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Digital Humanism in Practice: How is AI Implemented Ethically?

June 28, 2024 in Announcements, Lab updates
VBE - Value-based engineering | IEEE 7000

Digital Humanism in Practice: How is AI Implemented Ethically?

How is value-based engineering rolled out with ISO/IEEE 24748-7000?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents profound challenges and opportunities for our society. As organizations increasingly integrate AI, the imperative to design IT systems that are human-centric, participatory, and democratic becomes more pressing. This paradigm shift is encapsulated in the concept of digital humanism, which seeks to develop technology that truly serves humanity.

A milestone in this journey was the standardization of Value-Based Engineering (VBE) in 2022 through ISO/IEEE 24748-7000, the first globally ratified standard for ethical system design. This standard lays the groundwork for embedding ethical principles into AI and IT systems, fostering technology that aligns with human values and societal needs.

On June 27th, 2024, the Sustainable Computing Lab and the Institute for Information Systems and Society hosted an enlightening event at WU Vienna to explore how VBE is being implemented in practice across various organizations in Austria. The event provided a platform for sharing insights and experiences, showcasing the application of VBE in different contexts and highlighting its potential to transform AI deployment.

VBE - Value-based engineering | IEEE 7000

Event Highlights:

Welcome Address by Sarah Spiekermann, WU Vienna
Value-Based Engineering at the City of Vienna by RightmindedAI (CEO Mario Tokarz) & Martin Giesswein
Value-Based Engineering for AI at ibis acam by MSG Plaut (Svenja Schröder, Florian Wurzer)
Value-Based Dialogue Analysis for the AMS Berufsinformat by Aschauer IT (CEO Lukas Rohm & Sarah Spiekermann)
Value-Based Engineering for Data Hub Tirol by Sophisticated Simplicity GmbH (CEO Sabine Singer)
The New Person Certification Scheme of Austrian Standards by Gisela Krenn, Austrian Standards

The event underscored the practical implementation of VBE, demonstrating how organizations in Vienna and across Austria are pioneering ethical AI practices. Each presentation delved into specific projects and initiatives, illustrating how VBE principles are applied to ensure that AI systems are developed and deployed responsibly.

VBE Certification Opportunity for Lab Members

A significant announcement was made regarding the Austrian Standard Certification related to VBE. Eligible lab members who meet the requirements and pass the necessary exams will be awarded this certification at a discounted rate. This initiative aims to promote and recognize expertise in ethical system design, further embedding VBE principles within the professional community.

The event concluded with a farewell and announcements, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose among participants. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of digital humanism and VBE, inspired to contribute to the ethical development of AI technologies.

Join the Movement

As we navigate the complexities of AI, events like this serve as crucial forums for dialogue and collaboration. By embracing approaches like VBE and adhering to new standards like ISO/IEEE 24748-7000, we can improve the chances that technology evolves in a way that genuinely benefits humanity. We invite you to be part of this transformative movement, contributing to a future where AI is implemented ethically and sustainably.

For more information about upcoming events and opportunities to get involved, stay connected with the Sustainable Computing Lab and the Institute for Information Systems and Society. Together, we can build a sustainable technological future that aligns with our values.

Advancing AI Research: An Overview of the Sustainable Computing Lab’s Initiatives

January 18, 2024 in Announcements, Lab updates

Advancing AI Research: An Overview of the Sustainable Computing Lab’s Initiatives

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal force in the digital transformation era, profoundly affecting personal, business, and societal realms. The extent of AI’s influence is vast, reshaping lifestyles, work environments, and even the underpinnings of democratic systems. In this context, the Sustainable Computing Lab has positioned itself at the forefront of AI research, aligning its genesis and evolution with the exploration of AI’s multifaceted impact.

The lab’s establishment was motivated by the ambition to delve into AI research, fostering a community committed to advancing Sustainable, Human-compatible, Lawful, Accountable, and Ethical digital technologies. This focus has not only shaped the lab’s research trajectory but also guided its organization of events and initiatives aimed at amplifying the positive impact of digital technologies. Recognition from prestigious bodies, such as the Artificial Intelligence Award by the Internet Foundation Austria, underscores the significance and visibility of the lab’s contributions in this domain.

