Since January 2024, I have been operating as the principal investigator (PI) of the Jyväskylä University package of a mysterious project called Synthetica. In this consortium funded by the Research Council of Finland, we try to tease out a variety of so-called ripple effects of artificial intelligence in contemporary societies. The work is just beginning, but we have already had some really interesting experiments, such as releasing AI bot versions of Finnish presidential candidates for a short testing period.
A couple of days ago, we published a blog post about this topic with my two colleagues Mitra Raappana and Riikka Nissi (in Finnish): Tekoäly heijastuu luottamukseen, vuorovaikutukseen – ja käsitykseen ihmisen toimijuudesta. This was a fun piece to write, and just the kind of free thinking that is required when setting up a new project. Later on, when we have more data from our collaborating companies as well as other societal contexts, it is time for more serious academic pondering. While we are working towards that, it is important to keep eyes and ears open and be as flexible as possible when it comes to trying out new technology – as well as imagining where it may lead us!
Digital Wilderness 