BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//MediaFutures - ECPv6.15.13.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:MediaFutures X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://mediafutures.no X-WR-CALDESC:Events for MediaFutures REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Oslo BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20260329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20261025T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20270328T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20271031T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251113T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251113T190000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003214 CREATED:20250210T134415Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251121T091546Z UID:20239-1763024400-1763060400@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Annual Meeting 25: Our public flagship conference DESCRIPTION:On November 13\, we are inviting to our yearly international flagship conference on media technology and AI. This is a public event and this year’s focus is: \nNavigating Uncertainty with AI: Battling Misinformation & Empowering Users\n— and we’d love for you to join us. Please register below. \nThe day is open to everyone: media professionals\, researchers\, students\, technologists\, and anyone curious about where media tech and AI are headed. It is a great opportunity to network\, learn\, and explore what is happening locally\, nationally and internationally. \nYou can expect a full day of demonstrations\, posters\, presentations and panel talks\, all centred on what is hot in media technology and AI right now. From theoretical frameworks to hands-on research and practical tools\, the event offers a broad look at current projects and ongoing developments in the field. \nTry out demos we have built\, exchange ideas\, and expand your view on how media tech can be developed and made more responsible for the future. \n \n Registration closed\n \n \n \n \n \n The deadline to register has passed. We can put you on the waiting list if you send us an email with your name and affiliation to office@mediafutures.no. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n KEYNOTE SPEAKERS\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cornelia Bjørke-Hill\n Director Communication \n Microsoft Norway \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Cornelia Bjørke-Hill is Communications Lead at Microsoft Norway\, driving strategic narratives that connect global innovation with local impact. With over a decade in communications\, including eight years as comms director within the HR tech industry\, and more than 20 years in broadcast journalism for leading Norwegian media\, Cornelia brings deep expertise in storytelling and trust-building. At Microsoft\, she focuses on making AI relevant for Norway by translating global technology trends into meaningful value creation. \n \n \n \n \n \n Keynote Speech\n Title: Reinventing Communication with AI \nAbstract: \nIn her talk\, “Reinventing Communications with AI\,” she reveals how intelligent tools amplify creativity and impact—without losing the human touch. Through real-world examples from her own craft\, Cornelia demonstrates how AI can transform manual tasks into a strategic advantage\, helping organizations communicate with clarity\, authenticity\, and purpose while using AI to use the human brain where it delivers the most impact. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alex Connock \n Senior Fellow & Professor \n University of Oxford \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Dr Alex Connock is an academic in the media business and AI\, who has written a trilogy of books spanning the contemporary media business  –  Media Management and Artificial Intelligence (2022)  Media Management and Live Experience: Sports\, Culture\, Entertainment and Events (2024) and Entrepreneurship in Media and Entertainment (2025.)   \nHe is also a leading international and industry speaker on the media business and how it is being changed by AI.  \nAcademically\, Alex is Senior Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School\, teaching AI\, Marketing and Media Business courses at BA\, MBA and EMBA level.  He co-launched and ran Oxford postgraduate diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business from 2021-3. and is Lecturer at St Hugh’s College\, Oxford in Management.    \nAlex is also Professor in Media and Artificial Intelligence at Exeter University\, and Professor in Media Innovation and Sunderland University.  He has a PhD in video optimisation for e-commerce and degrees from Oxford (PPE) Columbia (Journalism) and INSEAD (MBA).   \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n Keynote Speech\n Title: How can AI be your Superpower in 2026? \nAbstract: \nEveryone in media is now using AI to some extent.  After years of holding back\, many media companies are overtly all-in on it.  Many others are still publicly reticent – whilst secretly going all-in behind the scenes.   So three years after Chat GPT turned the world of content upside down\, what are the particular\, new AI strategies that will win for media producers and owners in 2026 ?   Dr Alex Connock has specialised in the field at Oxford University since 2019 and wrote a globally successful book on it in 2022\, republished from Türkiye to Korea.  He will offer his latest thoughts on this fascinating and ever-changing subject.  He will cover not only generative AI (words\, images\, sound and video) but also other areas of AI which sometimes get less coverage in media circles\, but ought to: AI agents\, Machine Learning techniques in research\, recommendation algorithms and how to win at them\, Intellectual Property and how to think about it\, compliance\, entrepreneurship\, bias\, geopolitics and AGI.  In almost every case\, Alex will explain how the received wisdom in the media industry is as wrong as it is right – and often both at the same time.  