Societal impacts of technologies: A tool for argumentation and reflection

Description

As a social scientist working in a tech-world, one sometimes encounters situations where the necessity of social science research is questioned.

The purpose of this tool two-fold: 1) To elaborate why social sciences are needed, starting from very early stages of technology development, and 2) To serve as Thinking Tool to support the assessment of societal impacts of technologies.

This tool has helped me in numerous situations, whether discussing hydrogen, artificial intelligence, or nuclear power. As a disclaimer, however: I developed this visual tool in 2023 to support my own work in, and it has not been scientifically validated or piloted in any of my research projects. However, I have used it successfully in numerous training situations, and the tool has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from my peers at VTT.

Period	1 Sept 2023 → 1 Sept 2024
Held at	BA4606 Ethics and responsibility of innovations