Book by Rob Kitchin: “Critical Data Studies has come of age as a vibrant, interdisciplinary field of study. Taking data as its primary analytical focus, the field theorises the nature of data; examines how data are produced, managed, governed and shared; investigates how they are used to make sense of the world and to perform practical action; and explores whose agenda data-driven systems serve.
This book is the first comprehensive A-Z guide to the concepts and methods of Critical Data Studies, providing succinct definitions and descriptions of over 400 key terms, along with suggested further reading. The book enables readers to quickly navigate and improve their comprehension of the field, while also acting as a guide for discovering ideas and methods that will be of value in their own studies…(More)”
Introduction to the Foundations and Regulation of Generative AI
Chapter by Philipp Hacker, Andreas Engel, Sarah Hammer and Brent Mittelstadt: “… introduces The Oxford Handbook of the Foundations and Regulation of Generative AI, outlining the key themes and questions surrounding the technical development, regulatory governance, and societal implications of generative AI. It highlights the historical context of generative AI, distinguishes it from traditional AI, and explores its diverse applications across multiple domains, including text, images, music, and scientific discovery. The discussion critically assesses whether generative AI represents a paradigm shift or a temporary hype. Furthermore, the chapter extensively surveys both emerging and established regulatory frameworks, including the EU AI Act, the GDPR, privacy and personality rights, and copyright, as well as global legal responses. We conclude that, for now, the “Old Guard” of legal frameworks regulates generative AI more tightly and effectively than the “Newcomers,” but that may change as the new laws fully kick in. The chapter concludes by mapping the structure of the Handbook…(More)”
On Privacy and Technology
Book by Daniel J. Solove: “With the rapid rise of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence, is privacy dead? Can anything be done to save us from a dystopian world without privacy?
In this short and accessible book, internationally renowned privacy expert Daniel J. Solove draws from a range of fields, from law to philosophy to the humanities, to illustrate the profound changes technology is wreaking upon our privacy, why they matter, and what can be done about them. Solove provides incisive examinations of key concepts in the digital sphere, including control, manipulation, harm, automation, reputation, consent, prediction, inference, and many others.
Compelling and passionate, On Privacy and Technology teems with powerful insights that will transform the way you think about privacy and technology…(More)”.
Social Informatics
Book edited by Noriko Hara, and Pnina Fichman: “Social informatics examines how society is influenced by digital technologies and how digital technologies are shaped by political, economic, and socio-cultural forces. The chapters in this edited volume use social informatics approaches to analyze recent issues in our increasingly data-intensive society.
Taking a social informatics perspective, this edited volume investigates the interaction between society and digital technologies and includes research that examines individuals, groups, organizations, and nations, as well as their complex relationships with pervasive mobile and wearable devices, social media platforms, artificial intelligence, and big data. This volume’s contributors range from seasoned and renowned researchers to upcoming researchers in social informatics. The readers of the book will understand theoretical frameworks of social informatics; gain insights into recent empirical studies of social informatics in specific areas such as big data and its effects on privacy, ethical issues related to digital technologies, and the implications of digital technologies for daily practices; and learn how the social informatics perspective informs research and practice…(More)”.
The Cambridge Handbook of the Law, Ethics and Policy of Artificial Intelligence
Handbook edited by Nathalie A. Smuha: “…provides a comprehensive overview of the legal, ethical, and policy implications of AI and algorithmic systems. As these technologies continue to impact various aspects of our lives, it is crucial to understand and assess the challenges and opportunities they present. Drawing on contributions from experts in various disciplines, the book covers theoretical insights and practical examples of how AI systems are used in society today. It also explores the legal and policy instruments governing AI, with a focus on Europe. The interdisciplinary approach of this book makes it an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of AI’s impact on society and how it should be regulated…(More)”.
Handbook on Governance and Data Science
Handbook edited by Sarah Giest, Bram Klievink, Alex Ingrams, and Matthew M. Young: “This book is based on the idea that there are quite a few overlaps and connections between the field of governance studies and data science. Data science, with its focus on extracting insights from large datasets through sophisticated algorithms and analytics (Provost and Fawcett 2013), provides government with tools to potentially make more informed decisions, enhance service delivery, and foster transparency and accountability. Governance studies, concerned with the processes and structures through which public policy and services are formulated and delivered (Osborne 2006), increasingly rely on data-driven insights to address complex societal challenges, optimize resource allocation, and engage citizens more effectively (Meijer and Bolívar 2016). However, research insights in journals or at conferences remain quite separate, and thus there are limited spaces for having interconnected conversations. In addition, unprecedented societal challenges demand not only innovative solutions but new approaches to problem-solving.
