Sometime in 2017\, Google researchers developed and demonstrated the 'transformer' architecture\, a fundamentally new way to overcome the human--computer representation problem. Fast forward to 2026 and we see the rapid integration of AI systems through all aspects of modern economic life. I will argue that more than the typical economic lens of general purpose technology\, we should also conceptualise AI systems as a new kind of institutional infrastructure -- a mediating layer that shapes who can participate in the economy\, and on what terms. There is huge potential here for new kinds of economic inclusion\, but also great risks around \;bias\, dependency\, surveillance\, and power concentration. My aim is not to bring answers but prompt a discussion about governance\, autonomy\, and human flourishing in this new Age of AI.
\nSimon Angus is a Professor in the School of Business and Economics at Monash University\, Australia\, and is affiliated as Professor with Impact Labs. He describes his work as computational and complexity science\, applying methods such as numerical simulation\, data science/engineering\, machine learning\, and agent-based modelling across the social\, biological\, and physical sciences\, with increasing focus on projects at the intersection of empirical social science and applied machine learning.
ORGANIZER;CN=Christopher Watkin: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260417T093111Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260504T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260504T113000 SUMMARY:Slaves to the algorithms? Algocracy and republican liberty UID:20260418T042822Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-g4ggw TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:Increasingly\, governments are relying on artificial intelligence to make\, or inform\, important decisions&mdash\;a phenomenon that John Danaher has styled\, &ldquo\;algocracy&rdquo\;. Republicanism implies that there are at least four different reasons to be concerned about algocracy. First\, decisions made using AI will often be impossible for citizens to contest because the reasons for the decisions will be inscrutable\, which calls into question the legitimacy of these decisions. Second\, the inability of citizens to contest the outcomes of government decisions made using AI and/or the justification for the use of AI will render these arbitrary and inimical to liberty on a republican account. Third\, overreliance on AI is likely to undermine civic virtues that are necessary to the defence of liberty. Fourth\, AI is such a powerful technology that it may free governments from any fear of revolution. If we wish to benefit from the use of AI in government without sacrificing liberty\, we must: ensure that decisions made by AI can be publicly contested\; investigate ways to mitigate the impact of algocracy on the political culture of democracies\; and resist the temptation to develop AI for applications that would grant governments too much power over their citizens.
\nRobert Sparrow is Professor of Philosophy at the Monash Data Futures Institute. His work focuses on the ethical implications of adopting new technologies\, ranging from artificial intelligence to genetic engineering\, with an emphasis on formulating ethical arguments that contribute to public and political debate. He is also an Associate Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making &\; Society (ADM+S) and is listed as a Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science.
ORGANIZER;CN=Christopher Watkin: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260417T093111Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260512T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260512T113000 SUMMARY:Rethinking the Social Contract: A Ricœurian Perspective UID:20260418T042823Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-g4ggw TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:This presentation examines the contribution of Paul Ric&oelig\;ur&rsquo\;s political philosophy to the social contract tradition. It shall explain how Ric&oelig\;ur&rsquo\;s notion of the &ldquo\;political paradox&rdquo\; highlights the fundamental ambiguity of political power: the state exists to establish justice and protect citizens yet simultaneously contains the potential for domination and violence. Drawing on Ric&oelig\;ur&rsquo\;s understanding of justice as requiring both interpersonal ethics and institutional structures\, the presentation \;further highlights how Ric&oelig\;ur conceives institutions as essential mediations\, extending solicitude beyond \;face-to-face relationships. \;His framework for understanding ethics and institutions as necessary for actualizing the good life \;provides resources for reimagining the social contract\, by grounding political legitimacy in a distinctive type of relationality and the dynamic pursuit of just institutional arrangements\, rather than mere hypothetical\, rational\, and abstract consent.
\nDr. Laure Gillot-Assayag is a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Goethe University Frankfurt\, Germany (Democratic Vistas). Former visiting scholar at Monash University (Prato campus)\, she published her research in political philosophy in the \;Ric&oelig\;ur \;Studies\, \;the Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy\, \;the \;Journal of Philosophy of Education\, and soon \;Democratic Theory. Her book on Paul Ric&oelig\;ur is forthcoming with SUNY Press. In 2025\, she received \;the Paul Ric&oelig\;ur Excellence Prize for the best paper on Paul Ric&oelig\;ur.
ORGANIZER;CN=Christopher Watkin: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR