västberg – Chief Legal Officer, Riksarkivet (Swedish National Archives)– Love Börjesson – Head of KB Lab, National Library of Sweden– Josefine Engström – Chair, Svenska Tecknare (The association of Swedish illustrators and graphic designers) & Vice Chair KLYS (Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals)– Marijn Storm – Partner at Morrison Foerster, involved in GPT-NL development
Each speaker will provide a 5-minute perspective with one slide, introducing themselves and sharing their thoughts on opportunities and challenges related to AI training on cultural heritage data.
Who Should Attend?
Researchers, policymakers, cultural heritage professionals, rights-holder organizations, and anyone interested in the intersection of AI, law, and culture.
Organized by:
– Anna Foka, Professor of Digital Humanities, Uppsala University– Katja de Vries, Associate Professor in Public Law, Uppsala University
Registration
To participate is free of charge. Register here!

Knowledge Exchange: Algorithm Watch
2026-01-12 16:30 - 17:30
We welcome all WASP-HS researhers to exchange knowledge about political aspects of algorithms together with Oliver Marsh from Algorithm Watch, Berlin. The goal of the one hour workshop is to explore strategies to manage the increasingly algorithm-driven society.
Speaker
Oliver Marsh, Head of Tech Research at Algorithm Watch
About Algoritm Watch
Algorithm Watch is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Berlin and Zurich. We fight for a world where algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) do not weaken justice, human rights, democracy, and sustainability but strengthen them.
Read more.
Registration
Do you want to join the webinar? Send an email to graduate.school@wasp-hs.org for the link!

PhD Defense: Life and AI at NASA: An Ethnography of How Scientists and Engineers Make Tools to Explore Other Worlds
2026-01-30 13:15 - 17:00
Alicja Ostrowska defends her PhD thesis, “Life and AI at NASA: An Ethnography of How Scientists and Engineers Make Tools to Explore Other Worlds” on 30 January at Chalmers University of Technology.
See event page.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly introduced into scientific practices, including NASA’s missions that explore conditions for life and habitability on other planets and moons. How does the development of new AI tools within these missions transform scientific knowledge production?
Drawing on theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this dissertation analyzes science as a cultural practice. It is based on ethnographic research conducted at NASA and within the wider community of planetary scientists and astrobiologists, including interviews and documentary materials.
The dissertation demonstrates how efforts to realize visions of autonomous science beyond Earth already reshape the everyday work of scientists on the ground. It shows how AI is shaped by organizational structures, knowledge infrastructures, and scientific cultures at NASA, while simultaneously feeding back into these dimensions. Boundary work to sustain the legitimacy of planetary missions influences the purposes for which AI can be developed – to identify organic molecules, to explore habitability and potential biosignatures.
The study further shows how field sites, laboratories, and national databases together constitute a knowledge infrastructure that shapes AI by determining which data are available for training. Choices of field sites are influenced by accessibility and symbolic value, rendering some places more popular than others, which skews knowledge production. Digital databases and AI training datasets serve as libraries of knowns against which the unknown is identified. Decisions about anomalies, artifacts, and novelty in data are central to both AI design and scientific discovery. The study highlights the limits of performance metrics and the importance of negotiations with domain experts, particularly in the emerging use of synthetic data.
Although AI remains at an early stage of development in the cases studied, it already reshapes power relations in scientific knowledge production by introducing new ideals of epistemic order and altering who determines the value and usability of data.
By providing an empirical account of AI development in one of the most impactful scientific institutions, this dissertation contributes to discussions about data-driven solutions in science, and the epistemic consequences of using AI in science on Earth and beyond.
See full thesis.
Supervisor
Francis Lee, main supervisor
Shai Mulinari, co-supervisor
Opponent
Marisa Cohn, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Winter Conference 2026
2026-02-04 09:00 - 2026-02-06 12:00
About

Exchange

Posters

Workshops

Program

Registration

The WASP-HS Winter Conference 2026 will be in LUX, the Joint Faculties for Humanities and Theology, at Lund University 4-6 February. It will be filled with workshops, poster presentations, and interactive discussions, with ample opportunity for networking.
Please join us and contribute to the conversation!

WASP-HS Annual Exchange
Encountering DigitalizationWhat happens when interactions are automated and digital agents intervene? Welcome to this year’s WASP-HS Annual Exchange — a dynamic conversation on human-centred digitalization with Prof. Brit Ross Winthereik, Dr. Kash Haresamudram, Dr. Charlotte Högberg and Dr. Malin Heintz.

Speakers

Brit Ross Wintereik

Professor, Dept of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark

Kashyap Haresamudram

PhD in Technology and Society, Lund University

Charlotte Högberg

PhD in Technology and Society, Lund University

Malin Heintz

PhD in Economics, Arbetsförmedlingen

Poster sessions for all
Come and see the most recent PhD project results and give your feedback and contribute with your insights.
Please download and use the poster template for the poster session.Download poster template (.pptx)

Workshops
Open for WASP-HS PhD students:
Bias and Prejudices in AI Training DataModerator: Sarah de Heer
Smashing the Cloud with a Hammer: Exploring AI Through RejectionModerator: Martin Lindstam
History a la ChatGPTModerator: Johannes Widegren, Nasrin Mostofian and Mo von Bychelberg
AI experts meet AI narratives on BlueskyModerator: Igor Ryazanov
Open for all WASP-HS researchers:
AI in Higher Education – limitations and risks

Program

Wednesday, February 4
09:00—11:30Workshop: AI in Higher EducationC214, and breakout rooms:C213C212 (the Staff canteen)
Workshop: Smashing the Cloud with a HammerB352
11:30—13:00Lunch and Poster PresentationsOutside of Lux Auditorium
13:00—15:00WASP-HS Annual ExchangeLUX Auditorium
15:00—15:20CoffeeOutside Lux Auditorium
15:20—18:00How to Write a PostDoc ApplicationC214
15:20—18:00Posters that Don’t Suck: From Awkward to Awesome!B336
18:00—18:30PhD student council meetingB336
19:00Conference dinner PhD certificate ceremonyForum Medicum, Sölvegatan 19

Thursday, February 5
10:00—12:00Poster sessions by WASP-HS PhD students
12:00—13:00Lunch
13:00—15:00Supervisor meetingLUX C214
13:00—16:00Workshop: Bias and Prejudices in AI Training DataB240
Workshop: History a la ChatGPTB352
Workshop: AI Experts Meet AI Narratives on BlueskyB339 CANCELLED
18:00Pool for PhD studentsParadis Biljard

Friday, February 6
9:30—12:30Oral presentations by PhD studentsLUX Auditorium
Click here for abstracts
09.30: Welcome and introduction by Ericka Johnson, WASP-HS Graduate School Director
09.35 Johannes Widegren: Archives +Sapmi = AI?
10.05 Nicolas A. de Pieuchon: Countering Bias in AI Methods for Text Data
10.35 Coffee
11.00 Ziming Wang: A Meat-Summer Night’s Dream: A Tangible Design Fiction Exploration of Eating Biohybrid Flying Robots
11.30 Laetitia Tanqueray: Reframing Robots for Care: Situating Informal Caregivers in the Development of Social Robots
12.00 Sarah de Heer: When Algorithms Shape Care: AI-Driven Medical Device, Precision Medicine and Quality under the Right to Health

Registration
Registration is closed

PhD Defence: Figuring the Boundary Between Human and Robot
2026-03-06 08:00 - 17:00
On 6 March 2026, Dominika Lisy defends her doctoral thesis, “Figuring the Boundary between Human and Robot: A Feminist New Materialist Perspective on Dermally Layered Relationality”, at Linköping University.
See event page.
Abstract
Social robots are expected to become ubiquitous across different areas of both the private and public spheres of human life, assisting in care, education, and daily tasks. Hopes for meaningful, efficient, and enjoyable interactions with these kinds of robots drive social robotics research, but there are also ethical concerns and critiques concerning negative social consequences. Both sides involve assumptions about the boundaries around what it means to be human in relation to the non-human. In order to disentangle optimistic and pessimistic notions about this relationality, there needs to be a reconsideration of how the boundaries constituting the human/non-human divide are understood and figured in encounters with robot bodies. Following Dominika Lisy’s personal experiences that have been documented as reflections, diary entries, and by photographing moments of meeting different social robots, this thesis starts at the first point of contact: the skin.
But how might the skin be used to rethink boundaries between humans and social robots? The research in this thesis illustrates an interdisciplinary endeavour to weave together insights from feminist theory and methodology, research on affective and tactile robots, and the biology and neurophysiology of the skin. Grounded in feminist new materialism, which embraces the entanglement of matter and discourse, the thesis develops a figuration of the skin through which both the form and content of the thesis’ text illustrate what it means to pay attention to boundaries during encounters with affective and tactile robots. Figuring boundaries in this way, they can be described as multilayered, flexible yet sturdy, hardening over time, and dependent on un/noticeable sensations, just like the skin. This thesis aims to contribute to feminist theories of human/non-human relationality.
The thesis presents a situated feminist account of making sense amidst diverse knowledges through the skin and personal embodied experiences in order to develop a sensitivity and ethical responsibility for human–robot relations.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Katherine Harrison, PhD at Linköping UniversityHarald Wiltsche, Professor at Linköping University
Opponent
Maaike Bleeker, Professor at Utrecht University

AI and The Paradox of Agency
2026-03-13 08:00 - 2027-01-17 17:00 | Bildmuseet
Who holds the power when AI enters our lives? AI and the Paradox of Agency is curated by Sarah Cook, WASP-HS Guest Professor, and Museum Director Katarina Pierre, and features new commissions by international artists, from interactive games and immersive installations to sculptures and a drone-read hand-painted textile.
The exhibition is open between 13 March, 2026 and 17 January 2027.
Artists: boredomresearch, Tega Brain, Dennis Delgado, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Nicolas Gourault, Zeno Gries, Lawrence Lek, Rachel Maclean, Stephen Marche, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Florian Model, Yuri Pattison, Planetary Portals, Raqs Media Collective, Daniel Shanken, Caroline Sinders & Romy Gad el Rab, Paola Torres Núñez del Prado, and Addie Wagenknecht. Curators: Sarah Cook and Katarina Pierre.
AI and the Paradox of Agency is produced by Bildmuseet at Umeå University with support from the Jacob Wallenberg Foundation and WASP-HS (Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society).

Read more

Girls Sc(AI)ence 7: Conversations on How AI is Eroding Human Rights (And What Can We Do About It)
2026-03-24 10:00 - 11:15
Creating a Research Network to Foster Women’s Participation in Technoscience

Please note that this event is independently organized by a WASP-HS researcher and not the WASP-HS Program Office.

Topic:Conversations on how AI is eroding human rights (and what can we do about it)Invited speaker: Sue Ann Teo, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and Faculty of Law, Lund University
When: March 24th, 10.00 to 11:15Where: hybrid – link by registration– On site: at LUX B:339, Department of Philosophy, Lux, Helgonavägen 3 Lund– Online on zoom

Read more

Who Is Speaking? Artificial Intelligence in Art and Culture: From AI-generated Voices to Data-Driven Cultural Heritage
2026-04-15 13:15 - 21:00 | Humanistiska Teater, Uppsala University
Please note that this event is independently organized by WASP-HS researchers and not the WASP-HS Program Office.

Who is speaking? The conference is on AI in art and cutlure including generated voices to data-driven cultural heritage. The full day conference program is ended with an evening program filled with artistic music performances involving AI.

Read more and register

AI Futures of Culture and Memory

The conference is partly hosted by the WASP-HS research environment AI Futures of Culture and Memory.

Read more

Research Opportunities at the Intersection of Society, Life Sciences, and Technology
2026-05-07 09:00 - 2026-05-08 17:00
A Joint Conference between DDLS, WASP and WASP-HS
Uniting Sweden’s life science, machine learning and artificial intelligence communities, we welcome researchers from all disciplines to explore new research opportunities in a changing world.
Participants will have the opportunity to network, be inspired by excellent international keynote speakers, and take part in the latest research in Sweden. In addition to plenary keynotes, the program will offer a panel discussion, a poster session and ample time to mingle.
Practical Details
DatesMay 7-8, 2026
VenueUppsala Konsert & Kongress

Keynotes

Maja Fjaestad

Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Computing Science, Umeå University

Olli Kallioniemi

Research Director at FIMM University of Helsinki, Professor of Molecular Precision Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab

Danica Kragic

Professor at the School of Computer Science and Communication at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH

Conference Program
The program may be subject to change.

Thursday, May 7
09.00 Registration opens (coffee) + poster hanging
10.00 Opening Remarks:Program Directors from the three Research Programs
10:20-11:00 Keynote “Algorithmic rule: AI and the future of democracy”Maja Fjaestad, Strategic Advisor to the Executive Leadership at Karolinska Institutet, Adjunct Professor at Luleå University of Technology
11:05-11:35 Flash Talks: Future Ideas at the Intersection of Society, Life Sciences & TechnologyPhD Students and Post Docs from the three Research Programs

11:45-12:45 Parallel Workshops, Session 1
12:45-14:00 Lunch
14:00-14:40 Keynote “A plan for the Finnish Health Data Space (FHDS) in the AI era: Navigating health, data, legal, social and political aspects”Olli Kallioniemi, Research Director at FIMM, University of Helsinki, and Professor of Molecular Precision Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab
14:40-15:20 Panel: Initiatives in the NordicsArto Klami, Professor of Computer Science at University of Helsinki. Part of the Helsinki Probabilistic Machine Learning Lab, the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI, and faculty of the ELLIS Institute Finland.
Stine Lomborg, Professor of Digital Communication at University of Copenhagen, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Tracking & Society, Chief Scientist at the Danish national center for AI in society (CAISA)
Malcolm Langford, Professor of Public Law, University of Oslo and Co-Director of TRUST: Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI.
15:20-16:00 Coffee
16:00-17:00 Parallel Workshops, Session 2
17:00 Mingle food and Poster Session

Registration
Registration is now closed.

Friday, May 8
08:30-09:30 Parallel Workshops, Sessions 3
09:40-10:20 Keynote “Perception, Action, Intercation in Physical AI systems”Danica Kragic, Professor at the School of Computer Science and Communication at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH
10:20-10:45 Coffee
10:45-11:45 Flash Talks: Funded Projects NEST & RIGTime-Resolved Imaging and Multi-Channel Evaluation of Cellular Dynamics (TIMED) – Ola Spjuth, Professor of Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics, Uppsala University
The 3D dynamics of the chromosome – Johan Elf, Professor of Physical Biology, Uppsala University
Multimodal AI-based Precision Diagnostics and Decision Support for Breast Cancer (AID4BC) – Jens Sjölund, WASP Fellow and Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Uppsala University
AI tools for mental health: Clinical Trials – Sverker Sikström, Professor Cogntive Psychology, Lund University & Axel C Carlsson Associated Professor, Karolinska Institutet
Explainable and Just AI in Data-Driven Disease Surveillance – Yana Litins’ka, Associate Professor, Lund University & Atiye Sadat Hashemi, Associate Postdoctoral Researcher, Lund University
Personalized medicine: Ethics and knowledge-making in data-driven medical prediction – Stefan Larsson, Associate Professor of Technology and Social Change, Lund University & Markus Lingman, Specialist Physician in Cardiology Adjunct Professor Medicine, University of Halmstad & Charlotte Högberg, PhD, Postdoc in Technology and Society, Lund University
11:45-12:00 Closing remarks, lunch to go

Parallel Workshops, Sessions 1-3

Parallel Workshops, Session 1
“AI for Science! An interactive discussion on a new initiative”This workshop aims at creating awareness and collecting feedback around a new initiative to support academic researchers with AI competence through a new company called AI4S AB (AI for Science), funded by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. We offer AI support to academic researchers with ongoing grants from the three largest Wallenberg Foundations for up to 6 months full time.Workshop Organizer: Salla Franzén, CEO, AI4S AB
“What is the future of AI-supported precision medicine? Scrutinizing personalized care, equal treatment and disruption of knowledge”The current development of AI-supported precision medicine, and personalization of medical knowledge and treatment, raises concerns about ethics and fair representation. This interdisciplinary workshop examines questions of ethics and knowledge in AI-supported precision medicine, including fairness, prioritization, and changing knowledge practices. The goal is to produce a discussion paper identifying policy proposals and issues in need of further cross-disciplinary discussion.Workshop Organizer: Charlotte Högberg, PhD, Postdoc in Technology and Society, Lund University
“Unpacking Technology Through Interdisciplinary Reflection”In this collaborative and hands-on workshop, we will introduce and lead participants through a series of reflective exercises known as the implosion method. This exercise outlines social and historical considerations around the responsibilities, concerns, and attentions of researchers working on and with technology. Workshop attendees are expected to learn a new method for reflecting on the socio-technical impacts of their research and making connections across disciplines.Workshop Organizer: Derya Akbaba, Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Computer Science, KTH
“Large Language Models in Conflict: Knowledge, Legitimacy, and AI”Large language models contribute to the production of knowledge, such as ideas and recommendations. The accuracy and reliability of this knowledge remain questionable. What if these models contribute to the mass killing of people through mass surveillance? We ask: what does LLMs’ production of knowledge reveal about the ethical and legal dimensions of their use, given the untrustworthiness of their outputs? The discussion follows the ‘Jonsered model’Workshop Organizer: Mais Qandeel, Associate Professor (Docent) of International Law / Law and Technologies, Örebro University
“Zero-Click Futures: Safeguarding Knowledge Pluralism in the Age of Generative AI”Generative AI is reshaping how knowledge is accessed, synthesized, and trusted. This interactive workshop explores the rise of zero-click information environments and their risks for transparency, diversity, and epistemic justice. Participants will collaboratively design actionable principles for building responsible AI systems that protect knowledge pluralism, informational autonomy, and public trust.Workshop Organizer: Selcen Ozturkcan, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Linnaeus University

Parallel Workshops, Session 2
“AI-Ready Data to enable collaborations across fields”Modern machine learning methods open up opportunities for new discoveries, especially when researchers collaborate across fields. For example, a biologist may have collected a novel dataset and collaborate with an ML engineer to build new models. In this session, we will focus on AI-ready data – what it means in practice and how to prepare datasets so they can be shared, understood, and reliably used for AI applications.Workshop Organizer: SciLifeLab Data Centre: Arnold Kochari, Project manager at Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University
“Foundation models on European biomedical and healthcare data: ethical, legal, and technical pathways to life-course precision health”This workshop explores how AI foundation models applied to biomedical and health data can enable personalized prevention and healthcare, considering critical questions of governance, transparency, bias, and clinical integration. We will jointly identify current technical, social, and ethical challenges to leverage foundation models for responsible, data‑driven healthcare in Europe and discuss them with an expert panel.Workshop Organizer: Clemens Wittenbecher, Assistant Professor, Food and Nutrition Science, Life Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology
“Legal consciousness in the tech community”How do tech professionals navigate law in real-world design choices? This workshop uses practical scenarios and small-group discussions to examine how programmers interpret, use, or resist legal norms alongside technical and organisational expectations. The session invites computer scientists, legal scholars, and social scientists to reflect on tensions, strategies, and pathways toward more legally conscious technology development.Workshop Organizer: Katalin Kelemen, Associate Professor in Law, Örebro University
“SciLifeLab OMERO: A Collaborative HPC-Enabled Platform for Data-Driven Bioimaging Research”This workshop introduces SciLifeLab’s national OMERO service – a tool to bridge the gap between data producers and methods developers by enabling collaborative access to (bio)imaging data sets. Built on the globally recognized, open-source, data management platform OMERO1 for the visualization, management, and sharing of biological microscopy images, SciLifeLab OMERO will offer active data storage connected to HPC resources.Workshop Organizer: Sonja Mathias, Research Software Engineer & Project Lead at SciLifeLab Data Centre
“The Data of Circularity: Governing AI, Transparency, and Compliance in the Digital Product Passport (DPP)”As the EU introduces the Digital Product Passport (DPP), this interactive workshop explores how product data can enable genuine circularity—beyond data-driven greenwashing—across production, post-production, and market use. Bringing together perspectives from AI, cybersecurity, governance, and sustainable branding, the workshop explores the technical and organizational challenges in building trustworthy, transparent, and compliant product data systems.Workshop Organizer: Selcen Ozturkcan, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Linnaeus University

Parallel Workshops, Session 3
“What do I need for successful interdisciplinary research? Education as a collaborative exercise”In this interactive workshop we will discuss what makes successful interdisciplinary research, including trust and leadership, fostering an environment where mistakes can be made, and creating a shared working language. Interdisciplinary groups will then create a mock educational experience on a challenging topic to explore how interdisciplinary collaboration in education can prepare young researchers to face global challenges.Workshop Organizer: Kristen Schroeder, Scientific Training Officer, SciLifeLab
“Uses and understandings of synthetic data in DDLS domains – a conversation about generation methods and use cases across DDLS, WASP & WASP-HS”Synthetic data can mean widely varying things, which makes defining and evaluating it difficult. Likewise, it sometimes misaligns with other values, like objectivity, reproducibility and transparency. This workshop will discuss what synthetic data is, why it is useful, and what it does to the science it becomes embedded in. We will engage in hands-on, analogue activities to facilitate collaborative discussion.Workshop Organizer: Ericka Johnson, Professor in Gender and Society, Linköping University
“The Art of Human-AI Collaboration and Teaming Research”The art of Human-AI Teaming research is discovering and addressing the complications that matter, which unfold in real practice. New theory, tools and methods are required to capture the rich multi-agent setting including humans. The workshop is an excellent opportunity to expand on this research as a joint effort across expertise in the broad communities of WASP and WASP-HS.Workshop organizer: Helena Lindgren, Co-Director WASP-HS, Professor in Computer Science, Umeå University
“What Is Adaptation? Bridging Life Sciences, Neuro-AI, and Machine Psychology”Adaptation is central in biology, neuroscience, psychology, and AI – but often means different things. In this workshop, we compare key definitions and methods, from behavioral change to predictive learning and algorithmic information dynamics. Participants will map shared questions, clarify key research gaps, and identify promising cross-disciplinary directions at the intersection of society, life sciences, and technology.Workshop Organizer: Robert Johansson, Associate Professor, Stockholm University

“Bridge between Industry and Academia”The workshop aims to give an introduction to WASP Research Arenas (WARA). Especially for researchers within DDLS and WASP-HS that might not be aware of the WARA. WARA act as a bridge between research and industry and offer increased research impact and potential for industrially significant breakthroughs. A unique opportunity to validate and refine scientific theories in real-world settings that are relevant to industries.Workshop Organizer: Ola Engkvist, Project Leader WARA Medicine, Adj. member AMG, Executive Director, Head of Molecular AI, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca

Testa Center Demo Day
– Exploring Digital Innovation in Modern Bioproduction
If you’re already in Uppsala for the conference, don’t miss the chance to start your visit with Testa Center’s Demo Day on May 6. This hands‑on event offers researchers a close look at how digital technologies are reshaping modern bioproduction.When: May 6Where: Testa Center, Danmarksgatan 11, 75323 UppsalaRead more and register

Read more about our keynotes, panelists and speakers

Keynote Maja Fjaestad
Title: Adjunct Professor
Dr Maja Fjaestad worked at the EU’s European Artificial Intelligence Office in 2025 and has since returned to Sweden as a strategic advisor at Karolinska Institutet, associate professor at AI Policy lab at Umeå Univerisy and adjunct professor at Luleå University of Technology. She holds a PhD in the history of technology from KTH, has conducted research at the Max Planck Institute, and is affiliated with the Institute for Futures Studies. She is also an expert coordinator at the Centre for Health Crises at Karolinska Institutet, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), an author, and a sought-after speaker.

Keynote Olli Kallioniemi
Title: Research Director at FIMM, University of Helsinki, and Professor of Molecular Precision Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab
Olli Kallioniemi is Research Director at FIMM, University of Helsinki, and Professor of Molecular Precision Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab. Trained in medicine and clinical chemistry in Finland, he later held tenure-track and tenured positions at NHGRI/NIH. He served as founding Director of FIMM (2007–2015), Director of SciLifeLab (2015–2024), and inaugural Director of the DDLS program (2022–2025). His research focuses on AI- and data-driven precision medicine, particularly in hematologic and prostate cancers. He has authored over 420 publications, holds more than 20 patents, supervised 27 doctoral theses and over 30 postdoctoral fellows. He is an elected member of EMBO, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the European Academy of Cancer Sciences, and the Nobel Assembly.

Keynote Danica Kragic
Title: Professor KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Danica Kragic is a Professor of Computer Science at KTH. Her research is in the area of robotics, computer vision and machine learning. She received ERC Starting Grant, Advanced and Synergy Grants, Distinguished Professor Grant from the Swedish research Council and she is a Wallenberg Scholar.

Panelist Arto Klami
Title: Professor of Computer Science
Arto Klami is a Professor of Computer Science at University of Helsinki, Finland. He is part of the Helsinki Probabilistic Machine Learning Lab, the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI, and faculty of the ELLIS Institute Finland. His main research interests are statistical machine learning, human-AI collaboration, and artificial intelligence for scientific discovery. His work spans from fundamental questions on efficiency of statistical inference to domain-agnostic workflows for supporting innovations, with broad range of applications including ultrasonic sensing, chemistry, and food science . He has published more than 100 articles on these topics, including both numerous publications in top-tier machine learning venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AISTATS) and interdisciplinary work appearing high-profile journals in diverse scientific fields, and has lead more than 10 externally funded research projects.

Panelist Stine Lomborg
Title: Professor of digital communication
Stine Lomborg is professor of digital communication at University of Copenhagen, where she directs the interdisciplinary Center for Tracking & Society. She is also a chief scientist at the Danish national center for AI in society (CAISA). Her research bridges infrastructural, organisational and citizen-focused inquiry into how technologies for datafication and automation impact our lives, as explored in the ERC-funded projects Datafied living and APPMONITOR, as well as the recently completed comparative project Automating Welfare.

