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Call for Participants: AI and News in UK
by Sangya Tyagi 09 Mar '26

09 Mar '26

Dear AOIR Community, I am a final year Media PhD student at the University of Westminster, conducting a study in the use of Generative AI in News production in the UK. If you're in the UK and have 15 mins, please fill out this survey and help a fellow researcher out! Link to Survey: https://sangyauow.github.io/AIResearch/ Survey Closes: 13 March, 11:59pm Feel free to share it with your peers in the UK. If you have any questions about the survey or the results, please reach out to me at: s.tyagi(a)westminster.ac.uk Best, Sangya Ph. D. Candidate CAMRI University of Westminster Email: s.tyagi(a)westminster.ac.uk The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW. This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and its attachments from your system.

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DeepLearn 2026: early registration March 29
by David Silva - IRDTA 08 Mar '26

08 Mar '26

****************************************************** 13th INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON DEEP LEARNING DeepLearn 2026 Orléans, France July 20-24, 2026 https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/ ****************************************************** Co-organized by: University of Orléans Centre Val de Loire Doctoral College Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA Luxembourg/London ****************************************************** Early registration: March 29, 2026 ****************************************************** SCOPE: DeepLearn 2026 will be a research training event with a global scope aiming at updating participants on the most recent advances in the critical and fast developing area of deep learning. Previous events were held in Bilbao, Genova, Warsaw, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Guimarães, Luleå, Bournemouth, Bari, and Porto. Deep learning is a branch of artificial intelligence covering a spectrum of current frontier research and industrial innovation that provides more efficient algorithms to deal with large-scale data in a huge variety of environments: computer vision, neurosciences, speech recognition, language processing, human-computer interaction, drug discovery, biomedicine and healthcare, medical image analysis, recommender systems, advertising, fraud detection, robotics, games, business and finance, biotechnology, physics and astrophysics, biometrics, communications, climate sciences, geographic information systems, signal processing, genomics, materials design, video technology, social systems, earth and sustainability, mathematical proofs, etc. etc. The field is also raising a number of relevant questions about efficiency and robustness of the algorithms, explainability, transparency, interpretability, risks and safety, as well as important ethical concerns at the frontier of current knowledge that deserve careful multidisciplinary discussion. Most deep learning subareas will be displayed and main challenges identified through 16 four-hour and a half courses, 2 keynote lectures, 1 round table, and a hackathon competition among participants. Renowned academics and industry pioneers will lecture and share their views with the audience. The organizers are convinced that outstanding speakers will attract the brightest and most motivated students. Face to face interaction and networking will be main ingredients of the event. It will be also possible to fully participate in vivo remotely. ADDRESSED TO: Graduates, postgraduates and industry practitioners will be typical profiles of participants. However, there are no formal pre-requisites for attendance in terms of academic degrees, hence people less or more advanced in their career will be welcome as well. Since there will be a variety of levels, specific knowledge background may be assumed for some of the courses. Overall, DeepLearn 2026 is addressed to students, researchers and practitioners who want to keep themselves updated about recent developments and future trends. All will surely find it fruitful to listen to and discuss with major researchers, industry leaders and innovators. VENUE: DeepLearn 2026 will take place in Orléans, located in the heart of the Loire Valley, which was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 2000. The venue will be: University of Orléans Faculty of Law, Economics and Management 11 rue de Blois 45100 Orléans, France https://www.univ-orleans.fr/en STRUCTURE: 3 courses will run in parallel during the whole event. Participants will be able to freely choose the courses they wish to attend as well as to move from one to another. All lectures will be videorecorded. Participants will be able to watch them again for 45 days after the event. An open session will give participants the opportunity to present their own work in progress in 5 minutes. Also companies will be able to present their industrial developments for 10 minutes. The school will include a hackathon, where participants will be able to work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. Full live online participation will be possible. The organizers highlight, however, the importance of face to face interaction and networking in this kind of research training event. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Yingbin Liang (Ohio State University), Convergence Theory: How Fast Do Discrete Diffusion Models Generate? Le Song (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), Towards AI-Driven Digital Organism: A System of Multiscale Foundation Models for Biology PROFESSORS AND COURSES: Nitesh Chawla (University of Notre Dame), [intermediate] Learning from Imbalanced Data Yuejie Chi (Yale University), [introductory/intermediate] Statistical and Algorithmic Foundations of Reinforcement Learning Bo Han (Hong Kong Baptist University), [introductory/intermediate] Trustworthy Machine Learning from Data to Models Jiawei Han (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [intermediate] Structure-Guided, Theme-Based Knowledge Discovery with Large Language Models Mingyi Hong (University of Minnesota), [intermediate] Modern Optimization Algorithms for Large Language Models Cho-Jui Hsieh (University of California Los Angeles), [intermediate/advanced] Optimizers for Large Language Model Training Furong Huang (University of Maryland), [advanced] Generative AI Agents Tara Javidi (University of California San Diego), [intermediate] Active Physical Intelligence for Industrial Scale Monitoring Yan Liu (University of Southern California), [intermediate] Time Series Foundation Models: From Forecasting to Reasoning Zhijin Qin (Tsinghua University), [intermediate/advanced] Semantic Communications Aarti Singh (Carnegie Mellon University), [intermediate] Human Centered AI: Challenges and Opportunities Suvrit Sra (Technical University of Munich), [introductory/intermediate] Introduction to the Theory of Learning with Transformers Ivor Tsang (A*STAR Centre for Frontier AI Research), [introductory/intermediate] Long-Horizon Agentic Intelligence Ming-Hsuan Yang (University of California Merced), [advanced] Recent Advances in Multimodal Understanding and Generation Tong Zhang (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [introductory/intermediate] Reinforcement Learning for Large Language Models Jun Zhu (Tsinghua University), [introductory/advanced] Generative Models: from Virtual to Physical World OPEN SESSION: An open session will collect 5-minute voluntary oral presentations of work in progress by participants. They should submit a half-page abstract containing the title, authors, and summary of the research to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. INDUSTRIAL SESSION: A session will be devoted to 10-minute demonstrations of practical applications of deep learning in industry. Companies interested in contributing are welcome to submit a 1-page abstract containing the program of the demonstration and the logistics needed. People in charge of the demonstration must register for the event. Abstracts have to be submitted to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. HACKATHON: A hackathon will take place, where participants can voluntarily work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. They will be coordinated by Professor Sergei V. Gleyzer (University of Alabama). The challenges will be released 2 weeks before the beginning of the school. A jury will judge the submissions and the winners of each challenge will be announced by the end of August 2026. The winning teams will receive a modest monetary prize and the runners-up will get a certificate. SPONSORS: Companies/institutions/organizations willing to be sponsors of the event can download the sponsorship leaflet from https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/sponsors/ ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Karim Abed-Meraim (Orléans, local co-chair) Sergei V. Gleyzer (Tuscaloosa, hackathon chair) Meryem Jabloun (Orléans, local co-chair) Carlos Martín-Vide (Tarragona, program chair) Santiago Montes (Tarragona, webpage) Sara Morales (Luxembourg, finances) Florian Nowicki (Orléans, social networks) Philippe Ravier (Orléans, local chair) David Silva (London, organization chair) REGISTRATION: It has to be done at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/registration/ The selection of 6 courses requested in the registration template is only tentative and non-binding. For logistical reasons, it will be helpful to have an estimation of the respective demand for each course. Since the capacity of the venue is limited, registration requests will be processed on a first come first served basis. The registration period will be closed and the on-line registration tool disabled when the capacity of the venue will have got exhausted. It is highly recommended to register prior to the event. FEES: Fees comprise access to all program activities and lunches. There are several early registration deadlines. Fees depend on the registration deadline. The fees for on site and for online participation are the same. ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation suggestions are available at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/accommodation/ CERTIFICATE: A certificate of successful participation will be delivered indicating the number of hours of academic activities (40). This should be sufficient for those participants who plan to request ECTS recognition from their home university. QUESTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION: david(a)irdta.eu ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Université d’Orléans Collège Doctoral Centre-Val de Loire Universitat Rovira i Virgili Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA, Luxembourg/London

