WSI Distinguished Lecture with Professor Phil Howard

The latest in our series of Distinguished Lectures was held at the University of Southampton on Tuesday 8 October to a packed lecture theatre.

Professor Howard, who is Director of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), gave a talk entitled 'Tomorrow's Leviathan: Machine Learning in a Political World'.

The overarching theme of his lecture was the notion of Artificial Intelligence having an influence – whether positive or negative – on politics, and the wider implications of AI influencing public opinion via social media.

Abstract

When will an Artificial Intelligence run for elected office? This may seem like a strange provocation-- just an invitation to futurism and speculation. Yet AI systems are rolling out across economic, cultural and political life. Professor Philip Howard explores how AI is changing our experience of politics and rewriting democracy’s “terms of service”.

About Professor Howard

Philip Howard's research has demonstrated how new information technologies are used in both civic engagement and social control in countries around the world. His research and opinion writing has been featured in the New York Times, Financial Times, and many other international media outlets. Recently, he was awarded the National Democratic Institute’s 2018 “Democracy Prize” and Foreign Policy magazine named him a “Global Thinker” for pioneering the social science of fake news.

Find out more

Read a blog written by Digichamps, Ellena Parsons.

About our Distinguished Lectures

Our Distinguished Lectures aim to engage and promote the debate about Web Science and are open to all Students, Staff and guests from Industry. We invite some of the finest speakers to share their thoughts and ideas around this subject area.

Lectures are open to everyone and we warmly welcome visitors to attend these events.

Find out more about our previous speakers.