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Job offer: Parental leave replacement 100%, Digital Methods, pre and post doc, Uni Siegen, Germany
by Gerlitz, Carolin, Prof. Dr. 04 Jul '25

04 Jul '25

Dear all, we have a vacancy for a parental leave replacement in the field of Digital Methods open and are looking for applications. Here are the details, please apply in the system: https://jobs.uni-siegen.de/job/Wissenschaftlicher-Mitarbeiterin-Medienwisse… We are an interdisciplinary and cosmopolitan university with currently around 14,000 students and a range of subjects from the humanities, social sciences, and economics to the natural sciences, engineering, and life sciences. With over 2,000 employees, we are one of the largest employers in the region and offer a unique environment for teaching, research, and continuing education. In Faculty I, we are looking for a research assistant for the Chair of Digital Media and Methods https://www.uni-siegen.de/phil/medienwissenschaft/personal/lehrende/gerlitz… to start on September 1, 2025, under the following conditions: 100% = 39.83 hours Pay grade 13 TV-L Fixed-term contract for the duration of a planned parental leave, expected to last until July 8, 2026 Your tasks: Presentation and publication of research results in an international environment. Participation in research projects, publications, and third-party funding applications of the professorship in the field of digital, social, and mobile media, digital research methods, and sensor media. Own research project in the field of digital media. Collaboration in the degree programs of the Media Studies Seminar in the field of theory and practice of digital media and methods. Participation in the development of methodological training in BA and MA programs. Teaching load: 4 semester hours per week Your profile: Completed academic university degree (BA, diploma, master's, magister, teaching degree, comparable foreign degree) in media studies, sociology, communication studies, cultural studies, (socio)informatics, or a related subject. Research interest in one of the following areas: digital, mobile, or social media, platform studies, sensor media, AI, algorithms, critical data studies, app studies, digital methods, digital ethnography, software studies, or related fields of research. Knowledge of digital research methods or experience in handling digital data, or a willingness to acquire such knowledge, is desirable. Independent and team-oriented approach to work. Fluent written and spoken English What we offer: Employment in accordance with the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act. A wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility and make a visible contribution to research and teaching A modern understanding of leadership and collaboration Good work-life balance, for example through flexible working hours and locations, as well as childcare support Comprehensive staff development program Health management with a wide range of preventive and counseling services We look forward to receiving your application by July 8, 2025. Please apply exclusively via our job portal (https://jobs.uni-siegen.de) Unfortunately, we cannot consider applications in paper form or by email. Your contact person: Prof. Dr. Carolin Gerlitz Prof. Dr. Carolin Gerlitz Professor Digital Media and Methods Speaker DFG CRC Media of Cooperation University of Siegen Room AH-A 129 Herrengarten 3 D-57072 Siegen carolin.gerlitz(a)uni-siegen.de https://www.uni-siegen.de/phil/medienwissenschaft/personal/lehrende/gerlitz…

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CfP: Digital Intimacies 11
by Lik Sam Chan (COM) 03 Jul '25

03 Jul '25

Digital Intimacies 11: The Love of Machines Call for Papers Conference Dates: 3-5 December 2025 Location: The University of Sydney (Day 1: Virtual, Days 2–3: In-person, to be adjusted if needed) Submission Deadline: 29 August 2025 In the contemporary intimacy landscape, machines have emerged not merely as mediators but as potential objects of desire. From sophisticated dating apps that claim to decode compatibility, to conversational agents scripting our seductions, to synthetic lovers rendering human connection obsolete—machines don't just shape digital intimacies; they reconfigure the terrain upon which intimacy itself is constructed. For Digital Intimacies 11, we invoke Alan Turing’s seminal question: “Can machines think?” — but with a crucial reimagining for our era: “Can machines love? Or, how can machines love?” Just as Turing proposed his famous imitation game to test machine intelligence, we now face intimate interactions where the boundaries between human and machines blur. When we can no longer distinguish between human and machine-generated affection, what becomes of intimacy itself? We invite submissions across disciplines to engage with, question, appreciate, and evaluate the manifold manifestations of machines in intimate spheres: machines that we love, machines that we use for love, machines that can or cannot love, machines that serve as signs of love, and more. We welcome papers exploring topics including, but not limited to: * Cultural politics of human-machine intimacy and synthetic intimacy * Resistance to and non-use of AI-mediated relationship technologies * Dark sides of algorithmic intimacy and automated desire * Media and cinematic representations of AI romance or “artificial lover” * Modern “imitation games” where machines pass as human in intimate contexts * Methodological considerations in researching human-machine intimacies * Evolution and critique of matching algorithms in digital courtship * AR/VR and intimacies * Broader practices and phenomena of digital intimacies We are delighted to announce that Chou Tung-Yen, a renowned artist from Taiwan whose visual artworks explore queer intimacies, will be joining us. In-person attendees will have the opportunity to experience his documentary Looking For<https://youtu.be/-TvcA4y0rz0> (2017) and immerse themselves in his VR exploration In the Mist<https://www.vmstudio.tw/%E9%9C%A7%E4%B8%AD-in-the-mist> (2020)—works that navigate connection in digital-physical borderlands. Conference Format This hybrid conference will take place over three days: * Day 1: Remote presentations only * Days 2–3: In-person presentations only * These days can be adjusted if needed All sessions will be accessible to in-person attendees or via Zoom for remote attendees. Submission Categories We seek submissions on themes related to digital intimacies, the love of machines, and suggested topics above: * Individual papers: Traditional academic presentations. * Pre-constituted panels: Panels featuring 4 papers from researchers across at least two different universities. Contributions are welcome from scholars at all career stages, with HDR students and ECRs especially encouraged to apply. We invite perspectives from diverse fields, including but not limited to, media studies, cultural studies, film studies, sociology, political science, human geography, computer science, HCI, psychology, education, and related disciplines. Registration and Costs Presentations and attendance are free of charge. Morning and afternoon tea will be provided daily for in-person attendees. To make the event freely accessible to all, attendees will be responsible for their own lunches. Optional self-funded social events include a dinner on Day 1 and drinks after the conclusion of the conference on Day 3. Submission Guidelines Deadline: 29 August 2025 Please submit to this Qualtrics form (https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eUJe1USBgriPAGy) with the following: * Individual papers: Abstract (maximum 200 words) and author biography (maximum 50 words per person) * Pre-constituted panels: Panel rationale (maximum 100 words), individual abstracts for each paper (maximum 100 words each) and speaker biographies (maximum 50 words per person) * Please clearly indicate whether you will present in person, remotely, or are open to either format. All presenters in a pre-constituted panel must use the same presentation mode. Notification of acceptance will be announced by 30 September 2025, at which time registration will open. Enquiries: digitalintimacies.sydneyu(a)gmail.com Website: digitalintiamcies11.wordpress.com Organisers: Sam Chan (USyd), Pao-chen Tang (USyd), Qiyuan (Haley) Hu (USyd), Tingting Liu (UTS), and Paul Byron (UTS) This conference is financially supported by the School of Art, Communication and English (SACE) and the Discipline of Film Studies at the University of Sydney. - - - - - - Lik Sam CHAN (he/him/his<https://www.mypronouns.org/>) Lecturer, Media and Communications The University of Sydney & Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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Communication and Change Inaugural Issue Published
by Lei Guo 03 Jul '25

03 Jul '25

Dear colleagues, We are delighted to announce the launch of the inaugural issue of *Communication and Change* (C&C), a new peer-reviewed, open-access, international journal supported by the School of Journalism at Fudan University and published in partnership with Springer Nature. This issue features two launch editorials, one from the editorial team and the other by Co-Editor-in-Chief James E. Katz. It also includes seven research articles authored by globally renowned scholars, all centered around the theme “Communication Research in the Age of AI,” accompanied by a special thematic introduction. You can access the journal and articles through our official website: https://link.springer.com/journal/44382 In addition, we are currently accepting submissions for two upcoming special issues and cordially invite scholars worldwide to participate. - CFP1: AI Agents and Emerging Social Relationships: Evidence-Based Perspectives on Human–AI Relational Interactions <https://link.springer.com/journal/44382/updates/27785314> (Edited by Jonathan Zhu and Bolin Cao) - CFP2: Dynamics of Human Communication <https://link.springer.com/journal/44382/updates/27785312> (Edited by Robert F. Potter and Jingjing Han) We look forward to your feedback! Best, The C&C editorial team

