On November 27, the Digital Futures for Education series hosted a debate, bringing together two distinguished professors and an engaged audience to explore the evolving relationship between education, technology, and professional judgment in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The debate, moderated by Daniel Pargman (Associate Professor in Media Technology and Interaction Design at KTH), stimulated a lively discussion about nurturing knowledge, sense, and sensibility in an increasingly rule- and data-driven society. The debate featured Jonna Bornemark, Professor of Philosophy at Södertörn University, and Nina Wormbs, Professor in the History of Technology at KTH. Both are well-known Swedish intellectuals often heard on the radio and elsewhere.

Jonna Bornemark emphasized the importance of balancing rationalization with human judgment, especially in contexts marked by complexity and uncertainty. Drawing on her works, including Det omätbaras renässans: en uppgörelse med pedanternas världsherravälde [Renessaince of the unmeasurable] (2018), she argued for engaging not only with knowledge but also with not-knowing, and with acknowledging the role that the senses, desire, play and fantasy play in knowledge production practices.

Nina Wormbs, delving into the material and societal consequences of digitalization, offered a complementary perspective on emerging technologies. Through her extensive research on media history and climate change, she discussed the promises and challenges of data-driven practices in challenging times.

The key themes explored during the seminar included:

• The role of AI in universities: The discussion underscored the need for critical engagement with how we speak about emerging technologies and the assumptions reflected in the current discourse about innovation, science, and technology.
• Judgment in a Data-driven Society: Both speakers highlighted the critical need to create conditions for developing, training, and assessing professional judgment as automation and rationalization continue to shape decision-making processes.
• Meaningful Digital Transformation: One takeaway from the discussion was encouraging universities, academics and educators to foster inclusive, critical dialogues about digital transformation to ensure that technological advancements benefit all.

Reflecting on the event, Tessy Cerratto Pargman, Associate Director of Outreach at Digital Futures and organizer of the seminar, shared: “As we navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape, discussions like these are essential to help us reflect on how we talk about technological progress, innovation and digital transformation, and from which discursively positions. Digital Futures for Education is committed to fostering critical dialogues about technological innovation for a social world made by people, their dreams, their learning and their self-development.”

This seminar exemplified the broader mission of Digital Futures for Education: to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue, to examine the role of digitalization in educational transformations critically, and to build a community of key stakeholders across academia, civil society, and beyond.

Stay tuned for upcoming events as the series continues to foster timely conversations on the intersection of education, digitalization, and society.