In the last decade, digital technologies and AI have revolutionised the way in which forced migration is governed and enacted. On the one hand, the application of technologies of biometric datafication and surveillance across refugee camps, cities and borderzones raises important ethical questions on states and humanitarian accountability in protecting human rights. On the other, increasingly dense social media and digital remittance circuits have shown how migrants and refugees are appropriating digital spaces to navigate complex identities and livelihoods across borders. Digital technologies and AI have made borders simultaneously more porous and ticker, complicating already existing obscure and ambiguous practices of migration management, but also enhancing unprecedented opportunities for those struggling across borders. To make sense of the various dynamics through which AI and digital technologies can be weaponized and/or becoming productive, this event invites scholars and practitioners across sectors, disciplines, and areas of interests to come together and discuss fundamental questions including: what does digital (in)justice look like in contexts of forced migration? How can AI and digital technologies be deployed to support refugees and forcefully displaced migrants? What ethical protocols can be put in place to protect them?
As there is a limited number of places available, if you want to attend, please write to Benedetta Zocchi at Benedetta.zocchi@csls.ox.ac.uk