Presently, the lab is engaged in several cutting-edge AI research projects, collaborating with esteemed institutions and tackling diverse topics within the AI sphere. These include:

  1. Sustainable HALE AI: Studying the co-construction of AI technologies that are sustainable, human-compatible, accountable, lawful, and ethical.
  2. Human-compatible, value-aware, and needs-aware AI (in collaboration with George Washington University): Investigating the integration of needs and values in AI systems and building human-compatible AI.
  3. Applied AI ethics: Examining how background and context influence judgments regarding AI use in military setups.
  4. Offensive AI (in collaboration with Liechtenstein University): Understanding the use of AI for offensive purposes, the state of knowledge, and mitigation strategies.
  5. Generative AI in digital transformation: Investigating the application of generative AI models, especially large language models (LLMs), in organizational digital transformation.
  6. Assisting digital protection through generative AI: Studying how generative AI can be used to develop assistant systems for enhancing personal digital protection.

These research directions and projects exemplify the lab’s commitment to exploring and shaping the multifaceted impact of AI on society, aligning with its foundational goals of promoting sustainability, human compatibility, lawfulness, accountability, and ethics in digital technologies. Through these endeavors, the Sustainable Computing Lab continues to contribute significantly to the discourse and development of AI, reinforcing its status as a key player in the field.

CFP: Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy | HICSS-57

March 29, 2023 in Announcements

CALL FOR PAPERS

The 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Mini-track on

Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy

http://hicss.hawaii.edu | HICSS-57
Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort | January 3-6, 2024

 

Paper Submission Deadline: June 15, 2023 | 11:59 pm HST

The global digital transformation has changed many different aspects of our lives. Not only the economies and the societies, but also people’s personal lives, have been influenced by this new and ever-emerging era of our history. While the digital age has made it possible to provide novel services and solutions for the end-users, it has also caused serious concerns in different individual and societal levels, such as issues regarding online privacy, algorithmic bias, fairness and accountability of information systems, transparency, governance, and explainability of information systems, end-user manipulations, fake news, traceability, etc. The development of human-centric and end-user empowering information systems can be one approach towards “digital sustainability” since they enable individuals to influence how their data is used, by whom, and for which purpose. Many novel and personalized services are emerging in this direction, which make the digital economy sustainable, i.e. a positive place that focuses on human users.

This minitrack aims to attract research that advances the understanding of human-centricity and end-user empowerment in a sustainable digital economy. As the transformation is multidimensional in nature, the minitrack adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, which considers human-centricity and end-user empowerment across application domains (e.g., software development, digital commerce, healthcare, administration, mobile apps, social media, and online services) and disciplines (e.g., economics, ecology, computer science, sociology). Among the relevant topics are:

  • Characteristics and design of sustainable human-centric information systems
  • Evaluation of information systems from a human-centric perspective
  • Co-creation and co-production of human-centric sustainable information systems
  • Analysis and design of technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain) that empower end-users
  • Design of human-centric end-user agents, chatbots, AI and machine learning
  • Identity, privacy and consent management systems (e.g., self-sovereign identities) 
  • Fairness, transparency, accountability and controllability of information systems
  • Legal, social, ethical, political or economic aspects of human-centricity in information systems
  • Business value of human-centric and/or user empowered solutions
  • Human-centric aspects of digital nudging
  • The role of platforms in digital sustainability 
  • Human-centricity and sustainability in platform economy, shared economy, circular economy, and digital economy
  • Study of gaps, barriers, enablers, drivers, and concerns related to human-centricity and sustainability in digital systems, ecosystems, and environments
  • Ubiquitous, pervasive, and/or ambient human-centricity in digital environments
  • Study of human’s perception, experience, or interactions in digital environments
  • COVID-19’s impact on human-centricity or sustainability of information systems
  • Emerging AI systems for automated decision-making and text generation (such as ChatGPT) and their impact on human-centricity
  • Human-centricity in cyber-physical/metaverse spaces
  • Human-centricity and data management
  • Human-centricity and science, such as citizen science or digital transformation in science and knowledge production or education
  • Approaches affiliated with human-centricity, such as Social Welfare Computing, Life Engineering, Digital Humanism, Digital Sustainability, Human Awareness