Panelist Malcolm Langford
Title: Professor of Public Law
Malcolm Langford is Professor of Public Law at the University of Oslo and Co-Director of TRUST: The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI. His scholarship is grounded in law, social science, and data science and his publications span international and comparative law, human rights and development, and AI and emergent technologies. Langford has won several prizes for his work on international adjudication and legal education and technology, and he has previously led the Digital Lawyer project, CELL Centre of Excellence in Education, and the Investor–State Dispute Settlement Academic Forum for UNCITRAL. He also leads a new Nordforsk project (NordAId: Trustworthy AI in Public Decision Making) and infrastructure project for sensitive public data (S2-Data) and he has advised a range of governments, international organisations and non-governmental organisations on human rights and technology.

Speaker Ola Spjuth
Title: Professor of Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics
Ola Spjuth received his PhD in Bioinformatics from Uppsala University in 2009 and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the Finnish Institute of Molecular Medicine (FIMM) in Helsinki. He is currently Professor of Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University. His research focuses on how AI and automation, together with high-throughput and high-content molecular and cellular profiling technologies, can accelerate drug discovery and address complex challenges in pharmacology and toxicology.

Speaker Johan Elf
Title: Professor of Physical Biology
Johan Elf has pioneered single-molecule fluorescence microscopy in living cells. This work has been complemented by the development of microfluidics, synthetic biology, and computational analysis tools. His most significant innovations include optical pooled screening and phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing at the level of individual bacteria.

Speaker Jens Sjölund
Title: Assistant Professor
Jens Sjölund is an assistant professor in AI at Uppsala University, WASP Fellow, and ELLIS member. His research is in machine learning and optimization, with applications across science and medicine. He previously worked as a senior research scientist at Elekta, where his dose optimization work formed the basis for Leksell Gamma Knife Lightning.

Speaker Sverker Sikström
Title: Professor of Cognitive Psychology
Sverker Sikström is Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Lund University, and the founder and scientific lead of TalkToAlba, specializing in language based psychometrics and AI for mental health . He is a serial founder and recipient of innovation awards such as Lund University & Sparbanken Finns Innovations Prize and Venture Cup’s Startup of the Year. His academic work has been cited over 7,000 times, with an h index of 33.

Speaker Axel C Carlsson
Title: Associate Professor
Axel C Carlsson conduct broad research on diseases in primary care, with projects ranging from early detection of cancer, cognitive testing and machine learning for early identification of dementia, to studies on high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk in the population, post-COVID syndrome, and mental health.

Speaker Yana Litins’ka
Title: Associate professor
Yana Litins’ka is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Public Law at Lund University. She holds an LL.D. degree in Medical Law and has been appointed as Associate Professor in Medical Law at Uppsala University. Her research sits at the intersection of health law, public health, and human rights, with a particular focus on how legal frameworks shape the protection of vulnerable groups. A central thread in her work concerns autonomy in healthcare and the boundaries of coercion and voluntariness. She also engages with rights-based perspectives on access to healthcare, including migrants’ access to health services and the rights of persons with disabilities. Yana works on a range of public health topics within law, including infectious disease control measures and preparedness for future health emergencies, examining, for example, the legal regulation of vaccination, the permissibility of restrictions on freedom of movement and privacy for public health purposes, and requirements for AI-based epidemiological monitoring.

Speaker Atiye Sadat Hashemi
Title: Associate Postdoctoral Researcher
Atiye Sadat Hashemi received her Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering from Semnan University and was a visiting Ph.D. researcher at the Chair of Signal Processing and Machine Learning, Institute for Communications Technology at Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany during 2020–2021. She was a postdoctoral fellow in Center for Applied Intelligent Systems Research at Halmstad university and currently she is an associate postdoctoral researcher in AI in Medicine at Lund University, Sweden, where she is the Principal Investigator of a Research Initiation Grant from SciLifeLab and serves as Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from Swedish Research Council (VR) focused on the application of artificial intelligence in infectious diseases. Her research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, with particular emphasis on disease outbreak surveillance, privacy-preserving machine learning, and adversarial learning methods.

Speaker Stefan Larsson
Title: Associate Professor of Technology and Social Change
Stefan Larsson is a social science technology researcher at the Department of Technology and Society, Lund University in Sweden, where he leads a research group on AI and society that do interdisciplinary studies on norms, ethics and governance issues linked in the human-AI/robotics intersection.

Speaker Markus Lingman
Title: Specialist Physician in Cardiology, Adj. Professor Medicine
Markus Lingman is a cardiologist, chief strategy officer and adjunct professor of medicine at University of Halmstad and affiliations at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Karolinska Institutet. His research has a focus on applied AI in healthcare and medicine leveraging real-world data.

Speaker Charlotte Högberg
Title: PhD, Postdoc in Technology and Society
Charlotte Högberg is a postdoctoral research fellow at The Department of Technology and Society, Lund University, specialized in Science and Technology Studies and medical AI. Her work concerns practices, ethics and epistemologies of the development and use of AI in medicine, healthcare and the public sector.

Background
Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP), the SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), and Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) are collaborating through joint research projects and events with the ultimate goal of solving ground-breaking research questions across disciplines.

PhD Defense: Emerging AI and Ethics in Higher Education: A Technology Mediation Perspective
2026-05-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Lilla hörsalen, Naturhistoriska riksmuseet (The Swedish Museum of Natural History), Frescativägen 40, Stockholm, Sweden
On 8 May 2026, Alexandra Farazouli defends her doctoral thesis, “Emerging AI and Ethics in Higher Education: A Technology Mediation Perspective”, at Stockholm University.
See event page.
Abstract
The emergence of AI has become a defining issue for higher education worldwide, and Sweden is no exception. At the same time, emerging AI technologies reconfigure priorities and valuations within educational practice by mediating teaching and learning and opening new paths for how teachers and students relate to higher education practices. In this context, AI-mediated practices raise ethical questions that are often presented as unprecedented yet are deeply rooted in longstanding practices in higher education. This thesis undertakes an empirical exploration of AI-mediated practices in higher education, foregrounding teachers’ perspectives and focusing on the ethical issues arising from such mediations. Drawing on postphenomenology and technology mediation theory, the thesis examines how teachers perceive and experience emerging AI artefacts (automated grading systems (AGS) and generative AI (GAI) chatbots) in relation to their practices, and how these artefacts mediate their understandings of what they ought to do and how they ought to act when balancing sometimes competing demands of autonomy and accountability.
The thesis is a compilation of four complementary studies. Study I examines the ethical considerations of AGS, reviewing the literature on AGS and analysing their specificities through a relational ethics approach. This study highlighted that AGS not only introduce technical and procedural considerations but also reconfigure educational practices and relationships in ways that demand ongoing, situated, and relationally attuned ethical reflection. Study II is an interview study with AGS developers who are also university teachers using these systems. It examines their expectations, experiences, and the disruptions that AGS introduce into assessment practices. The findings underscore the ambivalent role of AGS as both promising and disruptive, offering efficiency and consistency, but also introducing ‘new’ frictions and ethical dilemmas. Study III is a study inspired by the Turing test, followed by focus group interviews with university teachers. It explores how GAI chatbots mediate teachers’ perceptions of their assessment practices. The findings indicate that the presence of GAI chatbots, allowing the possibility of AI-generated writing, shapes evaluation practices, prompting teachers to question authorship and, in some cases, reinforcing mistrust within the student–teacher relationship. Study IV is a focus group interview study examining how teachers experience and interpret the emergence of GAI and how it mediates their perceptions of their professional roles. Participants described GAI as both disruptive and potentially transformative. They were compelled to reconsider assessment formats, teaching priorities, and their responsibility to foster critical and ethical engagement with technology.
The combined findings of the four studies show that the emergence of AI unsettles established practices and intensifies the uncertainties that characterise educational situations, placing greater demands on teachers’ professional judgment. The thesis also argues that the emergence of AI exposes and amplifies longstanding ethical issues, such as fairness, academic integrity, and equity, reshaping how these issues are understood and enacted as the technologies become embedded in higher education practices.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Cormac McGrath, Associate Professor, Department of Education, Stockholm University.Teresa Cerratto Pargman, Professor, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University.Klara Bolander Laksov, Professor, Department of Education, Stockholm University.
Opponent
Wayne Holmes, Professor, Institute of Education, University College London (UCL).

