Predict or Create: Discussing the Different Understandings of the Future in the Context of AI

This symposium explores how different conceptions of the future influence the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI). Based on the theoretical foundation of understanding the future as either predictable or unpredictable, the symposium aims to discuss the impact of AI in creating and/or predicting the future. While AI tools that use machine learning and neural networks to draw inferences from data sets are seen as having great potential to predict futures, there are also conflicting views on the accuracy of algorithmic predictions, with some emphasizing the limitations of past data in predicting the unknown. The symposium aims to move beyond binary perspectives and advocate for a nuanced understanding of the sociomaterial interactions between humans and AI in constructing futures. Examples such as Amazon's predictive shipping, where AI combines predicting and creating future purchases, will be presented as examples of this middle ground. The symposium invites scholars to contribute to a research agenda that explores further examples of human-AI collaboration in creating and predicting the future and promotes a more comprehensive understanding of the role of AI in future shaping processes.

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Predict or Create: Discussing the Different Understandings of the Future in the Context of AI