In this context, data science techniques emerge as a crucial element in crafting a modern governance paradigm, offering predictive insights, revealing hidden patterns, and enabling real-time monitoring of public sentiment and service effectiveness, which are invaluable for public administrators (Kitchin 2014). However, the integration of data science into public governance also raises important considerations regarding data privacy, ethical use of data, and the need for transparency in algorithmic decision-making processes (Zuiderwijk and Janssen 2014). In short, this book is a space where governance and data science studies intersect and highlight relevant opportunities and challenges in this space at the intersection of both fields. Contributors to this book discuss the types of data science techniques applied in a governance context and the implications these have for government decisions and services. This also includes questions around the types of data that are used in government and how certain processes and challenges are measured…(More)”.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Societies
Book edited by Christian Montag and Raian Ali: “This book presents a recent framework proposed to understand how attitudes towards artificial intelligence are formed. It describes how the interplay between different variables, such as the modality of AI interaction, the user personality and culture, the type of AI applications (e.g. in the realm of education, medicine, transportation, among others), and the transparency and explainability of AI systems contributes to understand how user’s acceptance or a negative attitude towards AI develops. Gathering chapters from leading researchers with different backgrounds, this book offers a timely snapshot on factors that will be influencing the impact of artificial intelligence on societies…(More)”.
The Nature and Dynamics of Collaboration
Book edited by Paul F. M. J. Verschure: “Human existence depends critically on how well diverse social, cultural and political groups can collaborate. Yet the phenomenon of collaboration itself is ill-defined and badly understood, and there is no straightforward formula for its successful realization. In The Nature and Dynamics of Collaboration, edited by Paul F. M. J. Verschure, experts from wide-ranging disciplines examine how human collaboration arises, breaks down, and potentially recovers. They explore the different contexts, boundary conditions, and drivers of collaboration to expand understanding of the underlying dynamic, multiscale processes in an effort to increase chances for ethical, sustainable, and productive collaboration in the future. This volume is accompanied by twenty-four podcasts, which provide insights from real-world examples…(More)”.
Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior
Book by Sandra Matz: “There are more pieces of digital data than there are stars in the universe. This data helps us monitor our planet, decipher our genetic code, and take a deep dive into our psychology.
As algorithms become increasingly adept at accessing the human mind, they also become more and more powerful at controlling it, enticing us to buy a certain product or vote for a certain political candidate. Some of us say this technological trend is no big deal. Others consider it one of the greatest threats to humanity. But what if the truth is more nuanced and mind-bending than that?
In Mindmasters, Columbia Business School professor Sandra Matz reveals in fascinating detail how big data offers insights into the most intimate aspects of our psyches and how these insights empower an external influence over the choices we make. This can be creepy, manipulative, and downright harmful, with scandals like that of British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica being merely the tip of the iceberg. Yet big data also holds enormous potential to help us live healthier, happier lives—for example, by improving our mental health, encouraging better financial decisions, or enabling us to break out of our echo chambers..(More)”.
What’s the Goal of the Goal?
Chapter by Dan Heath: “…Achieving clarity on the way forward is not an incremental victory. It is transformative. It can mean the difference between stuck and unstuck.
A group of federal government leaders experienced this transformation several years ago when they rethought the goal of a program that served people with disabilities, including veterans. Some context: Anyone with a “total permanent disability” can, by law, have their federal student loans discharged. But thousands of veterans didn’t take advantage of the program. This was a disappointment to many government leaders, whose goal was simple: Make it easy for veterans to apply for the benefits they deserve.
What was holding back participation in the program? To some extent it was knowledge: Many simply didn’t realize they were eligible for forgiveness. Others got derailed by the cumbersome application process.
The stakes were high: Some of these borrowers were actually in default—potentially having their social-security-disability payments garnished to make loan payments. The government was reaching into their pockets to claim money for loans that they shouldn’t have owed!
So what could be done? In 2016, a team at the Department of Education thought: Rather than make the borrowers responsible for discovering this benefit, let’s proactively tell them about it!
They hatched a plan that led them to compare the databases at several agencies, including the Department of Education and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The Department of Education database could tell you: Who has student loans? The VA database could tell you: Which veterans are permanently disabled? Anyone who matched both databases was eligible for a loan discharge…(More)”