During this opening keynote entitled ‘How data, algorithms and AI become tangible’, Levien Nordeman examines the ways in which interface design – particularly that of apps, websites and smart home devices – centralises certain values and obscures others. As Fred Turner once said in an interview on ethics, design and technology, ‘Design is the process by which the politics of one world become the constraints of another.’ It’s important to recognise that the tools we use have moral and ethical dimensions. And the fact that these moral and ethical aspects often remain hidden only underlines their importance.

In this keynote, Nordeman will endeavour to critically examine the design of the interfaces we use each day. Through such scrutiny, the data and algorithms that run in the background of our everyday lives become visible and tangible. Once we can see the technology clearly, we can also see how it can be used for the common good and how it can contribute to a better society.