The Human Dimensions on AI FEDSpace with Expert Guest Professor Wayne Holmes
Date: Wednesday 12th February
Time: 5.00 – 6.30pm
Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are the first and only technologies to successfully mimic human behaviours, communications, and decision-making processes, often leading to the misperception that they operate with human-like intentions or understanding. This anthropomorphic quality raises specific challenges in how individuals interpret, trust, and critically engage with AI systems.
Accordingly, learning about AI and its impact on humans, or AI Literacy, is crucial.
AI literacy may be defined as comprising three dimensions: technological (how AI works and how it might be developed), practical, (how it might be used effectively) and human (its impact on humans, human rights, and social justice).
For over a decade, most initiatives to develop AI literacy have focused on the technological dimension (with only token and usually naïve references to ethics). More recently, since the public debut of generative AI (GenAI), a huge number of websites have appeared dedicated to the practical dimension, teaching how to use AI effectively (although they usually mean how to use GenAI, which is only a subset of AI).
However, AI literacy initiatives rarely properly address the impact of AI on humans (on students, on teachers, or on society more broadly) or on human rights, democracy or the rule of law (the three core values of the Council of Europe, Europe’s leading human rights organisation). This is especially concerning given that the impact of AI is so complex and potentially profound.
This event will focus on the human dimension of AI, the core question being: “What topics need to be included in a ‘human dimension of AI literacy’ school curriculum?” e.g., child’s rights, democracy and rule of law.
About Our Speaker:

Wayne Holmes (PhD, Oxon)
Wayne Holmes (PhD, Oxon) is Professor of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence and Education in the IOE (UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society), University College London (UK). His research explores the ethical, human rights, and social justice implications of teaching and learning with and about Artificial Intelligence (AI&ED). He leads the Council of Europe’s AI&ED expert group, is a Senior Researcher in AI&ED for the International Research Centre on AI under the auspices of UNESCO, and is an AI&ED consultant for UNESCO, the United Nations, and the EU JRC. Wayne has published extensively on AI&ED and given invited keynotes in more than 20 countries around the world.