Social Change Symposium Keynote, 3 June 2024, Prof Heather Horst | RMIT University

Decentering automated-decision making: technology and social change from the majority world. Social Change Symposium keynote presentation by Professor Heather Horst, Director, Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. This talk looks at the growth of automated decision-making systems and their impact on everyday life. Using case studies from the majority world, a 'decentering' framework was introduced to understand technologies like AI and ADM. The discussion explored the creation, implementation, thwarting, and alteration of technical systems in non-Western regions, highlighting the social impact of these technologies. By examining innovation, investment, discourse, and practice, the talk demonstrated the consequences of ADM and suggested ways to develop more nuanced understandings of these emergent technologies. It also discussed alternative futures for these technologies based on different practices and possibilities.