Rethinking AI: Social Science and Humanities Network Symposium

Image credits: Yutong Liu & The Bigger Picture / https://betterimagesofai.org

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As artificial intelligence continues to reshape societies, economies, and institutions, critical and interdisciplinary perspectives from the social sciences and humanities are more essential than ever. This symposium asks a timely and important question: How can scholars in the humanities and social sciences influence how people and organizations understand and engage with AI in a different way that will (hopefully) produce better decisions and societal outcomes than would have been achieved without the presence of their work?

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Bringing together early career researchers from across the Nordic region, this pre-conference workshop highlights the growing body of interdisciplinary research that challenges the dominant narratives surrounding data and AI. While technological optimism and “AI hype” often dominate public discourse, scholars in the social sciences and humanities offer a crucial counterbalance, through theoretical reflection, critical analysis, and rigorous empirical studies, that illuminate how technology and society continuously shape one another.

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The session is designed as an interactive platform for exchange and collaboration. It provides early career researchers with the opportunity to share ideas, discuss ongoing work, and reflect on the broader impact of their scholarship. Through structured discussions and networking activities, the workshop seeks to foster connections that can strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and amplify the collective voice of the field. Ultimately, the workshop aims to lay the groundwork for a Nordic network of scholars committed to advancing critical, socially informed perspectives on AI, ensuring that future technological developments are shaped not only by what is possible, but by what is desirable for society.

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About the conference

The Nordic AI Young Researcher Symposium (Nordic AI Meet) is a crucial platform for exchanging knowledge on AI and its applications in the Nordics. It addresses key challenges in the public sector, industry, and civil society regarding AI use. The event connects computer science and statistics with practical applications across natural sciences, technology, life sciences, medicine, humanities and social sciences, encouraging the cross-disciplinary exchange essential for advancing AI research and implementation throughout the Nordic region.

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Organizers

Lisa Reutter Larsen, CAISA, Copenhagen University

Charlotte Högberg, Lund University

Ellinor Blom Lussi, Lund University

Guri Barka Martins, University of Oslo

Laura Savolainen, Helsinki University

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Time and place

13.10.2026, at 5.00-7.30

University of Reykjavik

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Read more and sign up here

Digital sovereignty is multidimensional and requires priority

In a time of geopolitical instability and rapid AI development, control over digital infrastructure and data has become critical. While there is broad agreement on the need for action at the national, Nordic, and EU levels, a shared language around digital sovereignty is still lacking. This lack of alignment leads either to inaction or to narrow technical solutions without strategic direction. The core argument of the brief is that digital sovereignty is a multidimensional concept, involving both principled positions and pragmatic choices. Reducing it to technical solutions risks overlooking the values and trade-offs that determine who controls and benefits from these systems. Conversely, focusing solely on values leads to abstract principles without practical implementation or real impact. Digital sovereignty is rarely about choosing between full self-sufficiency and total dependence. Rather, it is about balancing often competing demands for openness, security, competitiveness, growth, values, and rights in a world where capabilities are unevenly distributed. This means that it is necessary to define who or what is to be protected or promoted, within the domains of security, economic growth, or citizens’ rights, and to recognize that choices in one domain may strengthen or undermine another. The brief focuses on AI as the area where digital sovereignty is most acutely at stake, but the concepts apply more broadly to digital infrastructure and data. It provides decision-makers with tools to navigate these dilemmas by presenting:

- A conceptual framework for identifying who or what should be digitally sovereign.

- An overview of how digital sovereignty is prioritized around the world.

- An understanding that sovereignty can be exercised through three control regimes: ownership, expertise, or regulation – but that none of these are sufficient on their own.

The central implication of the brief is that digital sovereignty requires an integrated strategy that combines ownership, expertise, and regulation, while managing the interdependencies and trade-offs between security, economic growth, and citizens’ rights through clear objectives. Without this holistic approach, there is a risk of ineffective regulation, unusable infrastructure, or a lack of capacity to develop, maintain, and apply solutions in practice, potentially undermining security, growth, or rights.