And subsequent to that\, in case anyone thinks AI is old hat\, he’s also writing a new book on the Media and Quantum Computing\, so he will offer some initial thoughts on that mind-expanding area as well: the real Black Mirror. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n PROGRAM\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n08:00\nRegistration opens\n\n\n08:55\nEvent Intro & Housekeeping\n\n\n09:00\nWelcome Addresses: Lars Nyre (UiB)\, Synnøve Kristine Nepstad Bendixsen (UiB)\, Christian Birkeland (TV2)\, Christoph Trattner (MediaFutures)\n\n\nKeynotes\n\n\n09:15\n1st Keynote: “Reinventing Communication with AI” (Cornelia Bjørke-Hill\, Microsoft Norway)\n\n\n09:45\nModerated Q&A by Mehdi Elahi (MediaFutures & UiB)\n\n\n10:00\n2nd Keynote: “How can AI be your Superpower in 2026?” (Alex Connock\, Oxford University)\n\n\n10:30\nModerated Q&A by Alain Starke (MediaFutures & UvA)\n\n\n10:45\nConference Picture & Coffee Break\n\n\nSession 1: Reimagining Media: Industry at the AI Crossroads\n\n\n11:05\nTalk One: “Multimodal AI Agents in the Media Industry” (Zhixian Bao\, Google Norway)\n\n\n11:20\nTalk Two: “AI Agents in Action: Transforming Work in Media & Entertainment” (Maxim Salnikov\, Microsoft Norway)\n\n\n11:35\nTalk Three: “At the Crossroads of AI and Journalism: Competing\, Collaborating\, and Co-Creating the Future of Media” (Victorina Demirel\, Schibsted)\n\n\n11:50\nModerated Q&A by Andreas Lothe Opdahl (MediaFutures & UiB)\n\n\n12:05\nLunch Break\n\n\nSession 2: Computing for Society: Modeling Trust & Interactions\n\n\n13:15\nTalk One: “Integrating AI into Platform Writing Tasks? Not So Fast” (Mor Naaman\, Cornell Tech)\n\n\n13:30\nTalk Two: “AI-generated stories: the nostalgia of large language models” (Jill Walker Rettberg\, Center for Digital Narrative)\n\n\n13:45\nTalk Three: “Slow AI: When the Journey is the Destination” (Ingmar Weber\, University of Saarland)\n\n\n14:00\nModerated Q&A by Erik Knudsen (MediaFutures & UiB)\n\n\n14:15\nCoffee & Cake Break\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nSession 3: Building Trust: Personalisation\, Engagement & Misinformation\n\n\n14:35\nTalk One: “Beyond facts: Messaging strategies to counter health misinformation” (Daniel Catalán Matamoros\, UC3M MediaLab)\n\n\n14:50\nTalk Two: “Conversational and Understandable News” (Bart Goethals\, Froomle\, University of Antwerp)\n\n\n15:05\nTalk Three: “AI DAY at ORF; Where Technology Meets Content” (Stefan Kollinger\, ORF)\n\n\n15:20\nModerated Q&A by Lilja Øvrelid (MediaFutures & UiO)\n\n\n15:35\nCoffee Break\n\n\nPanel Session: Inside the Newsroom: Norwegian Media’s AI Journey\n\n\n15:55\nCompany Pitches: Magnus Aabech (DN Group)\, Chris R. Hermansen (TV2)\, Jan Stian Vold (Bergens Tidende)\, Erik Bonesvoll (Amedia)\, Victorina Demirel (Schibsted)\n\n\n16:10\nModerated Debate by Morten Langfeldt Dahlback (Faktisk.no)\n\n\n16:40\nRefreshment Break\n\n\nDemo & Poster Session\n\n\n16:55\nMediaFutures’ Gaze-Tracking Project: Yuki Onishi (MediaFutures)\, Nataliya Nymo (VIZRT) & Snorre Alvsvåg (TV2)\n\n\n17:05\nMediaFutures’ AI Video Editor Project: Adane Tarekegn (MediaFutures) & Lubos Steskal (TV2)\n\n\n17:10\nPoster Pitches\n\n\n17:30\nInteractive Demos & Networking\n\n\n18:30\nPoster Awards\n\n\n19:00\nConference Dinner\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The Program is subject to change. \n \n \n \n \n \n CONFERENCE DINNER\n \n \n \n \n \n Location: Roast Restaurant\, Scandic Ørnen\, top floor \n\n\n\n19:00\nWelcome Reception\n\n\n19:30\nFirst Course & Director’s Speech\n\n\n20:00\nSecond Course & Show with Bergen Improteater\n\n\n20:30\nThird Course & Live music with Raa Duo\n\n\n21:00\nParty with DJDottir\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n SPEAKERS\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Maxim Salnikov\n Applied AI Engineer \n Microsoft Norway \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Maxim Salnikov is a tech and cloud community enthusiast based in Oslo. With over two decades of experience as a web developer\, he shares his extensive knowledge of the web platform\, cloud computing\, and AI by speaking at and providing training for developer events worldwide. By day\, Maxim plays a crucial role in supporting the development of cloud and AI solutions within European companies\, serving as the Senior Solution Engineer at Microsoft focusing on the AI-native developer tools & platforms. During evenings\, he can be found running events for Norway’s largest web and cloud development communities. Maxim is passionate about exploring and experimenting with Generative AI possibilities\, including AI-assisted development. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: AI Agents in Action: Transforming Work in Media & Entertainment \nAbstract: \nAs the media and entertainment industry faces unprecedented change\, organizations are turning to AI agents to boost productivity\, address workforce capacity gaps\, and unlock new value. This session explores how AI agents are reshaping roles\, workflows\, and leadership. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Daniel Catalán Matamoros\n Professor & Director \n UC3M MediaLab \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Daniel Catalán is a full professor of communication with nearly 20 years of experience in research and field work. He has held positions in major international organisations\, including WHO\, ECDC\, and UNHCR\, and currently directs the UC3M MediaLab. Author of over 200 publications with more than 4\,000 citations (h-index = 34)\, he has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects. His work focuses on media effects\, health misinformation\, risk communication\, and public understanding of digital technologies. In October 2025\, he chaired the European Congress on Disinformation and Fact-Checking\, which gathered more than 450 delegates from 58 countries. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: Beyond facts: Messaging strategies to counter health misinformation \nAbstract: \nFacts often fail to change perceptions or beliefs based on health misinformation. Our experimental research explores alternative messaging strategie\, such as narrative storytelling and humour\, to improve engagement\, build trust\, and foster dialogue with skeptical audiences. We examine how different ways of framing health messages affect credibility perceptions\, emotional response\, and behavioural intentions. Our results show that messages that feel personal and emotionally engaging make people more open and less defensive\, and they work better than messages based only on data and statistics. The presentation will also share practical lessons for communicators and health organisations on how to create messages that are persuasive and trustworthy. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zhixian Bao\n AI Specialist \n Google Norway \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Zhixian Bao works as an AI/ML specialist covering EMEA North at Google Cloud. Working in industry for 10 years\, she is driven by a passion for using technology to empower both individuals and organizations to solve complex business challenges and create values. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: Multimodal AI Agents in the Media Industry \nAbstract:  \nThe session will explore the emerging role of Multimodality AI Agents\, marking a critical shift in artificial intelligence from efficiency tools to drivers of innovation. The industry anticipates a transition where AI agents move beyond simple output generation to autonomous action. These advanced systems will leverage deep contextual understanding\, real-time information access\, and diverse modalities. The future trajectory of this technology points toward sophisticated multi-agent ecosystems capable of complex reasoning and tool utilization. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bart Goethals\n Computer Science Prof. & CEO at Froomle \n University of Antwerp    \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Bart Goethals is full professor at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Antwerp in Belgium where he leads the Adrem Data Lab\, which performs fundamental research on artificial intelligence and data science. \nHe is founder and CEO of Froomle\, a university spin-off company that provides a Recommender Systems Platform to the News and Media industry. \nHis primary research interests are the study of data mining and recommender systems. He received several awards for his theoretical studies on frequent itemset mining. He was general chair of IEEE ICDM 2012 and program chair of ECML PKDD 2008\, and SIAM DM 2010 and will be program chair of ACM RecSys 2026. \nHe has served as general chair of the ECML PKDD Steering Committee\, action editor of the Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery journal\, and associate editor of the ACM Transactions on Recommender Systems\, IEEE Transactions of Knowledge and Data Engineering\, the Knowledge and Information Systems journal\, and Recommender Systems Section Editor of Frontiers on Big Data\, and he was Editor-in-Chief of the ACM SIGKDD Explorations newsletter. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: Conversational and Understandable News  \nAbstract: \nIn this talk\, I present Froomle Voice\, a personalised conversational news assistant that delivers news tailored to individual interests\, and our recent work on making recommendations understandable — to increase transparency\, user trust\, and editorial oversight. The presentation will demonstrate these technologies and discuss their implications for responsible AI in the media sector. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ingmar Weber\n Alexander von Humboldt Professor \n Saarland University \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Ingmar Weber is an Alexander von Humboldt Professor for AI and Chair for Societal Computing at Saarland University. His work looks at how data and AI can be used to understand and support social development. Previously\, he held positions at the Qatar Computing Research Institute\, Yahoo Research Barcelona\, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He is among the 2% of most cited researchers and is currently leading a EUR 29M initiative to use novel data sources to measure societal phenomena and to support timely decision making. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: Slow AI: When the Journey is the Destination \nAbstract: A common software design mantra is “don’t make the user think”. Using software should be effortless and help get the user’s job done as quickly as possible. While this is often desirable\, this efficiency-first approach can be detrimental for democracies where engagement with societal discussions\, rather than just ticking a box should be the goal. In our group\, we explore how “slow AI” could be used to make people think more\, not less. Examples range from using LLMs for informing voters during elections\, to a debate-yourself setup to promote tolerance. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Victorina Demirel\n Data & AI Activation and Governance Lead \n Schibsted New Media \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Victorina works at the intersection of data\, AI\, and strategy at Schibsted\, one of the Nordics’ leading media groups. She focuses on how media can harness AI responsibly through strong governance and strategic collaboration\, ensuring user trust and the sustainability of independent journalism. Victorina’s work centers on redefining how trusted media engage audiences and navigate the uncertainty that characterizes today’s rapidly evolving information landscape. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: At the Crossroads of AI and Journalism: Competing\, Collaborating\, and Co-Creating the Future of Media \nAbstract:As generative AI reshapes how information is created\, distributed\, and consumed\, media companies stand at a defining crossroads. On one side\, big tech platforms—OpenAI\, Google\, and others—are rapidly changing audience behavior and diverting traffic. On the other\, they represent potential allies in building frameworks that safeguard independent journalism and empower users with trustworthy information. \nIn this talk\, I will explore how we\, as a modern media company\, navigate this tension between competition and collaboration. How can we shape the rules of engagement to ensure media’s continued relevance and resilience in the age of AI? And how do we reimagine our role—not just as content providers\, but as active co-creators of an information ecosystem where truth\, trust\, and technology can coexist? \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mor Naaman\n Professor & Associate Dean \n Cornell Tech \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n I am the Don and Mibs Follett professor of Information Science at Cornell Tech where I lead the Social Technologies research group and serve as the associate dean for faculty affairs. Previously\, I was an assistant professor at Rutgers SC&I\, led a research team at Yahoo! Research Berkeley\, and got a PhD from Stanford. Before all that\, I played professional basketball in Israel. I sometimes consult or even co-found startups. \nMy research focus is on topics related to Technology\, Media and Democracy\, and in particular the trustworthiness of our information ecosystem. We use a wide range of tools—from machine learning\, to computational social science\, to online experiments\, to qualitative methods—to understand and try to address these challenges\, with an increasing focus on the impact of AI-mediated communication. Our sponsors over the years included\, among others\, Yahoo\, Google\, Facebook and the National Science Foundation. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: Integrating AI into Platform Writing Tasks? Not So Fast \nAbstract: \nOnline platforms increasingly integrate LLM-based writing tools\, raising questions about GenAI’s impact on individuals’ content production and outcomes. In this project\, we had a unique opportunity to measure the impact of such tool introduced by Change.org\, an online petition platform. The results provide causal evidence that in-platform AI writing tools can profoundly reshape online content\, but the tools practical utility for improving desired outcomes may be less beneficial than anticipated\, and they introduce unintended consequences like content homogenization. This finding adds to a growing body of work showing the potential impact of AI-mediation communication on media. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jill Walker Rettberg\n Professor & Co-Director \n Center for Digital Narrative \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Jill Walker Rettberg is Professor of Digital Culture and Co-Director of the Center for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen. She leads the project AI STORIES: Narrative Archetypes of Artificial Intelligence\, which is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. Jill’s books include Machine Vision: How Algorithms are Changing the Way We See the World (Polity 2023) and Seeing Ourselves Through Technology: How We Use Selfies\, Blogs and Wearable Devices to See and Shape Ourselves (2014). She is currently a member of an expert committee for Teknologirådet’s report on artificial intimacy\, and is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: AI-generated stories: the nostalgia of large language models \nAbstract: What are the dominant narratives of generative AI\, and what is at stake in their circulation? The AI STORIES project starts from the hypothesis that LLMs replicate and perhaps increase certain narrative patterns\, which could mean that we lose diversity in storytelling. Research so far suggests this is true – the thousands of AI-generated stories we have analysed in the AI STORIES project emphasise stability and nostalgia\, telling remarkably similar stories of threatened communities saved by reconnecting with heritage. LLMs also excel at simile and at affirmation\, generating additive texts – more and more and more – rather than critical analysis. What does this mean for media\, journalism and research? \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Stefan Kollinger\n Chief Innovation Officer \n ORF \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio\n Stefan Kollinger is an experienced professional in the field of media technology and digitalization\, currently serving as the Chief Innovation Officer at ORF. In this role Stefan focuses on leading strategic initiatives from AI to Smart Producing to promote technological innovations and integrate digital solutions into the company’s existing operational processes. His work involves close collaboration with various departments to ensure that ORF remains at the forefront of digital transformation and efficiently uses the latest technologies to enhance program quality and reach. \n \n \n \n \n \n Talk Abstract\n Title: AI DAY at ORF; Where Technology Meets Content \nAbstract: \nAt the Media Futures event\, Stefan Kollinger will present strategic action fields and emerging opportunities for integrating artificial intelligence into content creation\, production\, and distribution at ORF. His talk explores how AI can drive innovation\, enhance storytelling\, and open new pathways for public media in a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem where technology and creativity meet to shape the future. \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Snorre Alvsvåg\n Backend Developer \n TV2 \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lubos Steskal\n Strategic AI Advisor \n TV2 \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Nataliya Nymo\n Senior UX Designer \n Vizrt \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Yuki Onishi\n Researcher \n