Events and Talks
Recorded Talks and Podcasts
Lecture on GenAI-Facilitated Institutional Innovation
The lecture explores the current challenges faced by liberal democracy, which has previously enabled unprecedented growth in human prosperity. The main issues addressed are the rise of political polarization and authoritarianism. The lecture examines these developments through the lens of behavioral political economy, questioning the role played by information technology in this context. With the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, understanding this question has become particularly urgent. The lecture takes place against the backdrop of these technologies' increasing influence on democratic processes and discourse, seeking ways to harness the power of technology to facilitate democratic innovations.
Podcast on the Expected Social Impacts of AI
A podcast on the expected social impacts of AI, focusing on the directions institutional change might take in the future. We touch on themes, such as technological unemployment, inequality, or politics in the digital age.
Talk on Social Technologies of the Future
I explore the concept of technology beyond its traditional material scope, including social structures like capitalism and liberal democracy. I discuss how these systems are being challenged by the digital revolution. I examine proposals such as universal basic income and lottery-based democracy, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.
Talk on Democracy in the Digital Age
In this presentation, I critically examine how the internet, particularly social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, is increasingly shaping the political views of citizens. I question whether this unstoppable digital shift is beneficial to democracy as we know it. The focus is on whether moving to a digital arena threatens our collective intelligence, which is crucial for quality democratic decision-making. Additionally, I explore how technologies could be better utilized to serve democratic purposes.
Talk on Consumer and Citizen Sovereingty
The lecture delves into the high value modern liberal societies place on individual normative sovereignty, where individuals frequently decide what is better or worse without the need for justification or appeal. I examine how this principle shapes success in competitive markets and political arenas, where consumer preferences and voter approval dictate outcomes, leaving unsuccessful businesses and political parties without recourse against what they might perceive as foolish, uninformed, or morally reprehensible judgments. I explore the principle's legitimacy, particularly how it leans on the assumption of human rationality—an assumption increasingly questioned by emerging scientific insights into human cognition. The lecture also outlines the normative implications of these insights for setting the rules in market and political institutions.
Organized Conferences and Events
Workshop on AI from the Perspective of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Charles University, November 30-December 31, 2023.
International conference Fortifying Democracy for the Digital Age: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Prague University of Economics and Business, May 18-20, 2023.
International conference Perspectives of Paternalism in a Democratic Society held online, October 22-23, 2021.
Conference Současná filosofie vědy [The Current Philosophy of Science] held at Prague University of Economics and Business on September 14, 2018.
Member of the organizing committee of The Society for Cognitive Science and Philosophy. 2012--2019.
Conference Talks and Invited Lectures
Invited talk "Sustaining People's Rule in the Digital Age" (November 17, 2023). Meaning of Democracy Conference, Polish Academy of Sciences - Scientific Centre in Vienna, Austria.
Talk "Reimagining Institutions through Generative AI: Navigating the Maze of Institutional Innovation" (October 28, 2023). Computing the Human conference, Brno.
Talk "Sociální technologie budoucnosti [Social Technologies of the Future]" (September 29, 2023). Letní škola UHK, Broumov.
Talk "Democratizing Expertise. The Limits and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Democratic Decision-Making" (September 8, 2023). ECPR General Conference 2023, Prague.
Talk "Large Language Models for Democracy: Limits and Possibilities" (June 16, 2023). Technology and Sustainable Development 2023 conference, Østfold University College, Norway.
Talk "LLMs for Democracy" (May 19, 2023). Fortifying Democracy for the Digital Age: Interdisciplinary Perspectives conference, Prague.
Talk "Science and Trust in the Digital Age" (October 22, 2022). Scientific Knowledge and Its Public Understanding: Interdisciplinary Perspectives conference, Sevilla.
Guest lecture "Democracy in the Digital Age" (October 13, 2022). Center for Theoretical Study of the Czech Academy of Science, Prague.
Talk "The Specter of Political Irrationality and the Anti-Psychological State" (August 19, 2022). Truth and Politics: A Political Epistemology Conference, Bamberg.
Talk "Democracy and Anthropic Risk" (July 2, 2022). Panel "Risks in the Anthropocene" at the conference Green Marble 2022, Porto.
Talk "Demokracie v digitálním věku [Democracy in the Digital Age]" (June 3, 2022). Student conference Být nebo bit?, Praha.
Talk "The Conceit of Behaviorally Informed Paternalism" (October 22, 2021). Conference Perspectives of Paternalism in a Democratic Society, online.
Talk "Economists in the Democratic Discourse" (June 25, 2021). 5th International Economic Philosophy Conference, online.
Talk "Oběti či oportunisté. Racionalita ve světle diskuse o dezinformacích [Victims or Opportunists? Rationality in the Light of the Debate on Disinformation] (September 30, 2021). Conference Hradecké filozofické dny, Hradec Králové.
Talk "Pandemická epistemologie. Lekce z pandemické krize [Pandemic Epistemology. Lessons from an Epistemic Crisis] (September 16, 2021). Conference XXV. česko-slovenské sympózium o analytickej filozofii, Banská Bystrica.
Talk "Fake News and the Victim Narrative" (March 7, 2021). ENPOSS/ANPOSS/POSS-RT 2021 Joint Conference, online.
Talk Economists in the Democratic Discourse: Between Elitism and Egalitarianism" (June 20, 2021). 11th MetaLawEcon Workshop, online.
Talk "The Will to Believe: Demand for Bullshit in a Post-Truth World" (November 29, 2019). Conference CaL2019: Cognition and Lying, Brno.
Talk "Thou Shalt Not Nudge: Towards an Anti-Psychological State" (August 21, 2019). 14th Conference of the International Network for Economic Method, Helsinki.
Talk "Thou Shalt Not Nudge: Towards an Anti-Psychological State" (August 7, 2019). 16th International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Praha.
Invited lecture Suverenita spotřebitele a občana [Sovereignty of the Citizen and the Consumer]" (February 20, 2019) Centre for the Study of Language, Mind and Society, Univerzita Hradec Králové.
Talk "Normativity Shifting: Nudging and Sovereignty" (June 28, 2018). 4th International Conference “Economic Philosophy,” Lyon.
Invited talk "Economics: From History to Theory and Back" (November 8, 2017). Conference Philosophy between Past and Future, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul.