Normware: opportunities and open problems

20 December 2024

With the digitalization of society, the debates and research efforts relating computational systems with regulations have been widely increasing. Yet, most arguments and solutions refer to established computational/formal frameworks, rather than targeting more fundamental mechanisms. Aiming to go beyond this conceptual limitation, I will elaborate on taking “normware” as an explicit additional stance — complementary to software and hardware — for the interpretation and the design of artificial devices, highlighting the opportunities of a normware-centred engineering, as well as the problems it brings to the foreground.

Giovanni Sileno is Assistant Professor in the Socially Intelligent Artificial Systems (SIAS) research group at the UvA, part of the Civic AI Lab. Electronic engineer with a PhD in AI & Law, postdoc studies in cognitive systems and computational data-governance, he works in various tracks related to AI, computer science, and socio-technical systems research. Currently serving as director of the Bachelor Information Studies, he is reframing part of the computational education program towards responsible digital innovation.