MediaFutures \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Adane Tarekegn\n Researcher \n MediaFutures \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Morten Langfeldt Dahlback\n Head of Innovation & Tech \n Faktisk.no \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n PANEL SESSION\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jan Stian Vold\n Utviklingsredaktør \n Bergens Tidende \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Erik Bonesvoll\n Utviklingsredaktør \n Amedia \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Magnus Aabech\n Utviklingsredaktør \n DN Media Group \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Chris Ronald Hermansen\n Head of Editorial AI \n TV2 \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Victorina Demirel\n Data & AI Activation and Governance Lead \n Schibsted New Media \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n WELCOMING NOTE\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lars Nyre\n Professor & Deputy Leader \n Infomedia\, UiB \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Christian Birkeland\n Chief Digital Officer \n TV2 \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Christoph Trattner\n Professor & Director \n MediaFutures\n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Synnøve Kristine Nepstad Bendixsen\n Dean SV-Faculty \n UiB \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n MODERATION\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Christopher Senf\n Innovation Coordinator \n MediaFutures & UiB \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Anastasiia Klimashevskaia\n Researcher \n MediaFutures & UiB \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Alain Starke\n Assistant Professor \n MediaFutures & UvA \n LinkedIn\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n DEMOS\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nName\nTitle\n\n\nProfessor Andreas L. Opdahl & Øyvind Skjervheim\nDemokratibasen: Data-Driven Democracy in Action\n\n\nDr. Yuki Onishi\nGaze Tracking Project with TV2 and Vizrt\n\n\nTobias Jovall Wessel \nVerified Satirical Reframing: AI Reframing with Fact-Checking as a Tool for Next-Generation Journalism\n\n\nVegard Erlend Bolstad\nInteractive Podcast Project: SuperPods\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n POSTERS\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nTobias Jovall Wessel\nUsing Large Language Models to ‘Lighten the Mood’:Satirically Reframing News Recommendations to Reduce News Avoidance\n\n\nMapalo Kayeyi\nStill More of The Same: A Longitudinal Evaluation on Ceiling Effects in a New Recommender System\n\n\nHalvor Nedrebø\nEnriching User Recommendation Experience Through Incorporation of Sequential Recommendation\n\n\nOlav Gangenes\nAnalysis of User Interactions with a Personalized News Recommender System\n\n\nMarlene Holzleitner\, Dietmar Jannach\nControlled Personalization in Legacy Media Online Services: A Case Study in News Recommendation\n\n\nAdane Tarekegn\nAutomated News Clip Generation via Robust Video Summarization\n\n\nPeter Røysland Aarnes\nNumerical Perturbations to Probe Language Models for Veracity Prediction\n\n\nBilal Mahmood\nLLM-Powered Tool to Support Editors & Journalists Select Related News Articles\n\n\nVegard Steinhaug Brevik\nA Hybrid Approach to Mitigate Popularity Bias in Recommender Systems\n\n\nJeng Jia-Hua\nThe role of GPT as an adaptive technology in climate change journalism\n\n\nYuki Onishi\nDesigning User-centric TV Production Control Rooms: from Eye-gaze to Understanding Decision-making.\n\n\nVegard Erlend Bolstad\nSuperPods\n\n\nKhadiga Seddik\nCan style personalization\, rather than political personalization\, increase engagement with diverse political news?\n\n\nJiajing Wan\nPersonalizing News Headlines with Retrieval-Augmented Generation\n\n\nYelyzaveta Lysova\nWhen AI Becomes a Chef: Leveraging LLMs to Generate and Promote Healthy Recipes on Online News Platforms\n\n\nSvenja Lys Forstner\nReducing selective news avoidance of young audiences with personalized content adaptations and explanations\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n LOCATION\n \n \n \n \n \n Scandic Ørnen is located at Lars Hilles Gate 18\, right next to the main bus terminal.The closest public transport stop is “Bergen Busstasjon”\, the main bus terminal. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/annual-meeting-25/ LOCATION:Scandic Ørnen\, Bergen CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-138-6.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251204T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251204T120000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003214 CREATED:20251201T084826Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251201T085050Z UID:22036-1764842400-1764849600@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:UiB AI #17 Open Artificial Intelligence DESCRIPTION:This UiB AI seminar is organized by the Faculty of Law and raises the question: Can AI models be open in the same way as open-source software\, and should they be? \nOpen artificial intelligence refers to AI systems whose underlying programs and infrastructure\, training data\, model architecture\, and model weights are wholly or partly openly available\, allowing anyone to study\, modify\, and redistribute them. Large models such as ChatGPT\, Claude\, and Gemini offer access to their models\, but this access is limited to using the model. Other actors\, such as Meta’s Llama and the Chinese model DeepSeek\, present themselves as open\, but in reality provide only access to model weights and the ability to run the model locally. Their use is also subject to license terms that restrict both further distribution and commercial use. \nBut what does it actually mean for an AI model to be open? Can there be limitations on the use of open AI models? And should such models really be open\, given that openness may also make misuse easier? \nThe seminar will be streamed and recorded and given in Norwegian. \nPROGRAM: \n10:00 Coffee/tea and mingling \n10:15–11:30 Presentations \n\n\nTorger Kielland\, Professor at the Faculty of Law \n\n\nPål Grønås Drange\, Associate Professor at the Department of Informatics\, Faculty of Science and Technology \n\n\n11:30 Light lunch and mingling URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/uib-ai-17-open-artificial-intelligence/ CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/pingvin-eventbilde.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251209T091500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251209T143000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003214 CREATED:20251107T113353Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251112T100750Z UID:21948-1765271700-1765290600@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:News experience: Understanding why and how audiences interact with news beyond audience metrics DESCRIPTION:We are pleased to invite you to the trial lecture and public defence of Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus\, PhD candidate at SFI MediaFutures. \nDate: 9 DecemberVenue: Ulrikes Aula\, Ulrike Pihls hus \nTime: The trial lecture starts at 09:15 and the defense begins at 10:30. \nPhD Thesis:News experience: Understanding why and how audiences interact with news beyond audience metrics \nThesis Summary: \nThis thesis explores how we can understand news use as experience. While audiences have become increasingly central to professional journalism and journalism studies\, understandings of audience practices and behaviors are predominantly shaped by digital trace data. Yet\, despite this growing attention to audiences\, news practitioners and scholars continue to talk more about audiences than with them. As a result\, our knowledge about people’s interactions with news\, and what these practices actually mean\, remains limited. Against this backdrop\, I approach news use as experience. I ask how we can further a more nuanced understanding of why and how audiences use news\, starting from the vantage point of the audience. \nTo address these questions\, I employ a multi-method research design\, combining recurring interviews and media diaries\, supplemented with video-ethnography and data donations. Drawing on the empirical insights provided by this multi-method approach\, I refine the concept of news experience\, emphasizing the importance of contextualizing understandings of news use within people’s everyday lives. By studying news use from an audience-centric perspective – bridging traditional qualitative methods with innovative digital ethnographic approaches across different media formats and platforms – I identify different experiences with news that both shape people’s practices and behaviors. \nThe empirical material is analyzed through four articles. The first article explores why young adults are reluctant to subscribe to digital news. I do this by analyzing experiences of young non-subscribers. The article provides insights into their considerations of why they do not subscribe as well as how they maneuver around paid news content. The second article offers a conceptualization of media experience\, demonstrating how this concept is well-attuned to grasp the ingrained position and meaning media hold in people’s lives. Applying conceptual principles from the second article\, the third article refines news experience as an analytical lens to understanding why and how people interact with news in everyday life\, empirically grounded in six distinct forms of experience shaping people’s practices. Finally\, the fourth article critically assesses the metric of “time spent” by analyzing how people navigate when reading news online\, and how short digital news practices relate to meaningful experiences with news. \nBy talking with people instead of about them\, this thesis critically assesses longstanding assumptions and misconceptions about audiences and their (digital) behaviors at a time when VI audience metrics have become integral to professional journalism and journalism studies. While I situate my research in relation to the audience turn in journalism research\, this thesis contributes to the existing literature by detailing methodological and epistemological implications of studying news use as experience. In doing so\, my research recognizes the lived\, contextual dimensions of everyday life that ultimately give shape and meaning to people’s news practices: it demonstrates how audiences’ behaviors are formed not merely by perceptions of the news content itself\, but also by embodied\, material\, and technological dimensions; the spatial\, temporal\, and social contexts in which it unfolds; and by their identities and previous knowledge. As such\, the thesis explicates how news use can result from conscious and explicit\, as well as unconscious and tacit practices and behaviors. I therefore argue that digital trace data – although relevant for identifying patterns and trends – cannot be applied as proxies for people’s interests or preferences. These insights are not only relevant from a societal perspective and to the field of journalism studies to inform more balanced assessments of news use in digital societies\, but also in professional terms as media organizations justify their policies and financial investments on the basis of such metrics. \nOpponents:  \n\nProfessor Jannie Møller Hartley\, The Department of Communication and Arts\, Roskilde University\nProfessor Marcel Broersma\, Centre for Media and Journalism Studies\, University of Groningen\n\nLeader of committee: \nProfessor Dag Elgesem\, Department of Information Science and Media Studies\, University of Bergen. \nChair of the defense:  \nProfessor Leif Ove Larsen\, Department of Information Science and Media Studies\, University of Bergen. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/news-experience-understanding-why-and-how-audiences-interact-with-news-beyond-audience-metrics/ LOCATION:Ulrike Pihls Hus\, Ulrikes aula\, Professor Keysers gate 1\, Bergen\, Norway CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-131-8.