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Re: [Air-L] Discussion of ChatGPT and other AIs and their uses
by Wendy Norris 07 Mar '26

07 Mar '26

Hi Peter, I lead an interdisciplinary ethical data science university program (Math, Information Science, Philosophy and Sociology) and conduct research in computational social science primarily in Python. I want to offer some serious cautions about using generative AI apps for programming/analytical work that are being raised in the Python and cybersecurity networks that I am part of. [1] There is growing anecdotal evidence that Python code outputs are infected with malware and serious security vulnerabilities up and down the code stack: poisoned source data, compromised libraries, deprecated code with hidden security injections, agents that provide back door access, lack of standardized security protocols, and more. These risks are irrespective of the app source (Github, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) and/or the model. Much of the open source programming community is woefully underprepared/underresourced to address these threats. There has been some discussion that newer gen AI models are actually more vulnerable to external manipulation because app outputs weigh newer source material more heavily over the older pre-2023 knowledge base. Precisely when the malware injection started taking root as app popularity grows. This post from Lawfare.com offers a pretty comprehensive explanation of the variety of risks: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-the-vibe-are-off--the-security-ri… [2] Recent reporting on the integration of generative AI models for U.S. military targeting and domestic surveillance makes quite clear that professional and consumer use of these apps advances model training to engage in activities that I morally reject. This is a tricky ethical area; other folks may have different standards. But this is a red line for me. This week, the U.S. Dept of Defense designated Anthropic as a supply chain security risk in an attempt to force the company to allow the Pentagon to use Claude models as the Trump regime sees fit use. Otherwise, the U.S. government will force Anthropic's partners (Microsoft, Google, NVidia, Palantir, etc.) to cancel their work with Anthropic or risk to their own lucrative Pentagon contracts. The lack of contracts and access to data centers, GPUs, and chips would effectively destroy Anthropic. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/07/anthropic-claude-ai-pent… Poor quality code outputs that introduce technical, ethical, and cognitive debt and environmental impacts aside, I would be very, very cautious about generating "vibe code" from scraped data of questionable provenance and known security risks. You may want to explore cybersecurity websites to determine your risk tolerance as these conversations don't seem to have escaped containment beyond those who study/write about cyber security and military technologies. Forewarned is forearmed, Wendy wendy norris, ph.d. Associate Professor, Social Computing Department of Mathematics + Data Science Founding Faculty, Ethical Data Science program Founding Faculty, Institute for Technology, AI + Society Interim Director, Technology, AI & Society program Peckham Hall, Room 212 Nazareth University <https://www2.naz.edu> | Rochester, NY USA UTC-4 | ET Be safe. Be kind. Make good trouble. > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Peter Timusk <peterotimusk(a)gmail.com> > To: air <air-l-aoir.org(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2026 02:17:10 -0500 > Subject: [Air-L] Discussion of ChatGPT and other AIs and their uses > Hello I haven't really posted to this list for a decade or more I think. I > work in statistical computing these days and rarely spend time on my > employer's ( Statistics Canada) Internet Use surveys though I did write one > short study in 2009. > > At work we do a lot of statistical computing and even analysts are > expected to be able to calculate statistics for their own papers. We are > moving off the statistical computing language SAS and going open source > with R and Python. We are also expected to start exploring AI for use in > making things more efficient and saving money.but also to do so with high > ethical standards and of course working within our culture of citizen and > business data privacy. > > I just wanted to write this email to see if there is any discussion > possible here via email. > > I have used AI for the past few months to do some volunteer work. Here I am > making an online collection of PDFs into a searchable set of blog posts on > a Word Press site. I have learned that one can ask long search questions to > ChatGPT and it will produce code examples and workflows, say to show me how > to use R and the PDFTools an R package to extract text from these PDFs. I > generally have to know what I am looking for to ask the questions but > am happy so far with the results of this AI use. I also have to read the > code and understand the loops and logic going on which allows my > programming experience to validate the results. > > I am about to use Python suggested by ChatGPT to make an offline archive of > all my Facebook posts from 2007 to now and also publish these in some neat > fashion to a WordPress blog. > > anyways hoping to join the discussions on AI bias and ethics that have been > going on for awhile. >

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Discussion of ChatGPT and other AIs and their uses
by Peter Timusk 07 Mar '26

07 Mar '26

Hello I haven't really posted to this list for a decade or more I think. I work in statistical computing these days and rarely spend time on my employer's ( Statistics Canada) Internet Use surveys though I did write one short study in 2009. At work we do a lot of statistical computing and even analysts are expected to be able to calculate statistics for their own papers. We are moving off the statistical computing language SAS and going open source with R and Python. We are also expected to start exploring AI for use in making things more efficient and saving money.but also to do so with high ethical standards and of course working within our culture of citizen and business data privacy. I just wanted to write this email to see if there is any discussion possible here via email. I have used AI for the past few months to do some volunteer work. Here I am making an online collection of PDFs into a searchable set of blog posts on a Word Press site. I have learned that one can ask long search questions to ChatGPT and it will produce code examples and workflows, say to show me how to use R and the PDFTools an R package to extract text from these PDFs. I generally have to know what I am looking for to ask the questions but am happy so far with the results of this AI use. I also have to read the code and understand the loops and logic going on which allows my programming experience to validate the results. I am about to use Python suggested by ChatGPT to make an offline archive of all my Facebook posts from 2007 to now and also publish these in some neat fashion to a WordPress blog. anyways hoping to join the discussions on AI bias and ethics that have been going on for awhile.

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Re: [Air-L] Final call for papers
by Scott MacLeod 07 Mar '26

07 Mar '26

Greetings Harry and AoIR colleagues, Greetings from the SF Bay Area near Berkeley and Stanford. Just beginning part 2 of my "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book (Academic Press at World University and School, 2026, forthcoming) on the global university and World University and School, building on MIT OCW in 7 languages, and planned in all 200 countries, and in their main languages for free-to-students' Bachelor, PhD, Law, MD, IB high sch / similar (for 16-19 year olds), AA / AS, and Master's degrees - and wiki schools for people-to-people wiki-teaching and wiki-learning in all 7159 known living languages. In a #GrowWithGoogleWUaS program, World University and School is seeking to facilitate highest quality free universal education from home, and in seeking to code for all 7.9 billion people on the planet from here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/You_at_World_University - for a variety of reasons. Much of MIT OCW-centric wiki World University and School will also grow in a #RealisticVirtualEarth and think Google Street View with time slider, Maps, Earth, and with TensorFlow AI and STEM field sites, and classrooms etc too; and please see Peter Norvig's INCREDIBLE #ToolifyAIWUaS article "Revolutionizing Education with Machine Learning and AI" #WorldUniversityInSchool updated March 2, 2024 - https://www.toolify.ai/ai-news/revolutionizing-education-with-machine-learn… - where he mentions a realistic virtual earth for the first time other than WUaS that I know of. Might I give as a paper the first chapter in Part 2 of my "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book (possibly in 2026, or 2027) at 2026 International Conference on Social Media & Society (#SMSociety), which will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 13th-15th? You'll find a Google Docs' link here in World University and School's 12/15/25 Weekly Business Meeting Agenda item A to the first 8 chapters for my book - https://worlduniversityandschool.blogspot.com/2025/12/brooks-range-ak-m-121… - for which I'm happy to share permissions, if you or AoIR researchers might be interested. World University and School's OPEN Weekly Business Meetings are loosely conducted in the Manner of Friends / unprogrammed Quakers Monthly Business Meeting ... and I'm wondering too Harry Dyer, with your somewhat Quaker last name (re Friend Mary Dyer in the 1650s) whether you might have Quaker ancestry that even informs your Digital Sociology research and related academic querying. (I've also lived for 2 full years studying in Edinburgh, Scotland -where I became a member of the RSOF Religious Society of Friends in 2004 - and would be interested in sharing my "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book in Scotland, for example; Harry Dyer, do you have Friendly Quaker affinities by any chance?). Here's the very beginning of free Scotland World University and School - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Scotland (from https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Nation_States) planned in English, Scottish Gaelic, and the Scots languages, eventually accessible from here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Languages and as LLMs too ... and check out the Academic Subjects here - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Subjects (planned in all 7159 known living languages) and for their MIT OCW courses, eventually for credit for free WUaS degrees re these versions of OpenCourseWare - https://opencw.aprende.org/courses/translated-courses/ & https://opencw.aprende.org/courses/ with an invitation to begin a wiki WUaS subject too about something you love to teach and learn about, or something you have expertise in, and in your languages. How best to proceed please? Might it be possible to share this paper via a video component to the 2026 International Conference on Social Media & Society (#SMSociety)? Thanks, Scott Scott GK MacLeod "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book (forthcoming in 2026, Academic Press at WUaS) - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YJg2icBhxEj7eSiSoiN2mgusX4PK1cQfZRFPRdw… - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2025/12/brooks-range-ak.html https://worlduniversityandschool.blogspot.com/2025/12/brooks-range-ak-m-121… Also https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/society%20and%20information… (in daily blog) https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/global%20university (in daily blog) PS M 1/19/26 Recording of free best STEM #CClicensed #OCW #wikiWUaS @WorldUnivAndSch @WUaSPress #WUaSNewsAndQA #WUaSWeeklyBusinessMeeting11926 re #FreeWUaSdegrees building on #MITOCW in 7 languages - https://opencw.aprende.org/courses/translated-courses/ - in all ~200 countries, and in their main languages, emerging from M 1/19/26 Rec of #OCW #wikiWUaS @WorldUnivAndSch @WUaSPress -https://youtu.be/dUvelVaMvXI using 1/12/26 Agenda & News https://worlduniversityandschool.blogspot.com/2026/01/roggeveld-mountains-s… -https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2026/01/roggeveld-mountains-sa.html -https://www.youtube.com/@ScottMacLeodWorldUniversity/videos ~ https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/2013660275015397650 https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/status/2013660414098448657 https://x.com/sgkmacleod/status/2013660359018582333 Vid pic https://x.com/WUaSPress/status/2013661337151557721 https://x.com/HarbinBook/status/2013661277927907599 https://x.com/sgkmacleod/status/2013661210433012179 https://x.com/TheOpenBand/status/2013661148458230001 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scottgkmacleod_cclicensed-ocw-wikiwuas-activ… https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scott-macleod-4691a011a_cclicensed-ocw-wikiw… https://www.linkedin. com/posts/world-university-and-school_cclicensed-ocw-wikiwuas-activity-7419437891094913025-EEdY ~ PPS my notes - Harry Dyer - University of East Anglia https://share.google/LrVTjaRXW9DKg5z2A Harry T Dyer | Digital Sociology and Theory https://share.google/spIVxeHzbCgIBizFT Harry.T.Dyer(a)uea.ac.uk -- Scott MacLeod - World University books <http://amazon.com/author/scottmacleodworlduniversity> Society, Information Technology, and the Global University (2026, forthcoming) Scottish Small Piping album #2 - Honey Piobaireachd <https://scottmacleodpiobaireachdscottishsmallpipesbagpiping.bandcamp.com/> (2022) - https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand (Berkeley) - Poetry! Order Book #5 Light, Float, Sit, Watsu ~ Virtually <https://www.amazon.com/Light-Float-Sit-Watsu-Virtually/dp/0578834685> (2021) Scottish Small Piping album #1 Honey in the Bag ~ Out of the Air tune <https://scottmacleodhoneyinthebagscottishsmallpipesbagpiping.bandcamp.com/t…> (2020) Order Book #4 To the Dance or the Pools? ~ Virtually! How different it is to soak at Harbin Hot Springs, than to realize it in virtual reality <https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Pools-Virtually-different-Springs/dp/0578625490> (2019) Order Book #3 Winding Road Rainbow: Harbin, Wandering & the Poetry of Loving Bliss <https://www.amazon.com/Winding-Road-Rainbow-Harbin-Wandering/dp/0578435187> (2018) Order Book #2 Haiku-ish and