Abstract

The current scenario of crisis and change has prompted the idea of entrepreneurship as a way to develop new media business models that can be promoted by university training. In this study, we aim to assess the effects of such training. A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews of Spanish journalism and communication entrepreneurs who have undergone university training in business creation and management. Our results show the positive effects of this training on entrepreneurship both in general and on specific aspects of entrepreneurial projects such as organization, business plan/model, marketing, innovation, social aspects and quality of life. Different patterns between the effects of university training on new initiatives and advanced projects were also observed. In this respect, the training supported the creation of new businesses and the development of existing ones. Finally, the suggestions for improving training and the limitations to entrepreneurship have revealed the importance of providing this type of education with a more practical, up-to-date approach that is interconnected with the business and university world. Therefore, examples of this work can be of vital importance in opening up new opportunities for sector development to enable future generations of journalists to fulfill their important social function.

Abstract

Although we live in a global society, educators face many challenges in finding meaningful ways to connect students to people of other cultures. This paper offers a case study of a collaboration between teachers in the US and Turkey, where 7th grade students interacted with each other via online social media as a means to promote cultural understanding. In a close analysis of a single learning activity, we found that children had opportunities to share ideas informally through social media, using their digital voices to share meaning using online writing, posting of images and hyperlinks. This study found that students valued the opportunity to develop relationships with each other and generally engaged in sharing their common interests in Hollywood movies, actors, celebrities, videogames and television shows. However, not all teachers valued the use of popular culture as a means to find common ground. Indeed, teachers had widely differing perspectives of the value of this activity. Through informal communication about popular culture in a «Getting to Know You» activity, students themselves discovered that their common ground knowledge tended to be US-centric, as American students lacked access to Turkish popular culture. However, the learning activity enabled students themselves to recognize asymmetrical power dynamics that exist in global media culture.

Abstract

4TH CONGRESS OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS OF CATALONIA: TOWARDS A MORE DIGITAL AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY (2024)

THEMATIC AXIS: 6. THE SCIENCE AND INNOVATION SYSTEM AND THE CHALLENGE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies

TITLE OF THE COMMUNICATION: AI as a factor of social progress

AUTHORS: Javier M. Asenjo Fernández (UOC), Manuel Murillo Rosado (UB) (both founding partners of the Conscienzia.org Association)

JUSTIFICATION: AI is at the center of numerous debates due to its potential risks. However, it can also be a source of economic and social opportunities.

OBJECTIVES
- To reflect on the impact of AI on the economy, business and society.
- To address the requirements for AI to become a factor of social progress.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
AI is a set of programs that simulate human intelligence using massive data analysis and statistical prediction among other techniques. Its origin dates back to the 1950s with the work of Alan Turing (and others), although the real explosion came when the Chat GPT tool developed by the American company Open AI was presented in the open. A world of new possibilities and potential risks opened up globally.

SOME KEY VARIABLES AFFECTED BY THE IRRUPTION OF THE IA
- PRODUCTIVITY: there is talk of an increase of 15% per year on a sustainable basis. Many tasks can be done in half the time.
- EMPLOYMENT: companies could consider doing without part of their workforce. Some jobs could disappear and new ones could emerge.
- TIME: a surplus of time can be generated that can be devoted to other things, giving rise to new opportunities in emerging sectors.
- EQUALITY: it can increase the GDP of the most developed countries (Macro) and of the most qualified companies and people (Micro).

AI AS A FACTOR OF SOCIAL PROGRESS
For this to happen, great progress would have to be made in order to meet a series of preconditions:
- Governments and companies would prioritize ethical values when configuring algorithms, and people would be given primacy over machines.
- Society would enhance the opportunities and minimize the risks of its use in strategic sectors: health, education, business, employment, ...
- All social levels would be involved: political, business, trade union, ... in the search for a sustainable balance between jobs destroyed and those generated.
- Critical thinking, verification of sources and reflection on the proper use of the application of AI would be promoted in education and citizenship.
- Machines would pay taxes and social security contributions to compensate for the undesirable effects of their scalability.

AI can make a difference as a factor of social progress in areas such as:
- By sustainably increasing productivity, GDP can be improved and that differential could be devoted to improving services to the public
- Improving individualized attention: to patients (health), to the customer (companies), to students (education), ...
- With more quality time available (Kairos in Greek), people could devote it to areas they cannot now: taking care of people, enjoying the environment, art, leisure, learning, having a healthier life, creating, ...

Abstract

4TH CONGRESS OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS OF CATALONIA: TOWARDS A MORE DIGITAL AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY (2024)

THEMATIC AXIS: 6. THE SCIENCE AND INNOVATION SYSTEM AND THE CHALLENGE OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies

TITLE OF THE COMMUNICATION: AI as a factor of social progress

AUTHORS: Javier M. Asenjo Fernández (UOC), Manuel Murillo Rosado (UB) (both founding partners of the Conscienzia.org Association)

JUSTIFICATION: AI is at the center of numerous debates due to its potential risks. However, it can also be a source of economic and social opportunities.