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IRTF Diversity Travel Grants / Fee Waivers for IETF 124 - Montreal - Nov 2025
by Joly MacFie 03 Jul '25

03 Jul '25

https://www.irtf.org/travelgrants/ The IRTF is pleased to be able to provide a limited number of diversity travel grants, plus a number of fee waivers, <https://www.irtf.org/feewaivers.html>to attend research group meetings and workshops. We are pleased to offer a number of Diversity Travel Grants to support early-career academics and PhD students from under-represented groups to attend the IRTF meetings co-located with the IETF-124 <https://www.ietf.org/meeting/124/> Meeting in Montreal, Canada, in November 2025. The selection criteria for IRTF Diversity Grants will prioritize people who: - Are from a demographic that is under-represented in the IRTF and would have difficulty getting to the IETF meeting <https://ietf.org/meeting/> otherwise; - Are PhD students or early-career academics (PhD students should have completed at least one year of full-time study in their PhD programme; early-career academics should normally be within their first four years of paid post-PhD employment at a University or other research institute); - Can demonstrate engagement with research of relevance to the IRTF (work of relevance to all areas of IRTF will be considered, and specific contributions to IRTF Research Groups, such as presentations are encouraged). Fee waivers for remote attendance are available under a separate programme <https://www.ietf.org/how/meetings/118/> and are not covered by these diversity grants. -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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[CfP] SEMANTiCS 2025: Last Call for Posters & Demos (Deadline: July 4)
by Beyza Yaman 03 Jul '25

03 Jul '25

SEMANTiCS 2025 EU 21st International Conference on Semantic Systems Vienna, Austria September 3 - 5, 2025 Follow us on *Twitter/X* <https://x.com/SemanticsConf>, *LinkedIn* <https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7496190/?highlightedUpdateUrn=urn%3Ali%3Agr…>, and *Bluesky*. <https://bsky.app/profile/semantics-conf.bsky.social> Call for Posters & Demos The Posters & Demos Track provides a platform for researchers to showcase their latest findings, ongoing projects, and cutting-edge work in progress. These include submissions on innovative applications, latest results, unpublished ideas, prototypes of semantic technologies and their use in various domains as well as applications, use cases, or pieces of code that may attract developers and potential research or business partners. This also concerns new datasets made publicly available. The Posters & Demos Track offers an informal setting that promotes engagement and dialogue between presenters and attendees. These discussions can provide valuable feedback for presenters' future work while allowing participants to gain insight into emerging research trends and network with other researchers. *Important dates:* - *Paper Submission Deadline: July 4, 2025* - *Notification of Acceptance: July 21, 2025* - *Camera-Ready of Paper Deadline: July 28, 2025* *All deadlines are set for 11:59 pm, Anywhere On Earth time (UTC-12)* *Submission via Easychair on* *https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025* <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025>. Proceedings of SEMANTiCS 2025 EU will be made available open access by *CEUR-WS.org*. Topics of InterestWe welcome contributions in the context of semantic-based research and systems, which address – but are not limited to – the topics of the Research Track <https://2025-eu.semantics.cc/page/cfp_rev_rep>. Additionally, we encourage submissions of visionary ideas, position statements, negative results, and unconventional ideas. Demos should showcase innovative implementations and technologies both, from academia and industry. We also very much encourage submissions from industry, but they should be focused on presenting a novel solution to a specific problem and not be in the nature of an advertisement or commercial product description.Author Guidelines and SubmissionPoster and demo submissions should consist of a paper that describes the work, its contribution to the field or innovative aspects. - Poster and demo submissions are at most 5 pages long, including references. - No double-blind submissions required. - Submissions must be either in PDF or HTML. - Submissions must be formatted in the style of CEUR-ART ( https://ceur-ws.org/HOWTOSUBMIT.html) An Overleaf page for LaTeX users is available. - For demos, we ask authors to include links enabling the reviewers to test the application or review the component. The absence of a pointer affects the overall rating of the contribution. - Submissions must be original and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. - At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the conference and present the paper. Posters and Demos Track Chairs Ivan Heibi Diego Collarana Kind Regards, On behalf of the organising committee. ========================= Dr. Beyza Yaman, Trinity College Dublin,Ireland