PhD Defense: Ethical Reasoning in Tech Work: From Individual Responsibility to Collective Action
2026-05-08 14:00 - 17:00 | Q2, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Malvinas Väg 10, Stockholm, Sweden
On 8 May 2026, Kristina Popova defends her doctoral thesis, “Ethical Reasoning in Tech Work: From Individual Responsibility to Collective Action”, at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
See event page.
Abstract
Technology production is a complex process that requires the accumulation of resources and in which very little is done individually. Given the fragmentation of tech development and the limits of individual action, how much can tech workers affect the tech they produce? Do they care about the tech they are building and its implications for the world? Who should act to ensure that technology is “ethical”? What are the possibilities for individual and collective action that exist in tech workplaces? These are the questions I aim to answer in my dissertation.
This dissertation is an interdisciplinary project connecting four studies with the methods from design research, ethnomethodology and sociology. The papers are published within the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and positioned within the tradition of studying ethics in practice, which approaches ethics by studying the work practices in specific tech organisations. Theoretically, my work is grounded in the philosophical tradition of ethics of care with its focus on concrete situated actions instead of omnirelevant rules, in the ethnomethodological tradition of respecifying theoretical phenomena as matters of practice, and in moral anthropology with its focus on ethics as shaped by communities.
The four papers combined in the thesis explore the ethical reasoning of tech practitioners in academic settings, government officials working with AI in Sweden, and technology practitioners working in commercial companies in Europe. I rely on a variety of qualitative data: (1) a video-ethnography of design ideation sessions at the university; (2) an interview-study of ethical responsibility by tech practitioners in academia, governmental sector and the industry; (3) a a workshop-based study of voicing discomfort (critique) in a design workshop with academic; (4) an interview-based study of ethics discourses in tech companies in Europe. The studies contribute to design and HCI with an empirical research of ethical reasoning in everyday design work.
The thesis aims to advance an anthropological, human-centred take on ethics in HCI. I argue in favour of including affect and emotion of tech practitioners into the discussion on ethics in HCI and emphasise the limitations of an individualistic take on ethics. Affect is important for connecting the level of everyday practices with structural power relations. Understanding the limitations of individual action and focusing on the potential for collective action instead is important for balancing responsibility with power. This thesis also draws attention to the inequality within the tech sector as a factor that hinders the possibility for forming a shared agenda and engaging in collective action.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Robert Comber, Associate Professor.Airi Lampinen, Professor at Stockholm University.Kristina Höök, Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
Opponent
Katie Shilton, Professor at University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, US

PhD Defense: Reframing Robots for Care: Situating Informal Caregivers in the Development of AI-driven Technologies
2026-05-22 09:00 - 17:00 | Lecture Hall V:B, building V, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund., Klas Anshelms väg 14, Lund, Sweden
On 22 May 2026, Laetitia Tanqueray defends her doctoral thesis, “Reframing Robots for Care: Situating Informal Caregivers in the Development of AI-driven Technologies”, at Lund University.
Read more about the event.
Abstract
The current framing of AI-driven technologies situates them as solutions to a looming care crisis. However, this overlooks informal caregivers’ key role to current State budgetary deficits impacting healthcare services happening in Europe. As States increasingly rely on informal caregivers to provide care before the necessary involvement of healthcare services, there is already well-established research on the growing care demands on informal caregivers. Yet, in the development of AI-driven technologies, little attention has been given to this group. To attend to this gap, this thesis situates informal caregivers in order to reframe current developments of AI-driven technologies for care.
The aims of this thesis are therefore grounded in visibilising and situating informal caregivers within the development of AI-driven technologies. This is achieved in two ways: (1) by conducting interdisciplinary research on informal caregivers to bring forth the significance of critical social sciences in Human-Robot Interaction on health care as well at times Human-Computer Interaction; and, (2) shedding light on current societal challenges on care regarding informal caregivers, especially informal caregivers under the age of 18 (referred to as young carers), to the development of AI-driven technologies. The first aim is directed at the academic community, whilst the second aim is directed towards society by empowering specific stakeholders in envisioned AI-driven technologies as artefacts. To answer to those aims, a socio-legal STS theoretical lens is established, to bring forth the power of law, social norms, plans and situated knowledge and care.
The findings are based on four scientific papers, which report on HRI research practices on health care (Paper I), a theoretical framework to account for norms within adaptive technologies (Paper II), positioning young carers into AI-driven technologies (Paper III), and finally, an empirical study on young carers’ perspectives of robots for care (Paper IV). These ultimately showcase that the development stage of this technology provides a pivotal opening to include informal caregivers, ahead of deployment. This thesis offers hope on how to attend to an overlooked stakeholder, namely informal caregivers. This includes reflections on including a group that has previously been neglected from AI research, namely young carers, and how to do so ethically.

See full thesis.
Supervisors
Stefan Larsson, Supervisor, Lund UniversityKatie Winkle, Assistens supervisor, Uppsala University
Opponent
Sara Ljungblad, Chalmers University of Technology

Learning to do Research with AI: Towards Building a Toolkit to Support Doctoral Training
2026-05-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Please note that this event is independently organized by WASP-HS researchers and not the WASP-HS Program Office.

In this workshop, we invite senior researchers (including doctoral supervisors) to participate in a focused discussion aimed at collecting inputs, suggestions, reflections that will be translated into material for creating the toolkit. The toolkit will consist in a bespoke card-like game kit (called “the EDUCArds”). The cards design will take inspiration from the method material NOVA, developed by Vinnova. These cards will be pilot-tested at the AI for Humanity and Society 2026 conference, and then refined to produce a freely-available web-based resource. The workshop is scheduled on May 27th, 10-12, and is fully online. We look forward to having you at the workshop!
Registration
If you wish to attend the workshop, please register your participation here (please make sure to click on Save your Response). Please note the deadline for registering is 12 May (note that this has been changed from previous version which said April 24th).
Organizers
Katherine HarrisonValentina Fantasia
More About the Project
The project “Learning to do research with AI: Rethinking Academic Practices and Doctoral Training” builds on a recognised interest within the WASP-HS community for support and discussion around use of genAI tools in the production of research, with particular reference to the training and guidance of doctoral students. In particular, the project aims to design and pilot an interactive toolkit to facilitate conversations and actionable discussions on the use of genAI tools between supervisors and PhD students, but also senior researchers involved in doctoral training programmes at large.

Human Futures, Machine Pasts: Rethinking AI through Cultural Memory and Imagination
2026-05-27 10:15
In partnership with The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, WASP-HS launches an international research initiative on the global context of AI. Human Futures – AI Transitions in a Global Context is carried out in collaboration with Tokyo College and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS, South Africa). Running from 2026 to 2027, the initiative brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to examine the broader transformations associated with the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems across different global contexts.
As part of this series we are welcoming you to the open lecture “Human Futures, Machine Pasts: Rethinking AI through Cultural Memory and Imagination” on May 27, 2026. Keynote speaker is Anna Foka, Professor of Digital Humanities, Uppsala University

Abstract
The opening keynote explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping not only the way societies imagine the future but also how we understand the past and define humanity itself. Drawing from cultural heritage, digital humanities, and critical AI studies, it argues that the technologies driving automation and prediction are deeply entangled with inherited cultural narratives, biases, and epistemologies. By tracing the historical continuities between past imaginaries of intelligence and today’s algorithmic systems, the lecture highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches that foreground ethics, creativity, and global diversity. Ultimately, it asks how the humanities can help us reclaim agency and meaning in an increasingly automated world—turning AI from an object of control into a shared space of interpretation and reflection.
Registration
Pre-registration for the physical event (not Zoom) is required by 25 May 2026 at the latest.

Registrer

Anna Foka

Professor of Digital Humanities, Uppsala University

About Anna Foka
Anna Foka is Professor of Digital Humanities at Uppsala University and research leader och the WASP-HS research environments AI Futures of Culture and Memory. She is National Mentor for AI in the Swedish South Korea Collaboration in the Research and Innovation Programme (SKERIC). Foka’s work focuses on the cultural and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, digital heritage, and interdisciplinary methods across the humanities and technology. She has published widely on digital transformation in museums, archives, and cultural institutions, and currently leads several international projects on AI, sustainability, and cultural knowledge infrastructures. Her latest books are AI and Image (Cambridge University Press) and Evolving Perspectives in Digital Classics (Routledge).

