TU Wien DIGHUM

Iyad Rahwan: “The Science Fiction Science Method”

DIGHUM lecture with Iyad Rahwan.

Speaker: Iyad Rahwan (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin), Moderator: Bashar Nuseibeh (The Open University, UK)
Speaker: Iyad Rahwan (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin), Moderator: Bashar Nuseibeh (The Open University, UK)

January 20th 2026

  • 17:00 – 18:00 CET
  • This is an online-only event.
    See description for details.

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About the Event

January 20, 2026
5:00 – 6:00 PM
(17:00) CEST

We are looking forward to seeing you:

Participate via Zoom (Password: 0dzqxqiy).
The talk will also be live-streamed and recorded on the DIGHUM YouTube Channel.

Abstract

Can we predict the social and behavioral impacts of future technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, while they are still being developed in scientific labs, or even when they are just imaginations in the minds of a science fiction writer? Such prediction would allow us to guide development and regulation of technologies before their impacts get entrenched. This talk describes ‘science fiction science’ (sci-fi-sci), the use of experimental methods to simulate future technologies, and collect quantitative measures of the attitudes and behaviors of participants assigned to controlled variations of the future. I present various recent sci-fi-sci projects aimed at anticipating the societal impacts of Artificial Intelligence, and discuss the potential and limitations of this form of science.

Slides

Slides will be available for download after the lecture.

Video

Recording will be available after the lecture.