Aims and scope

AI & Society: Knowledge, Culture and Communication, is an International Journal publishing refereed scholarly articles, position papers, debates, short communications, systematic reviews and reviews of books and other publications. Established in 1987, the Journal focuses on societal issues including the design, use, management, and policy of information, communications and new media technologies, with a particular emphasis on cultural, social, cognitive, economic, ethical, and philosophical implications, addressing the need for a paradigm shift in the way digital systems are conceived, used, applied, and regulated.

 AI & Society positions the significance of values for critical thinking, a diversity of cultural perspectives and practices to address the issues of our times to shape AI mediated futures for the common good. We welcome reflective and contextual contributions and participation from researchers and practitioners in a variety of fields including humanities, social sciences, arts and sciences, design, and digital media arts.  This includes broader societal and cultural impacts and contexts. The journal encourages contributions exploring the potential and fundamental values beyond algorithmic optimization, efficiency, or profitability. Co-authored articles from diverse disciplines are encouraged.

 AI & Society has a broad scope and is strongly interdisciplinary. It examines the role of algorithms as scientific instruments, knowledge institutions and instruments for shaping cultures, and argues that we need to shift from algorithmic governance shaping society to society shaping the algorithm. Most fundamentally, it asks how is the shift from personalization to personification of algorithmic technologies affecting our ability to navigate indeterminacy- that which cannot be modelled in advance, and deal with that which is not represented, with the tacit, or the excluded?

AI & Society seeks to promote an understanding of the potential, transformative impacts and critical consequences of technological mediation for societies. Technological innovations, including new sciences such as biotech, nanotech and neuroscience, offer a great potential for societies, but also pose existential risk. Rooted in the human-centred tradition of science and technology, the Journal acts as a catalyst, promoter and facilitator of engagement with diversity of voices and over-the-horizon issues of arts, science, technology and society.

AI & Society expects that, in keeping with the ethos of the journal, submissions should provide a substantial and explicit argument on the societal dimension of research, particularly the benefits, impacts and implications for society. This may include factors such as trust, empathy, ethics, aesthetics, biases, privacy, reliability, responsibility, and competence of AI systems. Such arguments should be validated by critical comment on current research in this area.

The journal is in five parts: a) Research; b) Open Forum; c) Curmudgeon Corner; d) Reviews; e) News.

Research Section papers are underpinned by theoretical, methodological, conceptual or philosophical foundations, and include substantial discussion and argument on the societal impact of research. Articles in this section are expected to make a significant contribution to knowledge. Open Forum Section papers may include strategic ideas, case studies, action research, research in progress (theoretical and applied), critical reviews of ongoing research that should reflect on the authors’ own empirical/theoretical work or provide a reasoned argument. It may also include papers by artists and practitioners. Multiple authored papers in Research and Open Forum should include a summary of the contribution of each author to the paper. Curmudgeon Corner is a short opinionated article on trends in technology, arts, science and society, commenting emphatically on issues of concern to the research community and wider society, with no more than 3 references and 2 co-authors. The Curmudgeon Corner articles are reviewed by the Editorial Board. Review articles may encompass a variety of formats, including critical evaluations of literature reviews, informed surveys of contemporary research topics, reflective overviews of current thinking in specific areas, and reasoned discussions on the relevance of the reviews to application domains situated within societal contexts. They may also include reviews of art and science practices, exhibitions, events, research forums, and books. Reviews often feature critical evaluations of data from existing studies, providing an in-depth analysis of the current state of knowledge. This section is reviewed by the Editorial Board. News may include information about forthcoming events such as conferences, workshops, exhibitions, related forums, etc. Normal word length: Research 10k, Open Forum 8k, Curmudgeon 1k – 1.5k, Reviews 1k - 8k, News 500 words – 1k. 

Please do not send your submissions by email but use the "Submit manuscript" button.

NOTE TO AUTHORS: The Journal expects its authors to include, in their submissions:
a) An acknowledgement of the pre-accept/pre-publication versions of their manuscripts on non-commercial and academic sites.
b) Images: obtain permissions from the copyright holder/original sources.
c) Formal permission from their ethics committees when conducting studies with people.
d) i) Academic academic status, e.g., Prof. Dr. Post-doc, PhD Candidate, Master Student. ii) Affiliation: department/school/university/ or organisation/professional status. 
e) In the cover letter, include 3 Proposed reviewers: academic status (e.g., Dr, Professor, Ms, Mr), email addresses and affiliations of all reviewers proposed by authors