Enacting Vulnerability

Description

The kick-off event “Enacting Vulnerability: AI, Childhood, and the Co-construction of Vulnerable Data Subjects”, held on 21 May 2025 at the Institute for Advanced Study, marked the start of the joint fellowship of Paula Maria Helm and Delfina Sol Martinez Pandiani.

The event introduced their research on how AI systems not only analyse but actively shape and produce vulnerability in digital environments. Using the case of child influencers in family vlogs, the discussion examined how data practices—such as facial recognition and content analysis—intersect with issues of privacy, exposure, and exploitation, challenging the idea of vulnerability as a fixed condition.

Structured as an interactive session, the event combined presentations with audience participation, inviting attendees to reflect on the ethical implications of AI-driven research and to consider how vulnerability is co-constructed through platforms, data, and methodological choices. Overall, it positioned vulnerability as a situated and relational phenomenon, foregrounding the need for more reflexive and ethically aware data science practices.

Period	21 May 2025
Event type	Other