Publication of Papers:

HICSS is the #1 Information Systems conference in terms of citations as recorded by Google Scholar. Presented papers will be included in the Proceedings of HICSS-57. Selected papers will be invited for a fast-track special issue in Electronic Markets – The International Journal on Networked Business.

Important Dates for Paper Submission
Submission Deadline: June 15, 2023 | 11:59 pm HST

Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: August 17, 2023 | 11:59 pm HST
Deadline for Submission of Final Manuscript for Publication: September 22, 2023|11:59 pm HST
Deadline for at least one author to register for HICSS-57: October 1, 2023 | 11:59 pm HST

Conference Location/Dates:

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort | January 3-6, 2024

 

Organizers:

Soheil Human, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Gustaf Neumann, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Rainer Alt, Leipzig University, Germany

About the HICSS Conference:

Since 1968, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) has been known worldwide as the longest-standing working scientific conferences in Information Technology Management. HICSS provides a highly interactive working environment for top scholars from academia and the industry from over 60 countries to exchange ideas in various areas of information, computer, and system sciences. 

Unique characteristics of the conference include:

  • A matrix structure of tracks and minitracks that enables research on a rich mixture of cutting-edge computer-based applications and technologies.
  • Four days presentations of peer-reviewed papers and discussions in a workshop setting that promotes interaction leading to revised and extended papers that are published in journals, books, and special issues as well as additional research.
  • Parallel Symposia, Workshops, and Tutorials.
  • Keynote addresses and distinguished lectures which explore particularly relevant topics and concepts.
  • Best Paper Awards in each track which recognize superior research performance.
  • HICSS is the #1 IS conference in terms of citations as recorded by Google Scholar.
  • A doctoral consortium that helps participants work with senior scholars on their work-in-progress leading to journal publications.
  • HICSS panels that help shape future research directions.

Author Instructions:

http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/ 

Mini-track Link:

https://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-57/internet-and-the-digital-economy/#human-centricity-in-a-sustainable-digital-economy-minitrack

Introducing Advanced Data Protection Control (ADPC)

June 14, 2021 in Announcements
ADPC

Introducing Advanced Data Protection Control (ADPC)

ADPC Logo

ADPC can fundamentally change our practice of online "consenting".

We are excited to introduce you to the Advanced Data Protection Control (ADPC).
ADPC is a proposed automated mechanism for the communication of users’ privacy decisions. It aims to empower users to protect their online choices in a human-centric, easy and enforceable manner. ADPC also supports online publishers and service providers to comply with data protection and consumer protection regulations.
You hate “cookie banners” too? ADPC would allow users to set their privacy preferences in their browser, plugin or operating system and communicate them in a simple way – limiting friction in user interaction for providers and users alike, as foreseen or panned in various innovative laws.
ADPC was developed as a part of our RESPECTeD project, a joint project with NOYB, that was led by Soheil Human and Max Schrems.
You can find more information on:
or follow ADPC-updates on: https://twitter.com/ADPC_Spec
Thank you for supporting the development of ADPC in the last years. It was not possible without many of you!
LET’S CONSTRUCT A HUMAN-CENTRIC AND SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL WORLD TOGETHER!

Call for Participation in W3C Consent Community Group

March 5, 2021 in Announcements

Soheil Human

The concept of consent plays an essential role in the use of digital technologies as an enabler of the individual’s ownership, control, and agency. Regulations such as the GDPR assert this relationship by permitting use of consent as one of the possible legal bases for the lawful practice of data processing. Through this, obtaining consent is widely practised in the digital world, and can be perceived as an essential means to enable the individual’s agency regarding the management and ownership of their personal data. While different legal frameworks specify various requirements and obligations regarding the legal validity of consent, which should be, e.g. valid, freely given, specific, informed and active; existing and ongoing research shows that the majority of people are not empowered to practice their digital right to privacy and lawful “consenting” due to various malpractices and a lack of technological means acting in the individuals’ interest.

