Anthropology of Data and AI

This blog is an online depository of the most exciting social science research on technology that I'm currently reading. Anthropology, a discipline in which I'm professionally trained, has been historically oriented towards people, so how is it re-orienting to account for the technologically-shaped world in which we find ourselves today? And how can insights from social science research be useful for those who work in the field of technology as designers, entrepreneurs, or policy makers?

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I'm Tanja Ahlin, and I'm an Anthropologist and Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar based at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. For over a decade, I've been fascinated with technologies and all the different ways in which they influence people, our relationships and how we care for each other. My book on this topic, Calling Family: Digital Technologies and the Making of Transnational Care Collectives, is coming out in 2023 at Rutgers University Press.

 

As I design a new research project, I'm diving into the field of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). I'm especially interested in social robots and how they shape care for older people and children across different countries.

 

I'm looking forward to learning about and shaping the anthropology of data and AI as an emerging disciplinary stream. I hope you find something valuable on these pages and join the conversation too!

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Visit my personal website for more about my work.