CTMF Flagship Lecture with Professor C. Thi Nguyen

Value Capture and Algorithmic Policies: Outsourcing our Values to Technology

Join us in person or online for our CTMF Flagship Lecture, where we'll gain valuable insights from award-winning author and philosopher, Professor C. Thi Nguyen, on technology’s role in shaping human values.

Abstract: The values that govern our lives are increasingly explicit: defined by algorithms and institutions to be as clear, precise and quantifiable as possible. Think of gamified point systems in apps like FitBit or Duolingo, likes and shares on Twitter and TikTok, and knowledge metrics like citation rates, impact factors and pageviews. In this talk, Professor Nguyen explores two dangers of adopting these values as our own: value capture and value collapse. In value capture, we outsource the process of deciding what to value to some company or technology, no longer adjusting our values in light of our own rich experience of the world. In value collapse, overly explicit values make us closed-minded about what’s important in the world. Join us as Professor Nguyen invites a conversation about the value of values, and how to keep them ours.

Don't miss out on this thought-provoking event, taking place on Friday 18 October at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and online. Doors open at 17.45.

Professor Nguyen's lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.

This event is free, but tickets are limited. Please register if you plan to attend.

C. Thi Nguyen is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Utah. He writes about trust, art, games, and communities. He is interested in the ways that our social structures and technologies shape how we think and what we value. His first book, Games: Agency as Art, was awarded the American Philosophical Associations 2021 Book Prize.

Read more about Professor Nguyen's work here!

Please note this is a hybrid event. Online joining instructions will be posted here, and sent to virtual attendees on the day of the event.

This event will be lived-captioned.

Important notice: This event will be photographed/recorded, and may be used for future marketing, promotional or archive purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed/recorded, please let us know at the event or by emailing the event organiser at [email protected].

Host or Publisher Edinburgh Futures Institute