PhD Defense: The Development of Complex Intelligent Systems: A Study of Engineering and Project Management Approaches
2026-05-29 09:00 - 17:00 | A2, A-building, Campus Valla, Linköping, Sweden
On 29 May 2026, Appu Balachandran defends his doctoral thesis, “The Development of Complex Intelligent Systems: A Study of Engineering and Project Management Approaches“, at Linköping University.
See event page.
Abstract
Advances in software and artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly transforming society. Many of the systems that underpin everyday life, such as aircraft, vehicles, energy systems, and transportation infrastructure, are complex technical systems that are becoming increasingly software-intensive. As these systems gain the ability to make decisions, learn from data, and adapt to their environment, they evolve into what this thesis refers to as Complex Intelligent Systems (CoIS).
This thesis examines how the development of such systems is changing as software and AI grow in importance, with a particular focus on engineering and project management approaches. Traditionally, complex systems have been developed using systems engineering, often supported by model-based approaches to ensure structured, traceable, and predictable development. At the same time, development projects have typically been organized through phase-based Stage-Gate processes.
However, the growing integration of software and AI has led to the emergence of data-driven engineering approaches and more iterative and flexible agile practices. This thesis investigates how these different approaches interact in the development of CoIS.
The study is based on interviews with experts from the aviation, automotive, and naval industries, complemented by an in-depth case study in the automotive domain. The findings show that the development of CoIS rarely involves replacing established approaches with new ones. Instead, organizations need to combine multiple approaches simultaneously. Model-based approaches remain essential for safety-critical systems, while data-driven and agile approaches are required to support learning and adaptability. This creates fundamental tensions between predictability and control on the one hand, and learning and flexibility on the other. The thesis contributes to understanding these tensions by showing that it is not only merely a practical or methodological challenge, but rooted in fundamentally different underlying logics of development embedded in the approaches used.
The results also highlight the role of system architecture as a key mechanism for managing this complexity. By structuring systems appropriately, organizations can combine different development approaches without compromising safety or functionality. Overall, the main challenge is not choosing a single approach, but managing the interplay between multiple approaches across both the system and the organization.
This thesis contributes by providing an integrated perspective on the development of CoIS and by identifying the organizational and managerial challenges that arise when different development logics intersect. As CoIS development is still evolving, further research is needed to understand how organizations can develop the capabilities required to manage these dynamics over time and across industries.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Gunnar Holmberg, Adj. Professor, Linköping University (Main supervisor)Nicolette Lakemond, Professor, Linköping University (Co-supervisor)Gouthanan Pushpananthan, Assistant Professor, Linköping University (Co-supervisor)
Opponent
Tobias Larsson, Professor, Blekinge Institute of Technology.

Workshop - WASP-HS Research Environment “The Rule of AI”
2026-06-01 09:30 - 17:30 | Örebro University, Room T137
The WASP-HS Research Environment “The Rule of AI” explores both the regulation of AI and the ways AI is transforming regulatory processes. The researchers examine the dynamics shaping AI governance, as well as AI’s role in compliance and policy implementation. At this first interdisciplinary workshop the researchers will present their current research and discuss opportunities for future collaboration. All interested researchers are warmly welcomed.
Program

See program

Registration
Please register for the event to participate.

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The Rule of AI
Want to know more about the WASP-HS Research Environment The Rule of AI?

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PhD Defense: Repairing Creative AI: Critical explorations of frictions, reconfigurations, and reflexivity
2026-06-02 14:00 - 17:00 | Flodis (F3), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Lindstedtsvägen 26 & 28, Stockholm, Sweden
On 2 June 2026, Anna-Kaisa Kaila defends her doctoral thesis, “Repairing Creative AI: Critical explorations of frictions, reconfigurations, and reflexivity“, at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
See event page.
Abstract
The impact of AI technologies on cultural and creative sectors and industries is expected to increase dramatically in the upcoming years. As significant uncertainties rattle the political economy of artmaking, not all stakeholders feel their interests and concerns are equally recognised. At stake here are not only individual career prospects but the entire horizon of our envisioned cultural-technological futures.

This dissertation examines artificial intelligence (AI) models in creative domains, focusing on their emerging impact on the conditions and infrastructures of artistic work. It frames the transition of this socio-technical system as an instance of a broken world, and extends Creative AI ethics beyond abstract principles towards the situated, lived experiences of the various stakeholders involved: artists and music communities, as well as developers and service providers of Creative AI applications. Grounded on critical analysis and ethics of care, the dissertation explores the tensions and transitions practising artists experience in their working environments in the context of rapid AI proliferation, and how AI development work practices could better support artists in navigating the rapidly changing socio-technical AI landscape.
Drawing on six empirical case studies, the dissertation contributes, first, an analysis of the frictions and reconfigured conditions of artmaking, as experienced by Nordic AI artists in the early 2020s. Second, it introduces care ethics to the analysis of Creative AI and proposes sustained reflexive repair as a novel conceptual lens for managing disrupted cultural data relations in AI development. Overall, the dissertation argues that foregrounding repair can make the emergent ethical impacts of AI technologies and practices visible and help reconfigure paradigms for developing, designing, using, and regulating Creative AI that foster fair market conditions for artist economies and cultivate artistic integrity and agency.

See full thesis.
Supervisors
André Holzapfel, Associate professor, Medieteknik och interaktionsdesign Bob Sturm, Associate professor, Tal, musik och hörselCecilia Åsberg, Professor, Linköping University
Opponent
Baptiste Caramiaux, PhD, ISIR, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France

Navigating Uncertain Futures – Sensemaking with AI in Complex System Planning
2026-06-05 13:15 - 17:00
Elinor Särner defends her doctoral thesis, “Repairing Creative AI: Critical explorations of frictions, reconfigurations, and reflexivity“, on June 5, 2026, at Linköping University.
See event page.
Abstract
Technological development is an integral part of human life that both shape and is shaped by society. In today’s volatile society, anticipating and interpreting emerging changes is crucial to face future challenges. The predictive abilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support planning in such conditions. Yet AI adoption remains slow in sectors such as energy systems, and urban development, which are characterized by entangled dependencies, critical social services, and multiple involved actors and stakeholders, making planning and management challenging. This thesis addresses key questions about how AI, which relies on historical data, can support future-oriented planning processes in such complex systems. From an innovation management point of view, AI integration is organizationally challenging, shaped by interacting internal and external dynamics – such as tasks, workflows, technical prerequisites, and societal trends – calling for a holistic socio-technical perspective to ensure feasibility and desirability.
This thesis promotes “cooperative intelligence” emphasizing humans’ and AI’s reciprocal dependencies. AI-integration in complex system planning relies on collective sensemaking, especially in the process of constructing meaning of potential futures and identifying possible actions to shape those futures. AI’s predictive ability can guide the navigation of uncertainty and ambiguity in this process and contribute as boundary objects in mediating meaning across domain and organizational boundaries. However, it can also embed historic conditions and introduce new uncertainties. This duality calls for conscious involvement and negotiation among diverse actors.
This thesis sets out to explore how humans together with AI make sense of potential futures in complex system planning building on two empirical studies in the Swedish energy sector. The first study follows the development of an AI-prototype to assist planning of energy systems in new city districts. The second study investigates the implementation of an AI-tool to assess impacts of societal trends on the future energy system.
The thesis contributes to existing literature by informing how AI connects temporal dynamics of imagination and action in human-AI cooperation, how it reconfigures cross-boundary collaboration, develops the notion of intelligent boundary objects, and how organizational structures need to evolve. It contributes to innovation management research, detailing how AI-integration shapes prospective sensemaking and strengthens organizational planning capabilities.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Anna Yström, Professor at the Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping UniversitySusanne Ollila, Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Technology Management and Economics
Opponent
Kirsimarja Blomqvist, Professor of Knowledge Management, LUT University Business School

The Impact of AI on White Collar Work
2026-06-10 12:00 - 2026-06-11 13:00 | Katrinelunds Gästgiveri & Sjökrog
Please note that this event is independently organized by WASP-HS researchers and not the WASP-HS Program Office.

This is the fourth interdisciplinary conference about the use of artificial intelligence in white collar work and implications for the labour market. White collar work is increasingly important in employment. Meanwhile, it performs a number of tasks that are susceptible to AI-induced automation. At the conference, researchers will present their current research. We welcome researchers in economics, computer-science, informatics, statistics, management, law, sociology, and other related fields. To benefit the research presented, we aim for an active and close interaction between participants, akin to a workshop.

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AI, Structural Change and the Future of Work

The conference is partly hosted by the WASP-HS research environment AI, Structural Change and the Future of Work.

