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2019 UiO-Agenda Lecture: The Hidden Power of Algorithms

Through the rise of YouTube and Facebook, our online behavior has become a commodity that is bought and sold. Algorithms are made in a way to make us addicted, and we are fed increasingly more extreme content to keep us tuned in.

Zeynep Tufekci holding a TED talk

According to techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, if we let technology continue to seize power on our behalf, we may be on the road to an AI-run dystopia. Photo: Private.

On Friday, October 25th at 08:30 am, the University of Oslo and Agenda invite you to attend a lecture and debate with:

  • Zeynep Tufekci, Associate Professor at the school of Information and Library Science, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
  • Petter Bae Brandtz?g, Associate Professor at the Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, and Chief Scientist at SINTEF, the Department for Networked Systems and Services.
  • Bente Kalsnes, Associate Professor of Communication, Kristiania University College
  • Trygve Svensson, Director of Agenda

Register here

We raise the following questions:

  • Do the algorithms used by tech companies promote extremism?
  • How do states, companies or civil society actors use AI technology to reach their goals?
  • Do we really know how our personal data is used for machine learning?
  • Should tech companies even be allowed to collect such data?
  • What happens the day a state actor seizes control over a country’s digital infrastructure?

About techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci

Zeynep Tufekci is an internationally renowned expert on changing power dynamics in a world dominated by the Silicon Valley tech behemoths.

She is a former computer programmer who does research on how we use big data and algorithms to make decisions, and the ethical dilemmas that present themselves in today’s digital society. According to Dr. Tufekci, if we let technology continue to seize power on our behalf, we may be on the road to an AI-run dystopia.

  • In addition to her position at UNC Chapel Hill, Zeynep Tufekci also holds an affiliate appointment with the UNC Department of Sociology and is a faculty associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
  • She is a regular contributor to the New York Times op-ed section, and is regularly featured by news media like CNN, VOX, Forbes, Slate, The New York Times and PBC.
  • In 2017 she authored the book Twitter og Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of networked protests (Yale University Press).
Published Sep. 11, 2019 9:05 AM - Last modified Sep. 11, 2019 9:06 AM