ABOUT
Με λίγα λόγια
Visible Machines - AI Research & Social Awareness Center is an independent, non-profit organization based in Athens, which will serve as a hub for research, communication, and social engagement on issues concerning the development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) today, guided by the principles of democracy, equality, and social justice.
Particular emphasis is placed on studying and analyzing AI’s relationship with critical areas of social life, including work, rights, democratic institutions, public communication & media, education, the environment, art and culture.
>>οur approach
The development of Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly driving profound changes in key areas of society: from automated decision-making systems and digital platforms to intelligent conversational systems, AI applications have already disrupted the way we perceive technological artifacts compared to previous industrial revolutions.
At the same time, however, the rapid pace at which AI is entering public life has created significant gaps: in its analysis and understanding by the general public, as well as in the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern it. Moreover, the narratives surrounding these machines in public discourse are contradictory. They are often portrayed as potentially all-powerful entities, creating existential risks, threatening jobs, or even humanity as a whole. In other cases, the same technologies are presented as an indisputable solution to social challenges.
We transcend techno-optimistic and techno-pessimistic interpretations.
We highlight the material and social dimensions of AI.
OUR APPROACH
- We aim to transcend both techno-optimistic and techno-pessimistic readings. We consider it essential to carefully document the social impacts of AI, not merely as an aggregation of isolated news items that alternate between utopian and dystopian narratives about the technology.
- We highlight AI as a critical technology by taking into account all its material and social dimensions. Specifically, we do not approach AI solely from the perspective of its use. The creation and maintenance of these technologies rely on a complex network of human and non-human resources, which we examine in detail:
- Human labor (from researchers and computer engineers to data annotators).
- Energy and environmental resources (e.g., the energy required to cool data centers, as well as the mining of minerals and rare earths used in complex computing systems such as graphics cards – GPUs).
- Economic resources: AI plays a significant role in the aggregation and organization of financial resources in the form of investments and funding.
- We analyze these phenomena through a multidisciplinary lens, striving to contribute to public discourse and to bridge gaps in understanding, analysis, and the formulation of policies and practices around AI.
>>what we do
The Visible Machines Center will function as an open platform where professionals, scientists, academics, and artists can participate and engage. To achieve our goals, we operate as follows:
Community Building: We create a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas, where knowledge and experience about AI sociotechnical systems can be shared.
Science Communication: Through diverse activities such as articles and opinion pieces, seminars, workshops, audiovisual material (videos, podcasts), events, and more.
Research and Knowledge Production: Sociological studies and technological research, including the collection and publication of data and bibliographic resources, policy reports, scientific publications and analysis of machine learning models, e.g. interpretability, trustworthiness, robustness, biases, privacy violations, or copyright infringement.
Knowledge Sharing and Tool Development: Creating and sharing tools in the center’s areas of interest in collaboration with other organizations, e.g., AI auditing.
Policy Recommendations: Proposing strategies and policy measures based on analyses of the social impacts and benefits of AI in the center’s focus areas in Greece.
topics of Interest
Transparency & Accountability, Biases: Interpretability, biases & fairness (in data and algorithms), AI auditing (regulatory compliance, model adaptation/editing). Read our position here.
Work & Automation: Digital labor, work intensification, automation.
Rights: Privacy and surveillance, copyright, discrimination and unfair decisions.
Legislation & Regulation: Analysis, monitoring and contribution to the public discourse on laws and regulatory frameworks (e.g., EU AI Act), codes of ethics/conduct and technical standards.
Environment & Sustainability: Energy, data centers and resources.
Health & Medicine / Biomedicine: AI for supporting medical decisions, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment; patient data protection and ethical issues.
Education: Digital platforms, intelligent educational systems, AI literacy seminars/workshops.
Culture, Arts & Creativity: Copyrights, originality, aesthetics.
Research & Science: New forms of academic/scientific research, work, writing, editing and peer review.
Journalism & Media: Misinformation, AI in social media, AI for investigative/data journalism.
State, Governance & Public Administration: AI in the public sector (e.g., social services, taxation, personnel evaluation), transparency, accountability, citizens’ rights to explanation and appeal, administrative discretion, human oversight. Read our position here.
Public Image & Ideology: Terminology, depictions, AI myths vs. reality, public perceptions, existential and long-termist ideologies related to AI development and safety.
History of AI: Evolution of AI technologies and systems, relation to previous industrial and technological revolutions.
Philosophy & Ethics of AI: Ethical theories and principles in AI use, social, political and existential implications.
>>who we are
The Visible Machines Center was created by members of the academic community, lawyers, and researchers working on Artificial Intelligence. The initiative represents a complex, interdisciplinary endeavor. Among our founding members are individuals from diverse scientific fields, including engineering, computer science, law, philosophy, history, archaeology, and sociology.
What motivated us to embark on this collective project was the need to create a space for communication and dialogue between the different knowledge frameworks each participant brings. We consider interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue essential so that the technological and natural sciences are informed about the ways technologies impact society. Conversely, we believe it is critical for the humanities and social sciences to engage with technological realities, examining the dynamic transformations that unfold alongside these tools.
Ultimately, this interdisciplinary initiative aspires to contribute to the development of social reflection and the production of discourse on technology in Greece.