Perspectives in digital humanism

This open access book aims to set an agenda for research and action in the field of Digital Humanism through short essays written by selected thinkers from a variety of disciplines, including computer science, philosophy, education, law, economics, history, anthropology, political science, and sociology. This initiative emerged from the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism and the associated lecture series. Digital Humanism deals with the complex relationships between people and machines in digital times. It acknowledges the potential of information technology. At the same time, it points to societal threats such as privacy violations and ethical concerns around artificial intelligence, automation and loss of jobs, ongoing monopolization on the Web, and sovereignty. Digital Humanism aims to address these topics with a sense of urgency but with a constructive mindset. The book argues for a Digital Humanism that analyses and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind toward a better society and life while fully respecting universal human rights. It is a call to shaping technologies in accordance with human values and needs.

Part 1: AI, Humans, and Control -- 1. Are We Losing Control? -- 2. Social Robots: their History and What They Can Do For Us -- 3. Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control -- 4. The Challenge of Human Dignity in the Era of Autonomous Systems -- Part 2: Participation and Democracy -- 5. The Real Cost of Surveillance Capitalism: Digital Humanism in the US and Europe -- 6. Democratic Discourse in the Digital Public Sphere: Re-imagining Copyright Enforcement on Online Social Media Platforms -- 7. The Internet is Dead. Long Live the Internet -- 8. Return to Freedom: Governance of Fair Innovation Ecosystems -- 9. Decolonizing Technology and Society -- a Perspective from the Global South -- Part 3: Ethics and Philosophy of Technology -- 10. Digital Humanism and the Limits of AI -- 11. Explorative Experiments and Digital Humanism: Adding an Epistemic Dimension to the Ethical Debate -- 12. Digital Humanism and Global Issues in AI Ethics -- 13. Our Digital Mirror -- Part 4: Information Technology and the Arts -- 14. Fictionalizing the Robot and Artificial Intelligence -- 15. How to Be A Digital Humanist in International Relations: Cultural Tech Diplomacy Challenges Silicon Valley -…