Digital Economy Ethics of AI Workshop

Dr. Arash Hajikhani (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland; LUT University) will deliver a thought-provoking talk on the ethics of artificial intelligence, focusing on how recent methodological advances—particularly large-scale generative AI—are increasingly embedded in decision-making systems across research, industry, and policy.

The talk highlights that responsible and ethical design is not an afterthought but a fundamental design choice, especially as major GPAI providers often streamline adoption in ways aligned with commercial incentives. Drawing on his work in AI-for-policy and socio-technical systems, he will examine the long-term consequences of deploying opaque, black-box models without meaningful human-in-the-loop mechanisms, emphasizing the risks of reduced accountability, limited diagnosability, and systemic bias. The session offers a grounded perspective on how to design and govern AI systems responsibly before such architectures become too complex to interrogate or correct.

A panel of University of Manchester colleagues will join the conversation, responding to themes raised in Arash’s talk and offering perspectives from across disciplines.
Full panel details will be confirmed and shared closer to the event

This workshop is ideal for:

• Researchers and students working in AI, ethics, digital futures, or socio‑technical systems
• Professionals in technology, governance, policy, or innovation
• Anyone interested in the societal and ethical implications of AI

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