Other Loving Hippie Harbin Poetry <https://www.amazon.com/Haiku-ish-Other-Loving-Harbin-Poetry/dp/0692049037> (2017) Order Actual-Virtual Ethnographic Book #1: Naked Harbin Ethnography <https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Harbin-Ethnography-Counterculture-Clothing-Opt…> (2016) - https://twitter.com/HarbinBook - Scott GK MacLeod Founder, President, CEO & Professor at / of best STEAM CC licensed OCW, Wiki, World University & School (WUaS) - USPS US Post Office, PO Box 132, General Delivery, Canyon, CA 94516 1) non-profit 501(c)(3) Public Charity best STEAM CC licensed OCW, Wiki, wiki https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Subjects, https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/The_College_at_World_Univers… World University and School - http://worlduniversityandschool.org - https://twitter.com/WorldUnivAndSch 2) for profit general stock company WUaS Corporation in CA - http://worlduniversityandschool.org/AcademicPress.html - https://twitter.com/WUaSPress (o) 415 480 4577 - sgkmacleod(a)worlduniversityandschool.org (m) 412 478 0116 - sgkmacleod(a)gmail.com World Univ & Sch Innovation Research - - scottmacleod.com - https://twitter.com/scottmacleod - https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/status/1815700381474689273 - http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottgkmacleod - https://twitter.com/sgkmacleod (all 7,159 known living languages at WUaS) - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/global%20university - https://worlduniversityandschool.blogspot.com/search/label/global%20univers… IMPORTANT NOTICE: This transmission and any attachments are intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or exempt from disclosure under applicable federal or state laws. If the reader of this transmission is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify me immediately by email or telephone. World University and School is sending you this because of your interest in free, online, higher education. If you don't want to receive these, please reply with 'unsubscribe' in the body of the email, leaving the subject line intact. Thank you. On Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 06:44 Harry Dyer (EDU - Staff) via Air-L < air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: > Dear AoIR community, > > This is a final announcement for paper submissions for the 2026 > International Conference on Social Media & Society (#SMSociety), which will > take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 13th-15th. As a reminder, the > deadline for extended abstract submissions (1000-1500 words abstracts) is > Monday, January 26, 2026 at midnight (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time). We > look forward to receiving your submissions and seeing you in Glasgow! > > #SMSociety is a biennial gathering of leading social media researchers > from around the world. It is the premier venue for sharing and discovering > new peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research on how social media affects > society. #SMSociety provides participants with opportunities to exchange > ideas, present original research, learn about recent and ongoing studies, > and network with peers. > > The call can be found below: > > https://socialmediaandsociety.org/smsociety-2026/ > > The 2026 conference is co-organized by the Digital Cultures and Economies > Research Hub< > https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-communication/research-at…> > at the University of the Arts London (UAL), the University of East Anglia< > https://www.uea.ac.uk/groups-and-centres/critical-cultural-studies-in-educa…> > (UEA), and the hosts at the Division of Urban Studies and Social Policy< > https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/urban-studies-social…> > at Glasgow University. > The conference's three-day program will feature panels and paper > presentations, workshops, tutorials, networking events, and a poster > session. > In keeping with the conference's inter- and transdisciplinary focus, we > welcome both quantitative and qualitative scholarly and original > submissions that crosses disciplinary boundaries and expands our > understanding of current and future trends in social media research across > many fields including (but not limited to): Communication, Computer > Science, Critical Data Studies, Education, Journalism, Information Science, > Law, Management, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy, Public > Administration, Science and Technology, Sociology, Urban Studies, among > others. > > TOPICS OF INTEREST (the list is not exhaustive) > > * Affordances > * AI and LLMs > * Algorithms > * Computational, digital and data methods > * Creators and Influencers > * Cyberbullying, Trolling and Antisocial Behavior > * Digital Education > * Digital Intimacies > * Discourse and Public Opinion > * Health and Wellbeing > * Infrastructures, platformisation and datafication > * Marketing and Promotional Social Media > * Misinformation and Disinformation > * Online and Offline Communities > * Platform Cultures > * Platform Governance and Regulation > * Emerging and Established Social Technologies, Apps and Platforms > * Politics, Policy, and Regulation > * Privacy, Security and Trust > * Social Media Cultures and Everyday Life > * Use and Users > * Vibes, memes and trends > > SUBMISSION DETAILS > > * Submission types and guidelines< > https://socialmediaandsociety.org/submission-types-and-guidelines/>: You > can submit an extended abstract for a paper or poster presentation, and/or > propose a panel, workshop or hands-on tutorial< > https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftm_yw8HDDrnuliY7GkhIy4UkebDWviCI… > > > > SUBMISSION DEADLINES > > * Papers (Extended Abstracts): January 26, 2026 (1000-1500 words) > * Panels: February 16, 2026 (2000-3000 words) > * Workshops & Tutorials: February 16, 2026 (2000-3000 words) > * Posters (Extended Abstracts): March 13, 2026 (1000-1500 words) > > ORGANISING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: > > * Zoetanya Sujon - Reader and the Programme Director for > Communications and Media courses at London College of Communication (LCC), > University of the Arts London, UK > * Harry Dyer - Associate Professor of Education, School of Education & > Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia, UK > * Mark Wong - Senior Lecturer and Subject Group Lead of Social and > Urban Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of > Glasgow, UK > * Devina Sarwatay - Presidential Fellow City St. George's, University > of London, UK > * Estaban Morales Velasquez - Assistant Professor / Media and Digital > Cultures Centre for Media and Journalism Studies University of Groningen, NL > * Irida Ntalla - Senior Lecturer in Digital Storytelling at London > College of Communication (LCC), University of the Arts London, UK > * Daniel Jordan - Postgraduate Research Student University of Glasgow, > UK > * Yingwen Wang - Postgraduate Research Student London College of > Communications, University of the Arts London, UK > * Yue Qin - Postgraduate Research Student London College of > Communications, University of the Arts London, UK > > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ >

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PhD Position [Fully Funded]: Human-Centred AI for Programming Environments
by Sian Brooke 06 Mar '26

06 Mar '26

Dear AoIR colleagues, I hope this message finds you well! I would be very grateful if you might consider sharing my PhD opportunity on human-centred AI for programming environments with relevant networks or prospective applicants. I particularly welcome applications from candidates whose perspectives are underrepresented in computing and HCI, including those from the Global South, gender-diverse communities, and neurodivergent researchers, as well as others who bring diverse lived experiences to research on technology and society. Thanks for helping circulate the opportunity! Best wishes, Siân ***************** PhD Position: Human-Centred AI for Programming Environments Fully funded (€3.059 - €3.881 month), 4 years, University of Amsterdam, Informatics Institute The Digital Interactions Lab (Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam) is recruiting a fully funded PhD candidate in Human-Centred AI for Programming Environments. This project investigates how AI can be designed to better support programmers through the development and evaluation of human-centred AI tools embedded in programming environments. The research will combine approaches from human–computer interaction, AI, and developer tools research. Alongside technical development, the project explores more inclusive approaches to programming tools, drawing on perspectives from feminist HCI and neurodiversity to understand how AI-supported development environments might better support gender-diverse and neurodivergent programmers, and broaden participation in software development. The position is fully funded for 4 years and includes a research and travel budget to support conference participation and collaboration. The position may be of particular interest to candidates with backgrounds or interests in: Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Developer tools and programming environments Software engineering Inclusive and responsible technology design The PhD will be based in the Digital Interactions Lab at the Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, within a vibrant interdisciplinary HCI research environment. Full details and application information: https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/phd-position-in-human-centered-ai-for… Please feel free to circulate this opportunity to anyone who may be interested! Best wishes, Siân Dr Siân JM Brooke (she/her) Assistant Professor (MacGillavry Fellowship) User Interaction Lab Coordinator userinteractionlab.com<https://userinteractionlab.com/> L0.03 | Lab42 Digital Interactions Lab | Informatics Institute L6.17 | Lab42 | 1098 XH Amsterdam | The Netherlands Founder. Queer and Feminist Informatics Network - QFin www.uva.nl<https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/b/r/s.j.m.brooke/s.j.m.brooke.html> <https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/b/r/s.j.m.brooke/s.j.m.brooke.html> | www.sianbrooke.com<http://www.sianbrooke.com> | www.qfinformatics.com<http://www.qfinformatics.com>

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Digital Methods Summer School at the University of Manchester
by Lukasz Szulc 06 Mar '26

06 Mar '26

Hi everyone, We'd like to invite applicants for the Digital Methods Summer School that will take place at the University of Manchester between 6th and 10th July 2026. This year, we will cover the following topics: · Visual Methods · Sensing AI Methods · Creative AI Methods · Text Analysis with R · Data Visualisation · Geospatial Methods · Ethics & Open Science Check out our website for more information about the content, fees and bursaries: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/53uwG1yp7TISE The summer school is co-organised by the Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media (https://www.digital-humanities.manchester.ac.uk/) and Methods@Manchester (https://www.methods.manchester.ac.uk/) Best wishes, Łukasz Dr Łukasz Szulc<https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/%C5%82ukasz-szulc> (he/him) Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture School of Arts, Languages and Cultures University of Manchester UNITED KINGDOM RECENT PUBLICATIONS (2025) Sad dating apps: Emotional technological determinism and agency in late modernity. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051251380042 (2024) Special Issue: Transnational Queer Cultures and Digital Media. https://academic.oup.com/ccc/issue/17/3 (2023) Culture is transnational. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13678779221131349

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International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026): Third Call for Research Papers
by Announce 06 Mar '26

06 Mar '26

*** Third Call for Research Papers *** International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) 29 September - 2 October 2026, 5* St. Raphael Resort and Marina Limassol, Cyprus https://conf.researchr.org/home/variability-2026 The International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) invites high-quality contributions from researchers and practitioners in software engineering, systems engineering, and related disciplines focussing on a broad spectrum of methods, concepts, and tools for variability. VARIABILITY aims to be the premier forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and results in all aspects of software and systems variability management, reuse, software configuration, and customization. As software and systems become increasingly configurable, reusable, and adaptable, managing their variability across all lifecycle phases is more critical—and more challenging —than ever. VARIABILITY 2026 seeks to bring together the diverse communities that address these challenges from theoretical, technical, and practical perspectives. VARIABILITY results from a merge of three prominent conferences focussing on software and systems variability, configuration and reuse: SPLC (the International Systems and Software Product Line Conference, 29 successful editions), VaMoS (the International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems, 19 successful editions), and ICSR (the International Conference on Systems and Software Reuse, 22 successful editions). VARIABILITY is by design open as a conference. It welcomes new fields of variability- intensive research, such as artificial intelligence, hybrid software-hardware systems, etc. For this first edition of VARIABILITY, we strive to continue the success of the predecessor conferences ICSR, SPLC, and VaMoS by welcoming high-quality submissions for the research track in numerous closely related areas, such as systems and software product lines, systems and software reuse, configurable systems and software, product configuration, and systems and software variability. We will award the best research paper and the best artifact paper. Topics of Interest We invite contributions on variability management, reuse, and configuration across all phases of the software and systems lifecycle. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Requirements & Domain Engineering • Domain analysis and variability modeling • Decision modeling and support • Customization and personalization specification • Requirements variability and traceability Architecture & Design • Variability-aware software architectures • Architecture-centric product line engineering • Model-driven engineering (MDE) • Multi-product lines, program families, product lines of product lines, software ecosystems Implementation & Code Generation • Generative programming and code synthesis • Modularization techniques for reusable code • Programming languages and frameworks for variability • Open-source strategies for software reuse Testing, Verification & Quality Assurance • Testing and analysis of configurable systems • Safety and security in variable systems • Formal Methods for Software Product Lines • Non-functional properties: quality-aware analysis, quality-driven configuration • Reuse in testing, verification, and quality assurance Evolution, Maintenance & Operation • Refactoring and restructuring of configurable systems • Reverse engineering, variability mining, and refactoring • Runtime variability and dynamic (software) product lines • Maintenance strategies for large-scale reused systems • Variability in DevOps and CI/CD pipelines AI and Data-Driven Methods • Machine learning for variability management • AI-assisted product configuration • Data and repository mining from product lines and configuration histories • Recommendation systems for reuse and customization Publication of Proceedings Accepted papers will be published in the VARIABILITY 2026 proceedings by Springer in the LNCS series. Submission Guidelines Paper Types We invite the following types of submissions: • Full Papers (up to 18 pages excluding references): Research papers must present original, unpublished work with validated results through empirical evaluation, formal analysis, or implementation-based experiments. Submissions must clearly articulate the problem, its relevance, the proposed contribution, and validation results. • Short Papers (6 - 8 pages excluding references): Short papers present early-stage research, novel ideas, or conceptual proposals that are not yet fully developed or validated but offer promising directions. These papers should articulate the vision, motivation, and potential impact. Formatting Papers must use the Springer LNCS template according to: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu… Springer provides author guidelines that should be consulted for further details: https://resource-preview-cms.springernature.com/springer-cms/rest/v1/conten… Submission Link Submissions should be made via Easy Chair, selecting the research track: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=variability2026 Paper Originality, Double-Anonymous Policy, Reviewing All papers must be original and not under review elsewhere. Submissions will be double- anonymous and reviewed by at least three experts. Submissions will be evaluated based on their novelty, relevance, rigor, transparency, and presentation. Authors of submissions to the first deadline might be invited to submit a revision of their papers to the second deadline, which will be reviewed as a revision. Revisions Research-track papers can be submitted to the first or second cycle. In the first cycle, papers can receive the following decisions: accept, revision, or reject. Revision means that the reviewers believe that the paper has potential, but that its quality or contribution is not yet ready for publication. Such papers are offered lightweight shepherding by a community member, who is not necessarily a PC member or reviewer. Revised papers should be submitted to the second cycle together with a response letter, explaining how the reviewer comments were addressed. They are then reviewed by the same PC members. Papers rejected in the first cycle can be resubmitted in the second cycle, but need to contain an appendix “Changes to First-Cycle Submission” at the end of the PDF (after references, regardless of the page limit) that lists the major changes in bullet-point format. Best Paper Awards Springer will sponsor the awards for bet papers with an overall amount of €1000. Journal Special Issue Selected accepted papers will be invited to submit extended versions with at least 30% additional and original material, to be published in a special issue in a reputable Software Engineering journal (currently under negotiation). Important Dates (AoE) • Paper Submission Deadline: 2 April 2026 • Notification of Acceptance: 1 June 2026 • Camera-Ready Deadline: 15 July 2025 • Author Registration: 15 July 2025 Organisation General Chairs • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus • Gilles Perrouin, FNRS & University of Namur, Belgium Research Track Chairs • Thorsten Berger, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany • Ina Schaefer, KIT, Germany Industry Track Chairs • Shaukat Ali, Simula Research Lab and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany Journal First Track Chairs • Mathieu Acher, University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, IRISA, France • Xhevahire Tërnava, LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France Doctoral Symposium Track Chairs • Rick Rabiser, LIT CPS, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria • Iris Reinhartz-Berger, University of Haifa, Israel Demos and Tools Track Chairs • Sandra Greiner, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark • Leopoldo Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco Projects Showcase Chairs • Daniel Struber, Chalmers, University of Gothenburg, Radbound University, Sweden • Dalila Tamzalit, Nantes Université, France Hall of Fame Chairs • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany • Goetz Botterweck, Lero - The Irish Software Research Centre and University of Limerick, Ireland • Natsuko Noda, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan Workshops Chairs • Lidia Fuentes, Universidad de Malaga, Spain • Malte Lochau, University of Siegen, Germany Tutorials Chairs • Loek Cleophas, Eindhoven University of Technology and Stellenbosch University, The Netherlands • Mahsa Varshosaz, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark Proceedings Chair • Sophie Fortz, King's College London, UK Publicity Chairs • Wesley Assunção, North Carolina State University, USA • Kentaro Yoshimura, Hitachi Ltd, Japan Local Organiser and Finance Chair • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

