Onur Bakiner | Pluralistic sociotechnical imaginaries in AI law: The case of the EU's AI regulation

Presented at the 2023 Toronto Public Tech Workshop, co-hosted by the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
Speaker: Onur Bakiner, Political Science Department, Seattle University
Paper title: “Pluralistic sociotechnical imaginaries in artificial intelligence law: The case of the European Union’s AI regulation”
Abstract: This paper asks how lawmakers and other stakeholders envision the potential benefits and challenges arising from artificial intelligence (AI). A close reading of the European Union’s AI Regulation, a bill proposed by the European Commission in April 2021, and of 302 response papers submitted by NGOs, businesses and business associations, trade unions, academics, public authorities, and EU citizens, shows that pluralistic sociotechnical imaginaries contest: (1) the essential characteristics of technology as they relate to social and political problems, and law; (2) whether, how and how much law can enable, direct or constrain scientific and technological developments; and (3) the degree to which law is or should intervene into scientific and technological controversies. The feedback from stakeholders reveals major disagreements with the lawmakers in terms of how the relevant characteristics of AI should influence legal regulation, what the desired law should look like, and whether and how the law should intervene into expert debates in AI. What is more, different types of stakeholders diverge considerably in what they problematize and how they do so.
About the speaker
Onur Bakiner is an associate professor of political science at Seattle University. His research and teaching interests include transitional justice, human rights, judicial politics, and technology & society, particularly in Latin America and the Middle East. Bakiner’s current research addresses the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on human rights. His book Truth Commissions: Memory, Power, and Legitimacy (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015) was awarded the Best Book Award by the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association in 2017. His articles have been published in the Journal of Comparative Politics, Annual Review of Law & Social Science, AI & Ethics, Negotiation Journal, Civil Wars, Journal of Law and Courts, International Journal of Transitional Justice, Memory Studies, and Turkish Studies. Bakiner has received funding from the German Academic Exchange Service, Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Center for Business Ethics at Seattle University, and the Initiative in Ethics and Transformative Technologies at Seattle University.
About the Toronto Public Tech Workshop
As technology becomes an integral part of our lives, its impact on society is undeniable. From healthcare to education, finance to transportation, technological innovations have transformed the way we live and work. However, the rapid pace of this innovation also raises novel concerns about privacy, security, and equity. There is a pressing need to explore and propose solutions to these challenges through research, policy, regulation, partnerships, and collaborations across various academic disciplines and stakeholders.
The Toronto Public Tech Workshop enables researchers from a wide range of disciplines to present new work that explores the use of technology for public purposes. Presenters will share and discuss ideas on how to leverage new and existing technologies for public purposes, integrate policy and governance considerations, and build successful partnerships that engage with democratic institutions and public values.
About the Schwartz Reisman Institute
Located at the University of Toronto, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s mission is to deepen our knowledge of technologies, societies, and what it means to be human by integrating research across traditional boundaries and building human-centred solutions that really make a difference. The integrative research we conduct rethinks technology’s role in society, the contemporary needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them. We’re investigating how best to align technology with human values and deploy it accordingly. The human-centred solutions we build are actionable and practical, highlighting the potential of emerging technologies to serve the public good while protecting citizens and societies from their misuse. We want to make sure powerful technologies truly make the world a better place-for everyone.
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