Humlab

Humlabhttps://www.umu.se/Humlab eventsen-usFri, 21 Aug 2026 14:48:40 +0200https://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-imagining-companionship_12174643/Humlab Talk: Imagining CompanionshipThis talk explores the cultural, affective, and ethical dimensions of living with companion robots.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0200Imagining Companionship: AI, Robots, and the Future of Intimacy in JapanWith: Prof. Hirofumi Katsuno, Doshisha University, Kyoto, JapanBased on ethnographic fieldwork in Japan, this talk explores the cultural, affective, and ethical dimensions of living with companion robots. Drawing on cases from Japan's emerging companion robot market, I examine how human-robot intimacy is imagined, practiced, and contested across different social contexts. In doing so, I consider what approaches to AI/robot companionship emerging from Japan might contribute to broader cross-cultural conversations on the future of human-machine relations.Hirofumi Katsuno is Professor of Anthropology and Media Studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto. His research investigates how people engage with emerging media and robotic technologies, and how these interactions shape imagination, agency, and a sense of presence in everyday life. His current projects are available at <a href="http://modelemotion.org">modelemotion.org</a>.<div class="epi-contentfragment">Registration Humlab Talk hybrid</div>Humlab – H2 / ZoomLecturehttps://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-imagining-companionship_12174643/2026-09-07T10:00:00+02:002026-09-07T12:00:00+02:00https://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-humanizing-the-architecture-of-change_12182292/Humlab Talk: Humanizing the Architecture of ChangeWith Elisabeth M. AdamsWed, 16 Sep 2026 13:15:00 +0200With: Elisabeth M. Adams, Responsible AI Advisor and EducatorArtificial intelligence is often discussed as a technical disruption, but its most consequential effects are human: on trust, work, voice, belonging, power, and the choices institutions make about whose knowledge matters. In this keynote, I draw from my empirical research, leadership practice, and global work in Responsible AI to explore what it takes to lead technological change without losing sight of the people living inside it.Through stories and practical reflection, I examine why responsible AI cannot be created through principles or policy alone. It must be built through meaningful participation, organizational trust, and a willingness to recognize employees, students, communities, and other stakeholders not simply as recipients of change, but as contributors to its designThe session invites participants to consider a central question: What would it mean to build the future of AI with humanity, purpose, and shared responsibility at the center? <div class="epi-contentfragment">Registration Humlab Talk hybrid</div>Humlab / ZoomSeminarhttps://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-humanizing-the-architecture-of-change_12182292/2026-09-16T13:15:00+02:002026-09-16T15:00:00+02:00https://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-anabela-carvalho_12177361/Humlab Talk: Anabela CarvalhoHumlab Talk with Anabela Carvalho, University of MinhoThu, 24 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200This seminar is presented in collaboration between the Higher Seminar in Media and Communication Studies, Humlab and UTRI.  BioAnabela Carvalho (PhD, University College London) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Sciences of the University of Minho, Portugal. She has an extensive experience of research on climate change communication and has authored influential analyses of the discourses of various social actors and the media in the United Kingdom, Portugal and other countries. Citizens’ engagement with climate change and (bio-)sustainability, and especially the conditions for political engagement, have been on of her main research interests. Humlab / ZoomLecturehttps://www.umu.se/en/events/humlab-talk-anabela-carvalho_12177361/2026-09-24T15:00:00+02:002026-09-24T17:00:00+02:00https://www.umu.se/en/events/dhnb-2027-humanities-in-the-loop_12181982/DHNB 2027: Human(ities) in the LoopConference placing the humanities and social sciences at the center of technological development.Mon, 01 Mar 2027 09:00:00 +0100DHNB conferences focus on research, education and communication in the interdisciplinary field of digital humanities in the Nordic and Baltic regions and beyond. The conference has a history of bringing together academics, researchers, students, and professionals with an interest in applying digital methods to research relevant to humanities, social sciences and arts. DHNB invites contributions from all domains of digital humanities.<h2>SPECIAL THEME 2027</h2>The DHNB2027 conference and pre-conference activities will take place from March 1–5, 2027 at Umeå University, Sweden. The special theme of DHNB2027 is Human(ities) in the Loop and draws on the concept of “human in the loop”, that highlights the role of humans in the workflow of AI technologies, but broadens the perspective to better include the important role that the humanities play in understanding historical and contemporary technological and societal systems.With this theme, we encourage contributions that explore the role of the humanities and social sciences and place them at the center of technological development rather than the other way around.<a href="https://dhnb.eu/conferences/dhnb2027/">Read more and register</a>Umeå University, Humanities buildingConferencehttps://www.umu.se/en/events/dhnb-2027-humanities-in-the-loop_12181982/2027-03-01T09:00:00+01:002027-03-05T15:00:00+01:00