What we might learn from these different possible futures, in order to create to best possible MyData world?

We will tap into visions ranging from emerging technology projections to speculative fiction in our quest to explore wild, even provocative, future scenarios: paradoxical, fun, desirable, messy, failed, complicated, incoherent, and ordinary data futures. The goal is to somehow feel and get a grip of the MyData futures, and in the process, identify some of the challenges ahead.

This strack will take the form of a single discussion on the possible futures of a MyData world, divided in two sessions: One focussed on emerging technologies, their future trajectories, and the impact on MyData futures; including the potential and challenges; And another that looks at life, society, and the economy in a MyData future.

Reporting from Speculative Data Futures Workshop
Daniel Kaplan, FING

Speculative Data Futures Workshop was held prior to the conference. What kind of scenarios did the workshop team come up with?

How many utopias?
Linnet Taylor, TILT, Tilburg University

If every country creates its own MyData utopia, how many will look utopian to us? This talk will reflect on the possible outcome if the MyData model were scaled to the global level. I will consider how its meaning and practice might change across regions and cultures, how MyData could map onto different legal and social systems, and what we might learn from these possible futures about the questions the model should be able to answer.

Future Roadmap Into MyData & AI
Oguzhan Gencoglu, Top Data Science

As of today, artificial intelligence is nothing but a set of machine learning algorithms that (usually) learn from examples in order to perform certain tasks. Most of the high-performance algorithms are black-box models having high complexity and predictive/inference power but extremely low interpretability and transparency, i.e., they perform well but it is very difficult to pinpoint the logic during their decision process. This attribute of the current AI algorithms has been criticized by many and as a result, several initiatives (both academic and industrial) has been taken recently. As AI requires OurData to learn patterns from, unbiased, transparent and interpretable AI should be a significant goal of MyData community.

Human awareness of AI and AI awareness of people
Ren Watson and Ruaridh Thompson, MyLifeDigital

Juxtaposition of humans, AI/IAS/machine and the law (regulations that govern who can do what and with who’s data). Thought provoking, including ethics, responsibility and opportunity for recourse. Human awareness of AI and AI awareness of people.

LUNCH BREAK

Digital self in a decentralised world
Gregor Žavcer, Datafund

What is our relationship to this digital self? Is it part of us? How much of our own agency are we giving up? Possibilities, questions and dangers are endless, and it starts with personal data today. The aim of this talk is not to provide answers but to raise questions and highlight the importance of ethics discussion about the future of personal data.

Using Data Ethically to Create Future Media Experiences in Social Environments
Neelima Sailaja, Lianne Kerlin, Ian Forrester, BBC/University of Nottingham

The Living Room is highly private, yet equally social and collaborative space. We are envisioning how smart objects (and their accompanying personal data) can influence highly customised media experiences. The living room of the future (LROF) explores future immersive media experiences that are driven by contextual data which are personal yet social.

Our data, MyData, their data: sharing some speculative scenarios about the balance of power in future data sharing models
Geoffrey Delcroix, CNIL

In 2017, CNIL (the french Data protection authority) innovation and foresight lab (LINC) published a foresight document about smart city (The Platform of a City, available online in French only) that ends with 4 scenarios for using data to restore the balance between public and private actors (in english here).

If we use these scenarios as starting points and mix them with with lessons-learned from our work around GDPR portability provisions, we can imagine several possible speculative scenarios for MyData Futures.
Maybe this food-for-thoughts might point us in the direction of a future where we think less about data protection alone and more about data control and personal agency ?

Session is moderated by: Mikko Lampi