After the EASA conference, ruminations about my research agenda

We had a productive roundtable on AI with a full house. It was one of the few panels/roundtables on AI, and although most anthropologists keep their distance from emerging technologies, we might have had a good reception (I was told the STS conference in Amsterdam just before the EASA would satisfy me with lots of discussions on AI).

About the distance—well, we do not have a photo of the event! On other occasions, I might be tagged on one of the social media platforms, but not here! I could take one after the event when we were having lunch.

In the session and afterward, I continued to think about my near future agenda: It will be on AI development and its encounter with the local knowledge. Data politics at the local level, platform politics, and regulatory attempts will determine AI usage. By September, my focus on the local scene will intensify. I hope to be involved in AI development and usage in many fields, from educational scenes and corporate training to bureaucratic policymaking and startups working on Turkish-based natural language processing. My overall contribution can be empirical policy recommendations and a new level of understanding concerning cultural specificity. I should add that in six months, I will hopefully publish our book, which will offer many cases to work with.

It was a great pleasure to meet with my colleagues from STS Türkiye who were also presenting at EASA.