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Webinar: Is Sustainable Use of Generative AI Possible?
by Olivia Inwood 02 Jul '25

02 Jul '25

Join us for Western Sydney University's annual student perspectives on generative AI webinar! Everyone is welcome. Is Sustainable Use of Generative AI Possible? Date: Friday 11th July Time: 10am - 12pm AEST Please register for the live zoom link/recording here: https://westernsydney.libcal.com/event/5745551 Guest speakers include: Professor Cath Ellis - Official Welcome Dr Toktam Bashirzadeh Tabrizi - Leveraging AI to Instruct Design Students on Circular Design Techniques and Life Cycle Assessment Benjamin Kelley - Green by Design: Engineering an Energy-Smart AI Future for Education Arthur Gambo - The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automation Learning Zach Kinzler - Introduction to Boodlebox: Reducing AI-Related Environmental Impact Ayesha Aafreen - Generative AI in Sustainability: How Emerging Intelligence is Powering a Greener Future Kunal Rehani - From Prompts to Planet-Saving: The Power of Generative AI in Climate Innovation Kind regards, Olivia

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Dr Tomas Walker-Borsa is the winner of AoIR’s 2025 Annual Dissertation Award
by AoIR Association Coordinator 02 Jul '25

02 Jul '25

It gives us great pleasure to announce that the recipient of the 2025 Annual Dissertation Award is Dr. Tomas Walker-Borsa, Oxford University, for the outstanding dissertation ‘Future Proof: the Meanings and Makings of The Fibre Project on Haida Gwaii’. This award is for the best dissertation submitted in English; we will be announcing the winner of the best dissertation submitted in Portuguese soon. Dr. Walker-Borsa’s dissertation demonstrates excellence in the execution of a critical ethnography and an infrastructures approach to the fibre network of the islands of Haida Gwaii. This is an extensive and in-depth account of the development of a full-fibre network in a rural setting. It makes a strong methodological contribution, combining surveys, news analysis and ethnographic approaches including interviews, participation and photography. It is theoretically rich, reflective and informed. It addresses a wide range of issues related to internet access, infrastructure, community and alternative networks, Indigenous-led rural broadband development. The project makes a very strong contribution to the field, particularly in debates about digital sovereignty and self-determination. By focusing on the communities in which the network was developed, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of infrastructure’s cultural and social dimensions. The committee also recognises Dr. Louisa Bartolo, Queensland University of Technology with an Honourable Mention. Dr. Bartolo’s dissertation, entitled ‘Algorithmic Recommendation as Repair Work: Towards a More Just Distribution of Attention on Cultural and Entertainment Platforms’ is an exemplary, original, empirical study of algorithmic recommendation systems. The project develops an empirically grounded conceptual approach to algorithmic recommendation, and presents clear recommendations for how this could be done otherwise. The dissertation clearly articulates the findings of empirical evidence of recommendation systems across two platforms. It also offers alternative designs for recommender systems to work towards more reparative ends. It makes strong methodological contributions, as well as an original contribution to the field, and is highly relevant to debates about platform politics and algorithmic culture. AoIR is grateful for the hard work by this year’s AoIR Dissertation Award committee: Kate O’Riordan (Chair), Vanessa Valiati, Jean-Christophe Plantin and Usha Raman. Thank you for your hard work and professionalism during the review process.

