This insightful panel discussion, to be held in the Harold Lee Room at 5pm on 19th January, brings together a diverse group of experts to delve into the pressing issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence, misinformation, and democracy. The focus of the discussion will be on identifying and addressing the regulatory challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI technologies and their potential misuse in spreading misinformation.

The panel will feature Professor Helen Margetts, who is a Turing Fellow and Director of the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, and Professor of Society and the Internet at the University of Oxford. She is a distinguished authority in digital government and political participation. Her insights into how AI influences public policy and democracy are underpinned by her extensive academic and research contributions in the field. Dr Zeynep Pamuk, an Associate Professor in Contemporary Political Theory, is known for her work on the philosophical and normative aspects of science and democracy in the digital age provides a critical understanding of these complex interactions. Completing the panel Sylvain Viguier, director of AI at Graphcore, an innovative company that develops accelerators for AI and machine learning. With his industry expertise in AI, Viguier will bring a unique perspective on the broader implications of AI technologies. His diverse research interests span from the technical intricacies of AI to its broader multidisciplinary impacts, including climate.

Key topics to be explored include the design and implementation of regulatory frameworks that can effectively address the spread of AI-driven misinformation without stifling innovation, the role of international cooperation in regulating global digital platforms, and the balance between freedom of speech and the need to protect democratic institutions from misinformation.

Registration is required. The event will be in a hybrid format. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session and a drinks reception. For additional questions, please email humeyra.biricik@politics.ox.ac.uk.

Speaker Bios:

• Professor Helen Margetts: Helen Margetts is a Turing Fellow and Director of the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, and Professor of Society and the Internet at the University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow of Mansfield College. From 2011 to 2018, she was Director of the Oxford Internet Institute. Renowned figure in the field of political science, Margetts focuses on the relationship between digital technology and government, politics, and public policy. She has had a distinguished career, which began as a computer programmer and systems analyst with Rank Xerox after earning her BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bristol. Margetts furthered her education at the London School of Economics and Political Science, completing an MSc in Politics and Public Policy in 1990 and a PhD in Government in 1996. Her career includes roles as a researcher at LSE, a lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Professor in Political Science at University College London before joining the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in 2004. At OII, she served as Director from 2011 to 2018. Margetts is currently the Director of the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute. Her research interests span digital government, public management reform, AI and public policy, and political participation. She has published extensively, including over 150 articles and policy reports and six books, with her latest book "Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action" receiving the Political Studies Association’s W.J. Mackenzie prize for best politics book in 2017.

• Dr Zeynep Pamuk: Zeynep Pamuk is an Associate Professor in Contemporary Political Theory in the Department of Politics & International Relations at the University of Oxford, and a Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College. She earned her PhD in political science from Harvard University in 2017 and her BA in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University in 2011. Prior to her current role, Pamuk served as an Assistant Professor at both the London School of Economics and the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests include democratic theory, the interplay of science, technology, and politics, the impact of artificial intelligence and automation on democracy, and the philosophy of science and social science. Pamuk's first book, "Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society," examines the relationship between science and democracy, earning her the American Political Science Association's Foundations of Political Theory Section First Book Award​.

• Sylvain Viguier: Sylvain Viguier is the Director of AI at Graphcore, which is a British semiconductor company founded in 2016, recognized for its development of accelerators for AI and machine learning. It is known for creating an innovative IPU technology that is aimed at enhancing machine intelligence and is designed to enable AI researchers to conduct new types of work, not possible with existing technologies. He is also a former consultant at Zühlke and has an MSc. in Telecommunications & Signal Processing. His research contributions are multifaceted and include working on large language models and their environmental impact. Viguier co-authored the paper "Estimating the Carbon Footprint of BLOOM, a 176B Parameter Language Model," which addresses the environmental costs associated with the progress in machine learning. Viguier's work demonstrates a diverse range of interests and expertise, from the intricacies of artificial intelligence to the socio-cultural aspects of human societies.