OBJECTIVES
- To reflect on the impact of AI on the economy, business and society.
- To address the requirements for AI to become a factor of social progress.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
AI is a set of programs that simulate human intelligence using massive data analysis and statistical prediction among other techniques. Its origin dates back to the 1950s with the work of Alan Turing (and others), although the real explosion came when the Chat GPT tool developed by the American company Open AI was presented in the open. A world of new possibilities and potential risks opened up globally.

SOME KEY VARIABLES AFFECTED BY THE IRRUPTION OF THE IA
- PRODUCTIVITY: there is talk of an increase of 15% per year on a sustainable basis. Many tasks can be done in half the time.
- EMPLOYMENT: companies could consider doing without part of their workforce. Some jobs could disappear and new ones could emerge.
- TIME: a surplus of time can be generated that can be devoted to other things, giving rise to new opportunities in emerging sectors.
- EQUALITY: it can increase the GDP of the most developed countries (Macro) and of the most qualified companies and people (Micro).

AI AS A FACTOR OF SOCIAL PROGRESS
For this to happen, great progress would have to be made in order to meet a series of preconditions:
- Governments and companies would prioritize ethical values when configuring algorithms, and people would be given primacy over machines.
- Society would enhance the opportunities and minimize the risks of its use in strategic sectors: health, education, business, employment, ...
- All social levels would be involved: political, business, trade union, ... in the search for a sustainable balance between jobs destroyed and those generated.
- Critical thinking, verification of sources and reflection on the proper use of the application of AI would be promoted in education and citizenship.
- Machines would pay taxes and social security contributions to compensate for the undesirable effects of their scalability.

AI can make a difference as a factor of social progress in areas such as:
- By sustainably increasing productivity, GDP can be improved and that differential could be devoted to improving services to the public
- Improving individualized attention: to patients (health), to the customer (companies), to students (education), ...
- With more quality time available (Kairos in Greek), people could devote it to areas they cannot now: taking care of people, enjoying the environment, art, leisure, learning, having a healthier life, creating, ...

Abstract

The public unveiling of powerful AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT exemplifies the extent of AI's capabilities, shifting its relevance from theoretical development to tangible impact on society. Although the discourse on AI often emphasizes concerns about job displacement, privacy, and ethical bias, it is equally critical to examine how AI can serve as a positive driver of social progress. This paper discusses AI's potential to enhance productivity, restructure labour markets, create surplus time, and contribute to social equality. It also delves into the ethical governance and educational reforms required to ensure that AI fosters social progress equitably and inclusively.

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved into one of the most influential forces driving social, economic, and cultural transformations globally. From its conceptual origins with Alan Turing’s work on computational machines in the 1950s, AI has progressed to being an essential aspect of modern life (Turing, 1950). AI's advancements in machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics have expanded its applications, influencing various sectors, including healthcare, education, labour markets, and governance.
The public unveiling of powerful AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT exemplifies the extent of AI's capabilities, shifting its relevance from theoretical development to tangible impact on society. Although the discourse on AI often emphasizes concerns about job displacement, privacy, and ethical bias, it is equally critical to examine how AI can serve as a positive driver of social progress. This paper discusses AI's potential to enhance productivity, restructure labour markets, create surplus time, and contribute to social equality. It also delves into the ethical governance and educational reforms required to ensure that AI fosters social progress equitably and inclusively.

Abstract

The relevance of research is determined by the insufficient elaboration of the theoretical justification and methodological approaches to the analysis of the most dynamically developing thematic specialties of social and economic sciences. The purpose of this study is to develop approaches and highlight the trends and frontiers of the socio-economic sciences. The subject of the study is algorithms for assessing trends in socio-economic sciences. The work used theoretical and empirical research methods, including scientometric research methods, content analysis of scientific literature, analysis of opinions of the expert community. The key sources of information were data from three collections of scientific databases WoS CC, Scopus and ESI sampling. The result of the study was the identification of hot spots in the social sciences that are relevant for the middle of 2022. A review of modern methods of natural categorization of scientific research and models for choosing promising topics, as well as a search for services and tools for researching trends, is made. An original methodology for identifying thematic clusters based on algorithms for scientometric analysis and case study mapping has been developed. Among the most dynamically developing thematic areas, clusters have been singled out, which to a greater extent impose high demands and sustainable responses to the great challenges facing the Russian Federation. It was precisely such thematic areas that were given the status of 'frontier'. The conducted research allows to draw conclusions. The problem of identifying promising directions and trends in scientific research is an important task in the formation of national science policy in various countries, including Russia. Operational analysis and forecasting of scientific fronts and technology consumption are today considered as a key element of the country's technological development. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a new idea for the selection of frontier thematic areas based on the synthesis of special functions and options of three collections of documents from scientific databases WoS CC, Scopus and ESI sampling. As a recommendation, it is proposed to accept the synonymy of the concepts of 'priority direction', 'trend' and 'frontier' in the conceptual apparatus of the scientific and technological policy of the Russian Federation. The results obtained during the implementation of research work serve as a methodological and research basis for the development of new promising thematic priorities in the field of socio-economic research aimed at achieving ideological sovereignty in the new geopolitical realities.