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WEBCAST JUL 2-3 - Pacific Internet Governance Forum 2025 (PacIGF)
by Joly MacFie 01 Jul '25

01 Jul '25

*YouTube Playlist* <https://bit.ly/pacigf2025live> [image: ISOC LIVE] <http://isoc.live/>On *Wednesday – Thursday 2-3 July, 2025* the *Pacific Internet Governance Forum <https://pacificigf.org/pacific-igf-2025>* (PacIGF2025) will be convened with the theme: ‘*Digital Inclusion and Safety*‘ at the National University of Samoa. PacIGF2025 is hosted by the *Samoa Information Technology Association <https://www.sita.ws/>* (SITA), and is organized by the *Pacific Chapter of the Internet Society <https://picisoc.org/>* (PICISOC) in partnership with various key stakeholders. PacIGF is the premier annual regional venue to discuss, collaborate, and shape the future of the Internet in the Pacific region. *PROGRAM https://pacificigf.org/pacific-igf-2024-progra <https://pacificigf.org/pacific-igf-2024-progra>m* (pdf) *https://pacigf.eventify.io/ <https://pacigf.eventify.io/> *(interactive) All times are West Samoa Time (WST) = UTC+13 Wednesday, 2 July 2025 *MORNING https://youtu.be/pMRM0IhLnYM <https://youtu.be/pMRM0IhLnYM>* *09:30 – Opening Session* MC: *Muliagatele Fainuulelei James Ah Wai* – SITA Prayer: *Rev. Malotau Lafolafoga* (Church of Samoa) Keynote Address: *Hon. Fiame Dr Naomi Mataafa*, Prime Minister of Samoa *10:00 – Session 1 – Opening Plenary* *Andrew Molivurae* – Pacific IGF / PICISOC *Sarai Tevita* – Pacific IGF / PICISOC EU Representative *Vivien Maidaborn* – InternetNZ *Bruce Tonkin* – .auDA APNIC Representative *Sohini Rajiyung* – ISOC Asia Pacific APTLD Representative *11:30 – Session 2 – Inclusive Technologies* *Swaran Ravindra* – Fiji National University (FNU) *Sakaio Manoa* – Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Moderator: *Crystal Kewe*, PICISOC *AFTERNOON https://youtu.be/xftsLXWS4Rg <https://youtu.be/xftsLXWS4Rg>* *14:00 – Session 3 – Safety and Security in the Pacific* *Jobenz Manoa* – Government of Samoa / President, SITA *Pua Hunter* – GFCE Pacific Hub *Terry Sweetser* – APNIC Moderator: *Savenaca Siwatibau* *16:00 – Session 4 – Strengthening Resilience* *Dr Paul Twomey*, former CEO, ICANN *Prof Ioana Chan Mow* – National University of Samoa (NUS) *Fiafaitupe Tuiloma-Lafaele* – National University of Samoa (NUS) *Pepe Christian Fruean* – Samoa Submarine Cable Company *17:00 – Session 5 – Community Engagement and Awareness 1* Sakaio Manoa – Forum Fisheries Agency Kenneth Katafono – Traseable Solutions Moderator: Sanjesh Roy Lal Thursday, 3 July 2025 *MORNING https://youtu.be/3oGstBro7iM <https://youtu.be/3oGstBro7iM>* *09:30 – Session 6 – Digital Safety* *Rebecca Adams* – Australian Government *Patrick Donaldson* – Identity Digital *Vui Athena Matalavea* – Samoa Ministry of Communications & Information Technology Moderator: *Jobenz Manoa* – Government of Samoa / SITA *11:30 – Session 7 – Group Discussions* (will not be streamed) *12:30 – Group Report Backs* *1. Safe Online Behaviour – Sohini Rajiyung*, ISOC APAC *2. Digital Rights & Ethics – Crystal Kewe*, PICISOC *3. Inclusive Design – Letitia Masaea* *4. Cybersecurity Awareness – Savenaca Siwatibau* *5. Digital Literacy – Sanjesh Roy Lal* *AFTERNOON https://youtu.be/MXcW77MOiGw <https://youtu.be/MXcW77MOiGw>* *14:00 – Session 8 – Community Engagement and Awareness 2* *Swaran Ravindra* – Fiji National University *Ashutosh Maharaj* – Fiji National University *Vivian Maidaborn* – InternetNZ *Maureen Hilyard* – PICISOC *Bree Alexander* – Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development *Elenoa Naivalu* – National Training & Productivity Center *16:00 – Session 9 – DNS and DNSSEC* *Savenaca Vocea* – ICANN *Russell Deka Harada* – pg ccTLD *17:30 – Pacific IGF Summary & Closing Remarks* *Andrew Molivurae* – Pacific IGF / PICISOC *Sarai Tevita* – Pacific IGF / PICISOC Closing Prayer: *Savenaca Siwatibau* SIMULCASTS <https://bit.ly/pacigf2025live> *https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc <https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc>https://www.facebook.com/isocasiapacific/ <https://www.facebook.com/isocasiapacific/>https://www.facebook.com/picisoc <https://www.facebook.com/picisoc>https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive <https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive>https://x.com/ISOC_Live <https://x.com/ISOC_Live>* *#pacigf #pacigf2025 #picisoc* ** ISOC.LIVE is a free webcasting support service for the Internet Society Community - if you would like to become a monthly sponsor, or need support - contact support(a)isoc.live ** - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Special Issue on “Negotiating Digital Visibility in Asia” published in Convergence
by Saif Shahin 01 Jul '25

