Full Description
This open access textbook introduces and defines digital humanism from a diverse range of disciplines. Following the 2019 Vienna Manifesto, the book calls for a digital humanism that describes, analyzes, and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind, for a better society and life, fully respecting universal human rights.
The book is organized in three parts: Part I "Background" provides the multidisciplinary background needed to understand digital humanism in its philosophical, cultural, technological, historical, social, and economic dimensions. The goal is to present the necessary knowledge upon which an effective interdisciplinary discourse on digital humanism can be founded. Part II "Digital Humanism - a System's View" focuses on an in-depth presentation and discussion of the main digital humanism concerns arising in current digital systems. The goal of this part is to make readers aware and sensitive to these issues, including e.g. thecontrol and autonomy of AI systems, privacy and security, and the role of governance. Part III "Critical and Societal Issues of Digital Systems" delves into critical societal issues raised by advances of digital technologies. While the public debate in the past has often focused on them separately, especially when they became visible through sensational events the aim here is to shed light on the entire landscape and show their interconnected relationships. This includes issues such as AI and ethics, fairness and bias, privacy and surveillance, platform power and democracy.
This textbook is intended for students, teachers, and policy makers interested in digital humanism. It is designed for stand-alone and for complementary courses in computer science, or curricula in science, engineering, humanities and social sciences. Each chapter includes questions for students and an annotated reading list to dive deeper into the associated chapter material. The book aims to provide readers with as wide an exposure as possible to digital advances and their consequences for humanity. It includes constructive ideas and approaches that seek to ensure that our collective digital future is determined through human agency.
Contents
Part 1: Background.- Humanism and Enlightenment.- Philosophical Foundations of Digital Humanism.- Evolution of Computing.- The Digital Revolution in a Historical Perspective.- The Social Responsibilities of Scientists and Technologists in the Digital Age.- "Digital transformation through the lens of intersectional gender research Challenges and needs for action.- No Digital Citizens Without Digital Humanisms.- Digital Transformation, Digital Humanism - What Needs to Be Done.- Part 2: Digital Humanism- a System's View.- A Short Introduction to Artificial Intelligence - Methods, Success Stories, and Current Limitations.- Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence: Comprehensible, Transparent, Correctable.- ARE WE IN CONTROL?.- The Re-Enchanted Universe of AI: the Place for Human Agency.- Aesthetic Aspects of Digital Humanism: An Aesthetic-Philosophical Analysis of Whether AI Can Create Art.- Approaches to Ethical AI[1].- Promises and Perils in Moralizing Technologies.- The Road Less Taken: Pathways to Ethical and Responsible Technologies.- Bridging the Digital Divide.- Responsible Software Engineering: Requirements and Goals.- Bridging the Digital Divide.- Responsible Software Engineering: Requirements and Goals.- Governance for Digital Humanism: The role of regulation, standardization, and certification.- Value-Sensitive Software Design: Ethical Deliberation in Agile Development Processes.- Humans in the loop: people at the heart of systems development.- Resilience: the Key to Planetary and Societal Sustainability.- How blockchain technology can help to arrive at fair ecosystems and platforms.- Introduction to Security and Privacy.- Part 3: Critical and Societal Issues of Digital Systems.- Recommender Systems: Techniques, Effects, and Measures Towards Pluralism and Fairness.- Bias and the Web.- Copyright enforcement on social media platforms: On Algorithmic Content Moderation.- DEMOCRACY IN THE DIGITAL ERA.- Are Cryptocurrencies and Decentralized Finance Democratic?.- Platforms: Their Structure, Benefits, and Challenges.- Work in a New World.- Digital Labor, Platforms, and AI.- Sovereignty in the Digital Age.- The Threat of Surveillance and the Need for Privacy Protections.- Human Rights Alignment: The Challenge Ahead for AI Lawmakers.- European Approaches to the Regulation of Digital Technologies.
