Transdisciplinary perspectives on AI: The fourth annual conference of the European Culture and Technology Laboratory

The fourth annual conference of the ECT Lab+ was hosted by Technical University of Cluj-Napoca over two days in October 2024 at the Cluj Innovation Park. The conference brought together experts from the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology, and other fields to discuss and reflect on the advent of Artificial Intelligence and how the associated technologies are transforming how we live, work and study. Under the title Transdisciplinary perspectives on AI: Alternative Histories, Current Practices and Possible Futures the conference moved beyond simplistic technophila and technophobia to consider whether we can co-evolve with these new technologies which combine machine learning and large-scale calculations. By critically assessing the technical operations of AI in terms of Epistemology, Ethics and Aesthetics the conference focused on the limitations and material operation of AI technology from transdisciplinary perspectives. Central to this reflection was a recognition of the limitations of AI.