01 Jul '25

Dear friends! Our special issue on "Negotiating Digital Visibility in Asia" has just come out in Convergence journal. Please take a look. https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/CON/current The issue comprises 19 articles examining the practices, motivations, challenges, and concerns about digital visibility from Azerbaijan to Japan, China to the Philippines. We have tried to foreground themes, communities, and locations that are less visible in academic literature — including racialised and gendered minorities, underground artistic groups, diasporic communities and so on. But the articles also look at the reasons why some highly visible phenomena, such as K-pop, achieved their success. Many thanks to all the authors, reviewers as well as friends who helped publicise our call for papers — including many on this listserv. As guest editors, we worked on putting this issue together for two years and are quite proud of the result. We hope that you would find it interesting and useful for your own work. Best wishes, Saif, also on behalf of Qian, Jing and Hiromi _____ *Saif Shahin, Ph.D.* Assistant Professor <https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/s-s-shahin> of Digital Culture Director, Digital South Research Lab <https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/research/humanities/digital-south-lab> Tilburg University, Netherlands Associate Editor <https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/witp20/about-this-journal#editorial-bo…> Journal of Information Technology & Politics Google Scholar <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pzy87iEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao> | ResearchGate <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saif-Shahin> Recent articles Fractured Spectacle <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13548565251335427> ( *Convergence*, 2025) #StopAsianHate as Hashtag Activism <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051241309701> (*Social Media + Society*, 2025) Black Lives Matter Goes Global <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14614448211057106> (*New Media & Society*, 2024) Platform Affordances and Spiral of Silence <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160791X23002361> (*Technology in Society*, 2024)

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Final call: AOIR Preconference AI and infrastructure CFP
by Fenwick Mckelvey 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

