We live in an age of information technologies where advances in Big Data and AI are major drivers of societal change, largely pushed forward by companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. Yet, these technologies are not plain and neutral achievements, but they are expressions of economic logics and companies’ objectives – they are manifestations of what can broadly be called “digital capitalism”.
In this seminar we want to build on the general understanding that the technologies of AI and Big Data are sociotechnical systems, and as such are always embedded in larger cultural and economic frameworks. Together we will get a better understanding of these frameworks, approaching them from various perspectives broadly unified under the heading of “digital capitalism”. On the basis of a variety of texts, we will discuss questions such as: What is “digital capitalism” and how does it shape and influence Big Data and AI? How do the sociotechnical systems of Big Data and AI fit into the picture of digital capitalism? And what does this influence imply for our understanding of these technologies?
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