Abstract In the context of contemporary geopolitical dynamics, discussions about "delinking" and "derisking" have become increasingly prominent, particularly in relation to the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. This talk examines the reverse of the current trend: the emergence of the global supply chain that transformed China into the "factory of the world" and elevated Shenzhen—one of […]

The Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing invites all ESC researchers and an ESC-curious guest to our Winter mixer for the ESC Community at The Circ at 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Thursday, March 27, 2025. This includes a fireplace, patio, food, and drink. This event will include interactive activities on the theme ESC Empire. Please […]

Abstract For the first time, two of the most popular apps in the world – TikTok and the A.I. chatbot DeepSeek – are Chinese. American legislative efforts to restrict or outright ban Chinese apps and other technologies on the grounds of national security have dominated recent headlines. During a time of political turmoil, increasing hostility […]

Event Abstract: In this talk, Elisa Giardina Papa will outline the theoretical and archival research which informs two of her experimental video installations, Cleaning Emotional Data and “U Scantu”: A Disorderly Tale. Presenting images she collected while working as a “data cleaner” for various AI systems, she will address the ways in which machines are […]

Media today are our situation; they constitute the fabric of living. But a number of new crises–and subjects–have profoundly shaped the field of media studies, including an environmental turn in media studies, elemental media, ubiquitous computing, distributed sensing, and pervasive algorithms and artificial intelligence. Accordingly, this conference revists and updates Mark B.N. Hansen and WJT […]

Welcome to the Social Media & Society in India Symposium (SMSI 2025)  taking place on April 4-5, 2025, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Even if you do not do work in India, take a look at the exciting list of topics, some of which speak to how social media is impacting society everywhere around the […]

This talk is canceled and will be rescheduled in the academic year of 2025-2026. Please stay tuned for more information! Abstract Through the critical case study of Ethiopia, this book project identifies three core mechanisms of China’s image-making in Africa: tangible enticement through material and experiential offerings, ideational promotion of values and governance practices, and […]

Abstract In the context of unprecedented U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) budgets, this talk examines the recent history of DoD funding for academic research in algorithmically based warfighting. I draw from a corpus of DoD grant solicitations from 2007 to 2023, focusing on those addressed to researchers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Considering […]

Abstract This panel brings together key voices in infrastructure as broadly imagined, data sovereignty and decolonial perspectives to critically explore the history, present, and future of the indigenous Internet. The conversation will showcase how Indigenous knowledge has and will continue to shape data worlds by bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging technologies—ranging from computer science, […]

Dr. Cara Wallis will launch her new book, Social Media and Ordinary Life: Affect, Ethics, and Aspiration in Contemporary China on April 24, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm at NQ Space 2435. She will be in conversation with Dr. Silvia Lindtner and Dr. Yi-Li Wu. Please mark the date and join us! Light refreshments and book […]