The W3C Consent CG (https://www.w3.org/community/consent/) aims to contribute towards the empowerment of humans concerning their rights of privacy and agency, by advocating interdisciplinary, pluralist, human-centric approaches to digital consent that are technologically and legally enforceable.

The mission of this group is to improve the experience of digital “consenting” while ensuring it remains adherent to relevant standards and laws. For this, the group will: (i) provide a space for people and stakeholders to come together (ii) highlight and analyse concepts, issues and problems about digital consenting (iii) propose and develop solutions. Some concrete areas for the working of this group are: (a) developing interdisciplinary solutions; (b) documenting and achieving legal compliance; (c) improving the user experience; and (d) utilising existing and developing new concepts and standards for digital consent.

In order to join the group, you will need a W3C account. Please note, however, that W3C Membership is not required to join a Community Group.

CfP: Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy

February 23, 2021 in Announcements

CALL FOR PAPER

The 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Mini-track on

Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy

http://hicss.hawaii.edu | HICSS-55 | January 4 – 7, 2022 | Hyatt Regency Maui, Hawaii, USA
Paper Submission Deadline: June 15, 2021 | 11:59 pm HST

The internet and the global digital transformation have changed many different aspects of our lives. Not only the economies and the societies but also people’s personal lives have been influenced by this new and ever-emerging era of our history. While the digital age has made it possible to provide novel services and solutions for the end-users, it has also caused serious concerns in different individual and societal levels, such as issues regarding online privacy, algorithmic bias, fairness and accountability of information systems, transparency, governance, and explainability of information systems, end-user manipulations, fake news, traceability, etc. The development of human-centric and end-user empowering information systems can be one approach towards “digital sustainability” since they enable individuals to influence how their data is used, by whom, and for which purpose. Many novel and personalized services are emerging in this direction, which make the digital economy sustainable, i.e. a positive place that focuses on human users. 

This minitrack aims to attract research that advances the understanding of human-centricity and end-user empowerment in a sustainable digital economy. As the transformation is multidimensional in nature, the minitrack adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, which considers human-centricity and end-user empowerment across application domains (e.g. software development, digital commerce, healthcare, administration, mobile apps, social media, and online services) and disciplines (e.g. economics, computer science, sociology). Among the relevant topics are:

  • Characteristics and design of sustainable human-centric information systems
  • Evaluation of existing information systems from a human-centric perspective
  • Co-creation and co-production of human-centric sustainable information systems
  • Analysis and design of technologies (e.g. AI, Blockchain) that empower end-users
  • Design of human-centric end-user agents, AI and machine learning
  • Fairness, transparency, accountability and controllability of information systems
  • Legal or economic aspects of human-centricity in information systems
  • Identity, privacy and consent management systems
  • Business value of human-centric and/or user empowered solutions
  • Sociotechnical studies of human-centricity in information systems
  • Opportunities and challenges of digital behavior change, habit formation, and digital addiction
  • Digital nudging for increasing social or ecological responsibilities
  • Ethical concerns regarding human-centricity and/or sustainability
  • COVID-19’s impact on human-centricity or sustainability of information systems

Publication of Papers

HICSS is the #1 Information Systems conference in terms of citations as recorded by Google Scholar. Presented papers will be included in the Proceedings of HICSS-55. Selected papers will be invited for a fast-track in Electronic Markets – The International Journal on Networked Business.

A Special Issue on “Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy” at Electronic Markets is planned.

Important Dates

June 15, 2021 | 11:59 pm HST: Paper Submission Deadline

August 17, 2021: Notification of Acceptance/Rejection

September 22, 2021: Deadline for Authors to Submit Final Manuscript for Publication

October 1, 2021: Deadline for at least one author of each paper to register for HICSS-55

January 4 – 7, 2022: Paper Presentations

Organizers

Soheil Human, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Gustaf Neumann, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Rainer Alt, Leipzig University, Germany

About the HICSS Conference

Since 1968, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) has been known worldwide as the longest-standing working scientific conferences in Information Technology Management. HICSS provides a highly interactive working environment for top scholars from academia and the industry from over 60 countries to exchange ideas in various areas of information, computer, and system sciences.

According to Microsoft Academic, HICSS ranks the 36th in terms of citations among 4,444 conferences in all fields worldwide. The Australian Government’s Excellence in Research project (ERA) has given HICSS an “A” rating, one of 32 Information Systems conferences so honored out of 241 (46-B and 146-C ratings). Data supplied by the Australian Research Council, December 2009.

Unique characteristics of the conference include:

  • A matrix structure of tracks and minitracks that enables research on a rich mixture of cutting-edge computer-based applications and technologies.
  • Three days presentations of peer-reviewed papers and discussions in a workshop setting that promotes interaction leading to revised and extended papers that are published in journals, books, and special issues as well as additional research.
  • A full day of Symposia, Workshops, and Tutorials.
  • Keynote addresses and distinguished lectures which explore particularly relevant
  • topics and concepts.
  • Best Paper Awards in each track which recognize superior research performance.
  • HICSS is the #1 IS conference in terms of citations as recorded by Google Scholar.
  • A doctoral consortium that helps participants work with senior scholars on their
  • work-in-progress leading to journal publications.
  • HICSS panels that help shape future research directions.

Author Instructions

  • http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/

Call for Paper: Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy

April 17, 2020 in Announcements

 

CALL FOR PAPER

The 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Mini-track on
Human-centricity in a Sustainable Digital Economy

http://hicss.hawaii.edu

HICSS-54

January 5 – 8, 2021

Grand Hyatt Kauai

Paper Submission Deadline:
June 15, 2020

Important Dates:

June 15, 2020:
Paper Submission Deadline (11:59 pm HST)

August 17, 2020:
Notification of Acceptance/Rejection

September 4, 2020:
Deadline for A-M Authors to Submit Revised Manuscript for Review

September 22, 2020:
Deadline for Authors to Submit Final Manuscript for Publication

October 1, 2020:
Deadline for at least one author of to register for HICSS-54

Conference Dates:

January 5 – 8, 2021:
Paper Presentations

Organizers:

Soheil Human, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Gustaf Neumann, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien), Austria

Rainer Alt, Leipzig University, Germany

Author Instructions:

http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/ 

Mini-track Link:

https://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-54/internet-and-the-digital-economy/#human-centricity-in-a-sustainable-digital-economy-minitrack

The internet and the global digital transformation have changed many different aspects of our lives. Not only the economies and the societies but also people’s personal lives have been influenced by this new and ever-emerging era of our history. While the digital age has made it possible to provide novel services and solutions for the end-users, it has also caused serious concerns in different individual and societal levels, such as issues regarding online privacy, algorithmic bias, fairness and accountability of information systems, transparency, governance, and explainability of information systems, end-user manipulations, fake news, traceability, etc. The development of human-centric and end-user empowering information systems can be one approach towards “digital sustainability”, i.e. providing novel and personalized services for the end-users, while considering potential negative multi-dimensional consequences of digital transformation. 

Continue reading »

Ben Wagner: Fairness, Accountability and Transparency at FAT 2020 in Barcelona

October 23, 2019 in Announcements

Many colleagues at the Lab are interested in topics of Fairness, Accountability and Transparency. For those doing a PhD in this area, I can highly recommend the doctoral consortium of the ACM FAT 2020 conference in Barcelona: https://fatconference.org/2020/callfordc.html

I’ve been lucky enough to chair Track 4 on Practice and Experience and it’s already obvious that the quality of the final papers is likely to be high. Thus for those individuals interested in these topics at a doctoral level, the deadline for submission is 1 November 2019.

For everyone else, please consider attending the main conference. https://fatconference.org/2020/index.html which will take place from Monday, January 27th through Thursday, January 30th, 2020.