Unite! Summer School: What Computers and AI canꞌt do

While the public debate focuses mainly on what AI can do, how it could make the world a „better place,“ and what dangers it might pose to people and societies, the Summer School will focus on the limits, errors, and malfunctions in the digital age, thus on the power and politics of failures. The functioning of society depends on the functioning of digital technology and probably soon on AI. Thus, their failures, malfunctions, and limitations are highly relevant for contemporary societies. Read more on the topic at the summer school website. 

The Summer School aims to establish an interdisciplinary dialogue between humanities, social sciences, computer science, and engineering science. The upcoming Summer School on Errors, Malfunctioning, and Limitations of Technology in the Digital Age will offer lectures, intense discussions in working groups, discussions of participants' research projects, and a final round table with experts, which will be open to the wider public. Participants will receive a reader with texts and materials for the seminars. The working language is English. Excursions are also planned.

Time and Place 

The Summer School will take place in Darmstadt , Germany on June 17-21, 2024. 

Who can participate in the Summer School? 

We invite students and Ph.D. students of history, STS, philosophy, sociology, and neighboring humanities disciplines, as well as students and Ph.D. students of engineering science and computer science to participate. 

How to Participate? 

Participants can present and discuss their research project with e.g., a lecture, a poster, an intervention, or a science slam. Should you like to participate without giving a presentation of a current research project, reading texts and active participation are expected. The standard number of ECTS points for the Summer School is 5 - if required, other amounts can be arranged. Attendees will receive a certificate for their participation in the Summer School. 

How to Apply? 

All applications should be submitted electronically in PDF format and should include the following:
1. Letter of Intent indicating interest in the Summer School’s annual topic (max. 300 words);
2. Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages); 
3. Abstract of a possible presentation at the Summer School (max. 450 words) 

To apply, please send the documents by March, 31, 2024 as a single PDF file to [email protected] 

Upon request, travel funds are available. 

Organisers of the summer school 

Unite! is a network of universities in nine countries that connects engineering, science, and technology with the grand challenges of society. The Summer School is jointly organized by scholars from TU Darmstadt, Aarhus University, TU Graz, Nova University Lisbon, and KTH Stockholm. Further co-organizers of this Summer School are the Interdisciplinary Studies Programme (isp) and the Research Field Information and Intelligence at TU Darmstadt. 

Contact

If you have any questions about the program or the application, please contact Prof. Dr. Martina Heßler: [email protected] 

Visit the summer school website