Hi all To all AOIR attendees, please consider attending. We have ~20 spots for presentations but we are hoping to hear from you July to gauge interest. We are asking for short abstracts to help us organize the conference. Full-day, 15 October 2025 at AOIR 2025 Big AI’s demands for this world are becoming clearer. Microsoft, in 2023, announced plans to build new data centers with nuclear power to fuel new energy-hungry models (Calma, 2023). Google and Amazon made similar announcements subsequently (da Silva, 2024; Olick, 2024). Plans to build nuclear-powered AI data centers clearly illustrate the scale and consequences of AI as a social blueprint — rendering clear “the choices (implicit or explicit) made in the course of technological innovation” and demanding reflection on “the grounds for making those choices wisely” (Winner, 1986, p. 18). Building on the material turn in Internet Studies (Hesmondhalgh, 2022; Sandvig, 2013), our preconference gathers scholars to explore ruptures against the growing cyberphysical project of “Big AI” (van der Vlist et al., 2024) or “AI as platform” (Mahnke & Bagger, 2024). We welcome all AOIR attendees to participate in our preconference. To help us organize the pre-conference, please complete this survey to request a presentation slot, or to be a facilitator: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hfFpVS_SE06YUM5bGr… We ask potential presenters and facilitators to please complete the form by 27 June 2025 to give us time to organize. Please read the preconfernece's description below. Our preconference has three objectives: Share findings and digital methods that expose AI’s global technological footprint with an emphasis on the Americas or engaged and speculative research on alternative AI infrastructures that may include local or regional infrastructure, the fediverse, frugal AI infrastructures, decentralized, and/or distributed infrastructures; Facilitate comparative policy research on measures to promote alternative AI infrastructures as well as benefit public interest and community benefits for these alternative infrastructures; Develop a joint statement about recommendations for a new infrastructure for AI to be written collaboratively by discussants. Together, our pre-conference seeks to cultivate an international research community dedicated to understanding AI’s infrastructural impact and its alternatives. The conference offers international scholars a chance to develop collaborative projects as well as shape collective policy recommendations. Outputs directly advance the annual call for “strategies and tactics to address the ruptures caused by platformization” in this case of AI? We focus our call on questioning what public interest infrastructure would look like for AI. Public interest AI refers to “support those outcomes best serving the long-term survival and well-being of a social collective construed as a ‘public’” (Public Interest AI, n.d.). The Paris Charter on Artificial Intelligence in the Public Interest (2025), published after the Paris AI Summit, aims to “encourage a more comprehensive and inclusive design of AI in the public interest, in terms of technology, organization and institutions that serve different jurisdictions and communities in attaining similar success.” Public interest AI, however, is already a contentious term and not dissimilar to other terms “AI for Good” or “Responsible AI” that can act as ethics washing (Bourne, 2024; Wagner, 2018). Scholarly attention is required to define public interest AI as a critical concept. The preconference will be a full day to ensure there is time for presentations, networking, and collaborative activities. Participants will be selected through a peer-reviewed call with two tracks, one for presentations and a second for discussants and facilitators. Presentations will advance objectives 1 and 2 in the morning. The afternoon will leverage discussants and facilitators to develop collaborative research projects and synthesize research into a joint statement. Our schedule can accommodate two parallel tracks to welcome 20 presentations and a total of 50 participants. A closing plenary will showcase key themes, with discussants offering reflections and key insights from the day. Our preconference intends to be multilingual, with collaborators working in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The steering committee will accept abstracts in all four languages. The preconference is made possible by the Chaire de recherche du Québec sur l’intelligence artificielle et le numérique francophones and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Organizers: Fenwick McKelvey-Concordia University, Canada; Mónica Humeres-Universidad de Chile; Claudia López-Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; Veridiana Domingos Cordeiro-University of São Paulo; Luciano Frizzera-University of Waterloo; Nicolas Chartier-Edwards – Institut national de la recherche scientifique References Calma, J. (2023, September 26). Microsoft is going nuclear to power its AI ambitions. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23889956/microsoft-next-generation-nucle… da Silva, J. (2024, October 15). Google turns to nuclear to power AI data centres. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c748gn94k95o Hesmondhalgh, D. (2022). The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research Proposal review. In P. McDonald (Ed.), The Routledge companion to media industries (pp. 132–142). Routledge. Mahnke, M. S., & Bagger, C. (2024). Navigating platformized generative AI: Examining early adopters’ experiences through the lens of data reflectivity. Convergence, 30(6), 1974–1991. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565241300857 Olick, D. (2024, October 16). Amazon goes nuclear, plans to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/energy/amazon-goes-nuclear-plans-invest-50… Public Interest AI. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2025, from https://publicinterest.ai/ Sandvig, C. (2013). The Internet as Infrastructure. In W. H. Dutton (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Internet studies (pp. 86–108). Oxford University Press. The Paris Charter on Artificial Intelligence in the Public Interest. (2025, February 11). Elysee.Fr. https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2025/02/11/the-paris-charter-on-ar… van der Vlist, F., Helmond, A., & Ferrari, F. (2024). Big AI: Cloud infrastructure dependence and the industrialisation of artificial intelligence. Big Data & Society, 11(1), 20539517241232630. https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517241232630 Wagner, B. (2018). Ethics As An Escape From Regulation: From “Ethics-washing” to Ethics-shopping? In E. Bayamlioğlu, I. Baraliuc, L. Janssens, & M. Hildebrandt (Eds.), Being Profiled (pp. 84–89). Amsterdam University Press; JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvhrd092.18 Winner, L. (1986). The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. University of Chicago Press. -- Be good, Fen Be good, Fen

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