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[AoIR HQ] Register for AoIR Legacy Talk Series
by AoIR Association Coordinator 06 Mar '26

06 Mar '26

Calling all AoIR Members! We’re excited to launch our members' exclusive talk series with our very own Dr. Steve Jones <https://www.linkedin.com/in/visiblehand/>, co-founder of AoIR! Here are the details: 🗓️ 24 March 2026 ⌛ 6PM CET / 11AM CST (Chicago) 📹 Zoom Link to be provided upon registration (Time zones will rotate for future sessions to support our global community) 🔗 Register for this *members-only *event here: https://www.members.aoir.org/event-6590105 Under this year’s conference theme, “Regenerations,” Dr. Jones will reflect on how Internet research has evolved since AoIR’s founding, which foundational questions remain with us, and what “regeneration” might mean for the field today. The event will feature a 30-minute lecture and a 45-minute live q&A! This session is a great opportunity to reconnect with the roots of our field, engage in meaningful dialogue, and collectively reimagine the future of Internet research. We’re also experimenting with new formats for the series, and your participation and feedback will help shape what comes next. We look forward to seeing you there! Not yet a member? Learn more about joining AoIR here: https://members.aoir.org Best, Emerson *(she/her)* AoIR Communications and Membership Coordinator ac(a)aoir.org *Looking for Michelle? *After nine years, Michelle has officially stepped down from her position at AOIR. I'm Emerson, and I'll be stepping in to continue her work. As I'm sure anyone familiar with Michelle knows, I have big shoes to fill, and I appreciate your patience as I get up to speed!

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Webinar March 10! High-impact assignment that motivates students
by Helaine Blumenthal 05 Mar '26

05 Mar '26

Now accepting spring quarter courses! Looking for a high-impact, real-world assignment that motivates students, builds skills in research, writing, and digital media literacy, and centers human-powered critical thinking? Empower your students to write for the world, not just you — try a Wikipedia assignment <http://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/>! Each term, postsecondary instructors across the U.S. and Canada incorporate Wikipedia assignments with a free suite of support from our team at nonprofit Wiki Education, including a customizable assignment plan with scaffolded trainings, tools to track student work, and our staff support. ------------------------------ Interested in hearing from faculty who run Wikipedia assignments? Join our upcoming webinar next week: Trying Something New: Faculty reflect on first time teaching with Wikipedia Tuesday, March 10, 2026 10 am Pacific / 1 pm Eastern Register here <http://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RtNL5_TqTveNO2WIcd-KHw#/registra…> to attend live (or register to receive the recording via email) ------------------------------ Ready to get started? No need to attend a session first. L <http://teach.wikiedu.org/>earn more and apply online <http://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/> (teach.wikiedu.org) Questions? Reach out to studentprogram(a)wikiedu.org — we’d be happy to talk through the possibilities for your course. Best, The Wiki Education team teach.wikiedu.org | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/wiki-education-foundation/> | Bluesky <https://bsky.app/profile/wikieducation.bsky.social> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/WikiEducationFoundation/> -- Helaine Blumenthal,Ph.D. Senior Program Manager Wiki Education helaine(a)wikiedu.org teach.wikiedu.org <https://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/WikiEducationFoundation/>, Linkedin <https://www.linkedin.com/company/wiki-education-foundation/>

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