Topic
Technology
Commentary
Digital platforms have the potential to support meaningful governance and strengthen civil society. By leveraging their precision, transparency, anticipatory abilities, and capacity to incentivize behaviors, platforms can play a central role in addressing societal challenges like climate change and inequality. However, conscious efforts must be made to steer platforms away from solely benefiting businesses and toward empowering citizens, fostering pluralism, and enabling collective action. The next few years are critical in determining how platforms will shape the future of governance and civil society.
Trust is integral to the functioning of any society and the legitimacy of public institutions. In recent years, the trust in public institutions has been decreasing. At the same time, blockchain technology has created hope and hype in indirectly rebuilding public trust and governance. Blockchain has the potential to solve challenges related to trust, but only when combined with (a) appropriate regulation and (b) accountability mechanisms for public governance.
The deployment of AI systems in the public sector is still in its infancy, but algorithmic discrimination has been identified as a growing risk. The first findings of research project ‘Avoiding AI Biases‘ show that tools to assess and address discrimination are still lacking. The challenge: Algorithmic discrimination threatens fundamental…
Decentralized Ledger Technologies (DLT) hold a tentative promise for positive public sector transformation. They could improve capabilities to deliver services and answer societal challenges, and thus, increase societal trust. To turn promise into reality, Demos Helsinki is contributing to an EU-funded project called TOKEN. How can Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs)…
Blockchain-based currencies were designed to be independent of public monetary institutions or states. Meanwhile, public organizations are investing a lot in utilizing blockchain-based technologies. Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is believed to have the potential to allow public services to improve effectiveness, reduce friction between agencies, reduce bureaucratic barriers, boost public engagement,…
Publications
The policy brief provides a roadmap for the EU to reform its economic policies and leverage digitalisation for a regenerative digital economy, ensuring the just allocation of digital goods and the equitable distribution of their benefits.
On the one hand, we are more connected than ever. On the other hand, what many see as efficient services and the blossoming of creativity in their lives, is shadowed by news of data misuse, abuse of power, precarious work and extractive mining of natural resources. Do we accept these terms and conditions? If we don’t, we need to change the settings: we do this through interventions.
Where and how could – and should – blockchain be used in public services? How can these uses be commissioned, developed and deployed in a fair and transparent manner? What needs special attention when using DLT in public services? In this publication, Demos Helsinki collects and shares learnings from experts who assessed four desirable, undesirable, likely and unlikely scenarios of potential DLT-based public services in the EU.
Projects
In this digital era, the prevalent use of algorithmic management in the workplace has created a new set of challenges for workers and labour unions. This project studies the profound effects of algorithmic management on workers and labour organising in the Nordic context.
Demos Helsinki and nine other front-running organisations in technology across Europe join forces in this project towards making industrial human-robot interaction (HRI) more accessible, cheaper, and easier to adopt. The particular focus of the project is on HRI in healthcare, intralogistics and manufacturing.
As technological breakthroughs can play a critical role in addressing societal challenges, research & innovation (R&I) policy needs to shift the focus from merely appreciating the inherent value of technology development to exploring how they can be harnessed for achieving key societal goals. This project aims to produce a knowledge base to ensure Finland’s R&I policy is strategically impactful while remaining supportive of emerging technologies.
People
Tuukka Puonti
Tuukka believes that data-driven decision-making is the way forward, but he also recognises the responsibilities that come with it. His academic background reflects this mindset, with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and an almost-completed Master’s degree in Social Data Science. This combination gives Tuukka a strong grasp of practical…
Katariina Viljamaa
Operating at the intersection of technology and society, Katariina is your go-to person when it comes to communicating projects on the societal impacts of technology and digitalisation. As a freelance marketer and event producer, she can wrap high-level research in neat packages and concepts. With an engineering degree in her…
Anna Mäkituomas
Anna believes in the power of narratives in shaping organizations and societies. She has a master’s degree in theology with a specialization in philosophy and is now working on a bachelor’s degree in technology and information networks at Aalto University. Theology taught her empathy in the face of deep disagreements,…
Rita Latikka
Rita is a social psychologist who brings a human-centred perspective to the development and deployment of technologies. Her academic interests include the social acceptance and effects of digital technologies, as well as human-computer interaction. Rita believes that technology is too important to be left solely to technologists and advocates for…
Bhuvana Sekar
Bhuvana works as as an expert contributing to the Nordic Baukultur project and other strategic initiatives. She specialises in participatory design, human computer interaction, service design, and uses them as lenses to clarify her passions in the realms of public-sector, digital technologies, governance and social change transformations. In parallel, Bhuvana…
Vera Djakonoff
Clinging on to only what we currently have is a lousy way forward. At Demos Helsinki, Vera’s work focuses on anticipatory governance: promoting governments’ and organisations’ ability to both build resilience and drive transformation. A key question in her work is: how can we create and deepen our connection to…
João Sigora
João Sigora is the Vice-Chair of the Board and a Senior Expert at Demos Helsinki. His work centres on pioneering new approaches to governance and enhancing public sector capacity for reimagining and co-creating desired futures. He brings specialised expertise in public sector innovation, with a strong foundation in foresight, experimentation,…
Anna Björk
Anna is a political scientist whose academic love affairs include research on political concepts, societal impacts of emerging technologies, and temporality. Her current and upcoming research analyses societal transformations from the perspectives of the EU digital policy, contemporary social contracts, and inclusivity. Alongside doing research, Anna is also working closely…
Atte Ojanen
Atte is in charge of coordinating Demos Helsinki’s European research funding to enable societal transformation. As a research manager, he is your go-to-person in Horizon Europe and other research collaboration matters. Atte’s own research centers on societal effects of emerging technology, the ethics of AI, and deliberative democracy. Atte is…
Johannes Anttila
What kinds of technologies do we actually want to live with? This is the question that Johannes keeps returning to in his work. Be it about working towards a shared vision in a national level AI program, building worker-led strategies towards emerging technologies or assessing the impacts of algorithms on democracy, Johannes…
Aleksi Neuvonen
Aleksi Neuvonen is a recognised expert and thinker on understanding the change (and unchange) of societies and organisations. Aleksi holds PhD honors from Tampere University and Radboud University Nijmegen. During his career, Aleksi has published over 30 reports, books or academic articles, focusing primarily on methods and tools for transformative…
Johannes Mikkonen
Johannes is dedicated to redefining the terms and conditions of our digital futures by exploring the ways to reshape our current sociotechnical systems, advising on policies to remaster technologies and forming visions of emerging alternative futures. At Demos Helsinki, Johannes has worked with various ministries and Prime Minister’s Offices around…
Themes
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What is the Collingridge dilemma and why is it important for tech policy?
February 15, 2022
The Collingridge dilemma highlights the challenge of regulating new technologies due to limited early knowledge and entrenched systems later. Experimental governance offers a solution through early, continuous collaboration between stakeholders, fostering transparency and trust. This approach helps co-develop accountable and equitable technologies while addressing societal risks.