Daniel Whelan-Shamy from Queensland as Visiting Researcher at ZeMKI

The Digital Communication and Information Diversity Lab (DCID) welcomes Daniel Whelan-Shamy from the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, as a visiting researcher at ZeMKI. 

During his stay, Whelan-Shamy will give a lecture on “The Cultural Form of Machine Learning: Towards a Critical Understanding of Simulation as a Method”. The focus will be on generative AI systems, in particular diffusion and transformer models, in the context of the history of simulation. He combines technological analysis with philosophical perspectives from Plato to Baudrillard to illuminate the impact of AI on form, creativity and authenticity. One focus will be on the commercialization of simulation through OpenAI.

The event offers insights into the cultural dimensions of machine learning and its methodological simulation with a focus on critical perspectives. The lecture will take place on November 27, 2024 at 16:15 at ZeMKI, Linzer Straße 4, room 60.070.