Keynote “Performing Critical Data Studies from the Inside: Working with Government to Change Data Regimes” (Rob Kitchin)

This paper considers the role of academics in society and the extent to which they should seek to change, not simply produce knowledge about, the world. It does so by reflecting on ‘relevance’ and ‘impact’ debates in the social sciences and on two decades of applied, action research working with state agencies and government departments to build data tools and data infrastructures, enhance data practices, and to contribute to data policies. The argument developed rejects the view that the role of academia is to produce independent, objective, and impartial assessments of society, which might also suggest possible ways to respond appropriately, but that it is the role of others to evaluate and apply this knowledge in practice. It also rejects the view that academics should maintain distance, independence, and scientific autonomy from other state and industry, and only seek change through critique and holding social actors to account, to ensure that they avoid being co-opted into and legitimizing the actions of others. Instead, it argues that academics should operate beyond the academy, proactively engaging state and industry to enact progressive interventions. It contends that the most effective way to achieve such interventions is to occupy insider positions that directly contribute to the formulation of policy and the development of programmes and infrastructures, even though that might mean compromising on some values to try to realise goals. The pros and cons of this insider position is examined with reference to a number of the initiatives I have worked on with state bodies.

Keynote “Building Inclusive Tech with the Global South” (Payal Arora)

What actions and innovations are needed to create an inclusive AI system? In the last decade, affordable mobile phones, and data plans have brought the ‘next billion users’ online – mostly young people from the Global South who are fast come online and are engaging in ways that go beyond our common understandings. Today, 90 percent of the world’s youth today live outside the West. Just India and China alone are home to most users today. Despite having limited resources, they are increasingly becoming digital creators and innovators in this AI driven era. Join Payal Arora in conversation as she draws from her new MIT Press book ‘From Pessimism to Promise’ longlisted for the 2024 Porchlight Business Book Awards, to lay out a pathway for inclusive digital futures, that is fundamentally cross-cultural, collaborative, and equity oriented. She argues that it is time we stop underestimating and instead, start understanding the creative potential of the Global South. We should seek ways to ethically co-create with different cultures, contexts, and conditions to rethink digital opportunities, online safeguards, and creative economies with the world’s majority. Inclusion is not an altruistic act. It is an essential element to build a global community and generate sustainable solutions in how we work, play, love, and live with the planet’s limited resources.