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PhD Defense: The Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Actor Preferences, Bargaining Dynamics, and Institutional Design
2026-06-12 13:00 - 15:00 | Hörsal 10 (auditorium), Building E, Stockholm University, Universitetsvägen 10 E, Stockholm, Sweden
On 12 June 2026, Johannes Geith defends his doctoral thesis, “The Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Actor Preferences, Bargaining Dynamics, and Institutional Design“, at Stockholm University.
See event page.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses one of the most consequential governance challenges of the 21st century. Consequently, a range of actors, including states, international organizations, and non-state actors, recognize AI as a critical domain for strategic competition and risk mitigation. While policymakers around the world grapple with the question of whether and how to regulate AI, the focus of attention has recently shifted to the global level. Yet to date, we lack systematic knowledge about the patterns and drivers of global AI governance. To that end, this dissertation provides a systematic analysis of three areas of the governance process that hold considerable promise for deepening our understanding of the global governance of AI: actor preferences, bargaining dynamics, and institutional design. Through four independent papers, this dissertation makes substantive theoretical and empirical contributions to address shortcomings in prior research.
Theoretically, it develops novel and testable arguments about the global governance of AI. Empirically, it spearheads a comprehensive analysis of global AI governance through large-scale data collection efforts for each of the singular papers, utilizing various methods for descriptive and explanatory analysis. The dissertation finds that global AI governance is characterized by three core patterns: heterogeneous actors, institutional fragmentation, and a predominance of non-binding rules. Two factors emerge consistently across the papers as drivers of these patterns: divergence of interests among relevant actors and uncertainty about AI. This dissertation makes contributions to three overarching bodies of literature: AI governance, global digital governance, and global governance.
See full thesis.
Supervisors
Jonas Tallberg, Stockholm UniversityMagnus Lundgren, University of Gothenburg
Opponent
Daniel Nielson, The University of Texas at Austin

AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives from PhD Graduates
2026-06-16 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
A new batch WASP-HS PhD students have defended their thesis adding to the growing perspectives an insight into the implications and entanglements of AI for society and humanity. We welcome you to the third event in the WASP-HS seminar series AI and Society: Fresh Perspectives from PhD Graduates where PhD students who have recently defended their thesis present their new findings.

Program

Frictions and Fractures: Repairing Creative AIAnna-Kaisa Kaila

Human–AI Cooperation in Complex PlanningElinor Särner

The idea of responsible tech sounds great in theory, but who actually takes the responsibility for developing the tech worth building? Kristina Popova

Diverging Laws on Health Data GovernanceZhicheng He

How AI Changes Science at NASA Alicja Ostrowska

Skin that No Longer FitsDominika Lisy

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Summer School 2026 — Algorithmic Power and Discourse: AI, Politics, and the Production of Meaning
2026-08-17 13:00 - 2026-08-21 12:00
Photo: Mattias Pettersson
Welcome to the WASP-HS Summer School 2026 where we will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, politics, and the production of meaning in contemporary society. This year, the summer school is hosted by the WASP-HS research environment AI, Power and Politics and the DIGSUM Centre for Digital Social Research at Umeå Universiy.
Artificial intelligence is not only a technological development but a transformative force in how knowledge is produced, circulated, and legitimised. From algorithmic decision-making to generative AI, these systems increasingly shape public discourse, political processes, and societal governance. This raises fundamental questions about power, authority, and the conditions under which truth and meaning are constructed.
This summer school creates a forum for WASP-HS PhD students where they can engage critically with these developments. Participants will explore how AI systems operate as infrastructures of power and as “discourse machines” that influence how societies understand themselves, their pasts, and their futures.
The program brings together theoretical perspectives from the humanities and social sciences to examine how artificial intelligence reshapes power, politics, and societal meaning-making. Through lectures, workshops, and collaborative discussions, participants will take a critical perspective on AI as a socio-political force, exploring its implications for knowledge, governance, and public life.

Thematic Areas
The thematic areas covered during the summer school are:
– Algorithmic power and political economyAI as infrastructure of control, dependency, and profit
– Discourse, knowledge and meaning-makingAI systems as producers and mediators of knowledge and truth
– Platforms, disinformation and information environmentsAlgorithmic amplification, generative AI, and the dynamics of public discourse
– Governance, legitimacy and regulationDemocratic challenges in AI-driven decision-making

Learning Outcomes
Throughout the summer school, participants will:
– Develop a nuanced understanding of artificial intelligence as a socio-political force shaping contemporary societies
– Critically examine how AI systems influence discourse, knowledge production, and relations of power
– Strengthen their ability to engage in and contribute to interdisciplinary dialogue across fields
– Build lasting academic networks within the WASP-HS community

Preliminary Program

– Monday, 17 August
13:00 – 13:15 Welcome and introductionHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
13:15 – 14:00 Introduction to Critical AI StudiesSimon LindgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
14:00 – 15:00 Working GroupsSimon LindgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219
15:00 – 15:15 CoffeeD-corridor
15:15 – 16:00 Discourse Machines: Power and Knowledge in the Age of Large Language ModelsSimon LindgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
17:00 Exhibition Tour: AI and the Paradox of AgencyBildmuseet
18:00- Mingle and finger food Bygden restaurant (adjacent to Bildmuseet)

Tuesday, 18 August
08:45 – 09:45 Critical Legal Perspectives on AI – An IntroductionMarkus NaarttijärviHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
09:45 – 10:45 AI and EU Law – Between Data Protection and the AI ActLena EnqvistHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
10:45 – 11:00 CoffeeD-Corridor
10:00 – 12:00 Regulating Speech – Moderating AI and AI in ModerationTherese EnarssonHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
12:00 – 13:00 LunchD-Corridor
13:00 – 15:00 Workshop/Roundtable – Legal Perspectives on Your Research ProjectsHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219
15:00 – Activities for PhD students arranged by the PhD student council

Wednesday, 19 August
08:45 – 10:45 Learning to do research with AI: rethinking academic practices and doctoral trainingKatherine HarrisonHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
10:45 – 11:00 CoffeeD-corridor
11:00 – 12:00 Digital Humanities and Interdisciplinary ResearchKarin DanielssonHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
12:00 – 13:00 LunchD-corridor
13:00 – 13:30 Casting a Queer Eye on AI: Background, Actions and Queer FuturesElina LiljequistHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
13:30 – 15:00 Resisting Bodies in AI: Queer and Decolonial PerspectivesHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
15:00 Coffee
15:15 – 17:00 Tour of Humlab and Workshop: Applying a Queer Perspective on Motion Capture, Bodies and AIHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
19:00 Dinner at Orangeriet, Kungsgatan 71

Thursday, 20 August
08:45 – 09:45 Language, Memory, and the Politics of GenAIMoa Eriksson Krutök and Samuel MerrillHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
09:45 – 10:45 Workshop: ChatBots and Memory Part 1Samuel Merrill, Ruijin Shi, Simon LidgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
10:45 – 11:00 CoffeeD-corridor
11:00 – 12:00 Workshop: ChatBots and Memory Part 2Samuel Merrill, Ruijin Shi, Simon LidgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
13:00 – 14:00 LLMs As an Objective Measureement Tool – What Would Marx Say?Matti NelimarkkaHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung
14:00 – 15:00 Workshop: Doing Social Analysis with the Marxist LLMHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219
15:00 – 15:15 CoffeeD-corridor
15:15 – 16:15 Workshop: Doing Social Analysis with the Marxist LLMMatti NelimarkkaHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219
16:15 – 17:15 WASP-HS Student CouncilHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung

Friday, 21 August
08:45 – 10:45 Final Group WorkSimon LindgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219
10:45 – 11:00 CoffeeD-corridor
11:00 – 12:00 PresentationsSimon LindgrenHUM.D.210 – Hummelhonung, HUM.F.200, HUM.F.214, HUM.G.211, HUM.G.217, HUM.G219, Vardagsrummet

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AI, Power and Politics
Want to know more about the WASP-HS research environment AI, Power and Politics?

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Workshop: The Politics of Models – Bias, Representation & Transparency in Generative Models
2026-08-25 - 2026-08-27 | Rånäs slott, Rånäs Slott 762 96, 762 96, Sweden
Generative models can capture an abstract representation of various modalities such as sound, images, video, text, and data. These models are now globally utilized for knowledge and content organization and synthesis. The generative AI models are integrated rapidly into research, industry, culture, and the public sectors; where the accelerated growth hinders the considerations into societal implications of these rapid advancements. These models are new forms of knowledge representation, in which the technical choices such as applied ontology or categorizations as well as the data sources and gathering processes, influence, imply, and afford new forms of power and control on representation, history, culture, and knowledge associations. Addressing these issues requires both technical advancement and research as well as societal grounding, awareness in positionality, and critical engagements. This workshop creates a shared space for WASP and WASP-HS researchers with the goal to build interdisciplinary research directions to influence a better and healthier societal integration of generative AI.
Topics
Representation & BiasAnalysis of representation and bias in generative models across modalities – sound, images, video, text, and data.
Power & ControlUnderstanding the new forms of power and control enabled through generative AI over representation, history, and culture.
Transparency & AccountabilityBuilding frameworks for transparent and accountable deployment of generative models in research and society.
Societal AlignmentAligning technical solutions with societal expectations, needs, and values for a healthier integration of AI.

