Two Postdoctoral Researchers AI & Politics

Offer Description

Are you interested in doing research on the interplay between AI and politics, and its societal consequences? Do you want to be part of a new Research Priority Area and work in an interdisciplinary team?

We are seeking two ambitious postdoctoral researchers for the interdisciplinary Research Priority Area AI & Politics. As artificial intelligence (AI) diffuses through our lives, it reconfigures central aspects of politics and society as we know it. It affects political deliberation as well as how and to whom public services are delivered. It also transforms political issues into technical problems to be solved through private means, thus replacing or democratic institutions with private interests.

Fuelled by rapidly expanding automated data collection, AI is an influential tool in the hands of the powerful, while also opening novel avenues for resistance.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences hosts the Research Priority Area in "AI & Politics", which stimulates interdisciplinary research in this field for five years. The leading question for this RPA is: how does AI change contemporary politics, broadly conceived, and how is AI development and application itself shaped by political dynamics? The core team of the RPA currently consists of Claes de Vreese, Daniel Mügge, Hilde Voorveld, Theo Araujo, Valentina Carraro, and Jaron Harambam.

The overall aim of the RPA is to strengthen and fuse the expertise of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences about the interplay between AI and politics, and its societal consequences. This RPA embraces a broad definition of politics, spanning both formal and informal dynamics through which societal challenges and conflicts are processed in a variety of contexts. As a postdoctoral researcher you will play a key role in reaching these aims by conducting a research project on AI & Politics that focuses on at least one of the four dimensions in which AI challenges traditional political dynamics:

• Investigating the impact of AI on politics
• The politics of AI governance
• How does (largely private) AI do traditional administrative “political” jobs
• When, how and why is the use of AI politicized?

More extensive descriptions of these themes and potential topics and research questions can be found at:
Artificial Intelligence & Politics - University of Amsterdam (uva.nl). This position gives you the possibility to shape your own research project within one of the four dimensions within the theme of AI & Politics.

• Developing, conducting, and publishing empirical research on AI & Politics, and its societal consequences
• Presenting your work at (inter) national conferences
• Writing white papers and blog posts to disseminate academic knowledge among relevant stakeholders outside academia
• Contributing to the overall RPA AI & Politics program in terms of community building, events, research meetings, and activities
• Helping to write grant proposals

• A (nearly completed) PhD in one of the Social Sciences, such as Communication Science, Sociology, or Human Geography
• A clear and demonstrable research interest in the topic of the project
• Scientific creativity and productivity, demonstrated in recent publications in international peer‑reviewed journals and conferences
• Excellent (empirical) research skills using social scientific methods
• Ability, willingness, and commitment to do autonomous work in a multidisciplinary team that includes researchers from ASCoR and AISSR
• Experience with organizing workshops, lecture series, or similar events
• Excellent written and spoken command of English

• Intellectually curious and eager to learn
• Passionate about contributing through your research to the RPA and knowledge on the interplay between AI and politics, and its societal consequences
• Willing to learn and think across disciplines and integrate knowledge from different academic disciplines
• A team player with strong interpersonal skills for building contact with colleagues and external stakeholders
• Proactive

We encourage all qualified applicants,…