Schedule

August 25: Arrival & Opening
Welcome lunch, introductory sessions, and evening reception at Rånäs Slott. From lunch onwards

August 26: Full Day of Sessions
Keynotes, interdisciplinary panels, collaborative workshops, and research discussions. Full day

August 27: Closing & Departure
Final sessions, synthesis of ideas, future directions, and farewell lunch. Ends with lunch

Expression of interest
Apply by April 17 to secure your spot. This workshop is open to researchers from both WASP and WASP-HS communities interested in the intersection of generative AI and societal implications.
Spots are limited to 20 participants so make sure to fill in the Expression of Interest-form to get a chance to attend. Apply here.

Organizers

Kivanç Tatar, Chalmers University of TechnologyKathlén Kohn, KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyMd Fahim Sikder, Linköping UniversityFrancis Lee, Södertörn UniversityBodil Formark, Södertörn University

Kick-off för WASP-HS Samverkanarena Välfärd
2026-09-02 13:00 - 16:30 | Piperska Muren, Scheelegatan 14, Stockholm, Stockholm, 112 28, Sweden
WASP-HS främjar människocentrerad forskning om AI i samhället och engagerar forskare brett över 15 svenska lärosäten och forskningsinstitut. Den nya satsningen Samverkansarena Välfärd erbjuder mötesplatser där forskare och representanter för offentliga organisationer och myndigheter kan knyta kontakt för att identifiera gemensamma och samhällsaktuella forsknings- och utvecklingsfrågor och forma nya samverkansinitiativ inom AI och välfärd.
Den 2 september 2026 öppnar WASP-HS dörrarna till Piperska Muren i Stockholm för att inviga satsningen Samverkansarena Välfärd med en kick-off. Delar av eventet går även att följa online. Välkommen!

Preliminärt program
13:00 – 13:15 InledningChristofer Edling, Programdirektör WASP-HS, och Helena Lindgren, biträdande Programdirektör och koordinator för Samverkansarena VälfärdStreamas även online
13:15 – 13:45 Panelsamtal: Beslutsfattande med AI-stöd: Handläggarens och medborgarens perspektivModerator: Vanja Carlsson, Göteborgs universitetStreamas även online
13:50 – 14:20 Rundabordssamtal med temabidrag från forskare och verksamhetsföreträdare
14:25 – 14:55 Panelsamtal: Regulatoriska aspekter, upphandling och ansvarModerator: Jenny Eriksson Lundström, Uppsala universitetStreamas även online
14:55 – 15:40 Rundabordssamtal med temabidrag från forskare och verksamhetsföreträdare
15:40 – 16:30 Avslutning och framåtblick: Vad händer härnäst?Moderator: Lupita Svensson, Lunds universitetStreamas även online
Kaffe serveras under hela eftermiddagen.

Registrering
Vi hoppas att du vill vara med på plats och bidra till en energifylld start tillsammans med oss på Piperska Muren. Du kan också bidra genom att ge förslag på teman för rundabordssamtal i formuläret.
Anmälan är öppen till 13 augusti kl.12:00.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Namn *FirstLastEmail *Organisation *Förslag på tema för rundabordssamtalDeltagande *Jag önskar delta på plats på Piperska Muren**Jag önskar delta online***** Observera att antal platser på Piperska Muren är begränsat. Vi kontaktar dig närmare datumet för eventet för att bekräfta ditt deltagande.

*** Till registrerade för att delta online och alla som inte får plats på Piperska Muren skickas e-post med länk för deltagande online närmare eventet.Fika kommer att serveras på eventet, har du några allergier eller kostrestriktioner? *JaNejVänligen specificera din allergi eller kostrestriktion *Jag vill hålla mig uppdaterad om WASP-HS nyheter och aktiviteter genom att prenumerera på det månatliga nyhetsbrevetJaJag prenumererar redanNejGDPR *Jag samtycker till att denna webbplats lagrar den information jag skickat in så att de kan svara på min förfråganFotografering *Jag samtycker till att eventuellt bli fotograferad på plats och att bilderna kan användas i samband med dokumentation inom och kommunikation från WASP-HS(Om du inte önskar vara med på foto, meddela personal på plats)Skicka

Theorizing AI and Society in the Nordics—A Joint WASP-HS & CAISA Workshop
2026-09-28 - 2026-09-30 | Sandhamn, Stockholm, Sandhamn, 130 39 Sandön, Stockholm, Sweden
Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere: in welfare offices and hospital wards, scientific laboratories and school classrooms, customer service chatbots and administrative documentation systems. Hardly a day goes by without new claims being made about AI’s transformative or disruptive powers, accompanied by promises of efficiency, insight, and radical institutional change. In this workshop, WASP-HS together with CAISA, will examine the hype, practices, and politics of “AI” in the context of Nordic societies.
With highly digitalized societies and citizens, digital public sectors, extensive population registers, and long traditions of automation and data-driven governance, Nordic societies have lived with digital and automated systems for decades. Yet AI appears to extend these dynamics by entering the communicative and epistemic core of institutions: analyzing, classifying, writing, advising, summarizing, and interacting across knowledge making practices, from the lab to the welfare office. Following this, we would like to discuss how AI systems reshape knowledge practices and institutions, and what the implications might be for how we theorize AI in society.
Workshop Themes
New Objects of KnowledgeEmerging AI infrastructures do not only detect patterns in data. They also produce new objects of knowledge and intervention through texts, summaries, explanations, simulations, and other outputs. In scientific and institutional settings, these systems can shape the very objects and descriptions through which the world is understood. This raises broader questions about what AI brings into being in data-intensive Nordic societies.
Classification and ValuationWhen computational systems enter knowledge-making and institutional practice, the boundaries of categories begin to shift. People, groups, and objects may be ranked, scored, grouped, and made visible in new ways, creating new hierarchies and forms of valuation. By producing classifications, recommendations, summaries, and evaluations in natural language, these systems may further stabilize and intensify such processes. The workshop therefore asks how AI reshapes both what is classified and valued, and how this is done.
Knowledge Practices and InstitutionsAs AI becomes embedded across organizations and institutions, it changes how knowledge is produced, validated, and circulated. Systems that analyze data, draft reports, respond to citizens, or assist professional reasoning affect how expertise is organized and articulated in practice. In this way, AI enters the communicative and epistemic core of institutions rather than remaining a peripheral technical tool. This opens up broader questions about how societies come to know themselves and the world through computational infrastructures.
Workshop Focus
Drawing on Science and Technology Studies and Organization Studies, this workshop brings together researchers across the Nordic countries to examine what predictive and generative AI are actually doing to institutions, knowledge practices, professional work, state–citizen relations, and collective futures. We are particularly interested in empirically grounded work dealing with knowledge making practices in diverse domains. Empirical examples may include policing, welfare services, healthcare, education, and science. Rather than treating AI as a stable or finished technological object, the workshop asks how these systems are enacted in practice and what this implies for how we can theorize AI in society.
Organizers and Contact
Please contact the organizers if you are interested in participating.
Prof. Francis Lee, Södertorn Universityfrancis@francislee.orgProf. Helene Friis Ratner, Technical University of Denmarkhfrra@dtu.dk
Funded by WASP-HS, Algorithms, Data & Democracy Project (ADD) – VELUX Foundations.

WASP-HS & DDLS: Interdisciplinary Workshop
2026-10-12 - 2026-10-14 | Sigtunastiftelsen, Manfred Björkquists allé 4, Sigtuna, 193 31
WASP-HS & DDLS: Joint Workshop at Sigtunastiftelsen, 12–14 October
This interdisciplinary workshop brings together a carefully selected group of 25 researchers from diverse fields to exchange perspectives on the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of data-intensive research in the life sciences. The conversation is not limited to lawyers and ethicists, but also includes researchers whose work both shapes and is shaped by these governance frameworks. The aim is to bring together diverse expertise to explore key challenges, frame shared research questions, and spark new interdisciplinary collaborations.
Workshop Focus
→ Analyze governance structures and how they shape data-intensive research in precision medicine, epidemiology, infection biology, biodiversity, and molecular life sciences→ Identify key legal, regulatory, and ethical challenges in data-driven life sciences, with particular attention to the experiences of scientists working with these issues in practice→ Promote meaningful dialogue across disciplines→ Develop new interdisciplinary research initiatives
Duration
12 OctoberArrival and opening from lunch onwards
13 OctoberFull day of sessions
14 OctoberClosing and departure ending with lunch
Expression of Interest
Apply by 4 May to secure your spot. This workshop is open to researchers from both the WASP-HS and DDLS communities. Spots are limited to 25 participants, so make sure to fill in the Expression of Interest form to get a chance to attend.
Apply here.
Organizers
Lianne Colonna, Stockholm UniversityYana Litins’ka, Lund UniversityHeidi Howard, SciLifeLabFrancis Lee, Södertörn UniversityUlrika Wallenquist, SciLifeLabBodil Formark, Södertörn University