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251215T091500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20251215T140000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20251006T085055Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T085055Z UID:21692-1765790100-1765807200@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Popularity Bias in Recommender Systems​ DESCRIPTION:We are pleased to invite you to the trial lecture and public defence of Anastasiia Klimashevskaia\, PhD candidate at SFI MediaFutures. \n Date: 15 December Venue: Ulrikes Aula\, University of Bergen \nTime: To be confirmed \nPhD Thesis:Beyond Popularity: Investigating and Mitigating Bias in Recommender Systems \nThesis Summary:Recommender systems are powerful tools shaping what users see and engage with online. However\, they often suffer from popularity bias\, where already popular items are disproportionately promoted while niche content remains underrepresented. This bias reduces diversity\, user satisfaction\, and fairness across platforms. \nIn her doctoral work\, Anastasiia Klimashevskaia examines the causes and effects of popularity bias through a comprehensive literature review\, explores debiasing strategies using real-world datasets\, and evaluates their performance in an online A/B test within a live recommender system. \nHer research further investigates how popularity bias interacts with other algorithmic biases and proposes novel mitigation strategies based on alternative theoretical frameworks. The findings shed light on the trade-offs between fairness\, diversity\, and recommendation quality—contributing to the creation of more equitable recommender systems. \nAll are warmly welcome to attend and take part in celebrating Anastasiia’s important milestone. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/popularity-bias-in-recommender-systems/ LOCATION:Ulrike Pihls Hus\, Ulrikes aula\, Professor Keysers gate 1\, Bergen\, Norway CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-131-6.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260121T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260121T130000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20251217T103311Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T125453Z UID:22161-1768996800-1769000400@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Adhera Health Seminar: AI as Family Media for Health and Wellbeing: Personalization\, Context\, and Biopsychosocial Perspectives DESCRIPTION:MediaFutures invites to Adhera Health’s seminar on AI as family media for health and wellbeing. \nAdhera Health is a digital health company that creates AI-powered\, personalized support platforms and programs to empower families and caregivers managing pediatric chronic conditions\, improve treatment adherence and wellbeing\, and enhance health outcomes through evidence-based digital interventions. \nAI as Family Media for Health and Wellbeing: Personalization\, Context\, and Biopsychosocial Perspectives\n\nAbstract\nFamilies today must navigate a complex landscape of health and wellbeing information\, often facing waves of misinformation and conflicting guidance. Artificial intelligence can act as a media and communication technology that supports families in interpreting information\, building trust\, and making informed decisions\, while respecting individual and family-level differences. \nModern personalized health communication increasingly relies on context-aware systems that adapt content to family routines\, beliefs\, and emotional dynamics. Such systems must carefully balance challenges including reducing stigma\, respecting the autonomy of different family members\, and delivering sensitive content that addresses diverse needs and perspectives. These systems integrate clinical data\, psychosocial factors\, and personal preferences to generate adaptive\, multimodal educational materials\, behavioral guidance\, and emotional support.  \nA biopsychosocial perspective is central\, recognizing that effective AI-mediated interventions consider biological\, psychological\, and social dimensions of health. Pediatrics represents a prime testing ground for these approaches\, given the need for sensitive\, high-stakes communication and the limited research on AI-mediated personalized family support in this context.  \nDrawing on ongoing research with Adhera Health (USA and Spain) and the University of Bergen\, we present examples of AI-mediated communication that complement human care\, helping families navigate complex health information responsibly\, foster trust\, and support wellbeing in ethically and emotionally informed ways.  \nSpeaker bio\nLuis Fernández-Luque is Chief Scientific Officer at Adhera Health\, where he leads R&D activities in Spain and the USA\, including projects funded by the European Commission and NIH\, as well as partnerships with healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies across Europe and the United States.  \nSince 2006\, Luis has conducted pioneering research in mobile health\, wearable devices\, and AI-driven health applications\, including deep learning and health recommender systems. His work sits at the intersection of computer science and behavioral change\, combining human factors research with AI to deliver personalized\, trustworthy\, and effective digital health interventions. He has led and contributed to international research projects on diabetes and obesity in adult and pediatric populations across Europe\, North America\, and Asia. He earned his PhD at the University of Tromsø\, exploring strategies to identify trustworthy content for people with chronic conditions\, and collaborated during his PhD with GroupLens (University of Minnesota)\, the CDC\, and Microsoft Research.  \nLuis has extensive experience in research management\, including serving as PI and co-PI on large-scale projects and mentoring PhD students. He is a senior member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and has held leadership roles in top scientific societies. He has authored over 150 publications\, many of which address the intersection of AI\, behavioral science\, and digital health in chronic disease management.  URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/adhera-health-seminar-ai-as-family-media-for-health-and-wellbeing-personalization-context-and-biopsychosocial-perspectives/ LOCATION:MediaFutures\, Media Futures HQ\, 3rd floor\, Bergen\, 5008 CATEGORIES:Events,Seminar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-131-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260130T111500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260130T160000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260119T124814Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T132516Z UID:22360-1769771700-1769788800@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Linguistic representations and their role in the era of LLMs DESCRIPTION:We are pleased to invite you to the trial lecture and public defence of Huiling You\, PhD candidate at SFI MediaFutures. \nDate: 30 JanuaryVenue: Kristen Nygaards sal (5370)\, Ole-Johan Dahls hus\, University of Oslo \nTime:\n11:15 Trial lecture\n13:15 Disputation \nPhD thesis:Event Extraction from News: Resources\, Methods and Application \nTrial lecture:Linguistic representations and their role in the era of LLMs \nMain research findings:\nIn an era of information overload\, transforming unstructured news into structured knowledge is a fundamental challenge for natural language processing. Event extraction\, the process of identifying specific occurrences and the people or organizations involved\, is essential for tracking global developments and detecting emerging crises. By automating these processes\, we can significantly improve the efficiency of news analysis and the consistency of information tracking across diverse media landscapes. \nThis thesis advances both the methodologies and resources available for event extraction in the news domain. The research shifts from treating events as isolated labels toward representing them as unified semantic graphs that capture the full context of how entities and events interact. To address the gap in support for smaller languages\, the work introduces new annotated datasets and investigates generative AI techniques that excel in settings where training data is limited. \nThe findings demonstrate that these sophisticated models produce more detailed and accurate representations of complex news narratives than traditional approaches. Additionally\, the thesis shows how this structured analysis can be applied to evaluate and improve the factual consistency of automated news summaries. Ultimately\, this research offers a robust framework for building more reliable and linguistically inclusive systems for global news monitoring. \nAdjudication committee: \n\nProfessor Antske Fokkens\, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam\, The Netherlands\nProfessor Marco Kuhlmann\, Linköping University\, Sweden\nProfessor Martin Giese\, Department of Informatics\, University of Oslo\, Norway\n\nSupervisors: \n\nProfessor Lilja Øvrelid\, University of Oslo\, Norway\nProfessor Erik Velldal\, University of Oslo\, Norway\nAssociate Professor Samia Touileb\, University of Bergen\, Norway\n\nChair of defence: \n\nAssociate Professor Ellen Munthe-Kaas\, Department of Informatics\, University of Oslo URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/linguistic-representations-and-their-role-in-the-era-of-llms/ LOCATION:Kristen Nygaards sal (5370)\, Ole-Johan Dahls hus\, University of Oslo CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/HuilingYouPhD.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260202T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260205T170000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20251010T084428Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T102523Z UID:21735-1770019200-1770310800@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Arctic Frontiers 2026 - Turn of the Tide DESCRIPTION:Arctic Frontiers is a catalyst for decision-making and network building by mobilizing key voices of science\, policy\, business\, and local Arctic communities\, to rapidly turn knowledge into actions. \nThe Arctic Frontiers Administration has\, since 2007\, organized the annual Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø\, which gathers scientists\, businesses\, policymakers and representative of local and indigenous peoples for holistic discussions about the future of the Arctic region. Additionally\, the organization hosts year-round activities\, including Arctic Frontiers Abroad events\, Arctic Frontiers Open events for the public and Arctic Frontiers Young events for the future generation of Arctic leaders between 5-35 years old.   \nArctic Frontiers works closely with our partner network to provide knowledge-based and up-to-date perspectives on Arctic issues. The competence and interdisciplinarity of the partner network are unique in both national and international contexts.  \nTurn of the Tide 2026\nIn the Arctic\, as across the globe\, tides are shifting. Geopolitical landscapes are evolving\, climate systems are accelerating\, and economic structures are being reshaped. From rising temperatures and economic recalibration to cultural resurgence\, the Arctic is both a witness to and a driver of transformation. This year’s theme underscores the ebb and flow of the world\, and the time for change. In this moment of opportunity\, we invite participants to reflect on the rhythms of global change and their implications for the pan-Arctic region. In 2026 we will bring together leading voices to examine the state of Arctic collaboration\, economic transitions\, infrastructure needs\, technological frontiers\, and the health of the ocean that unites the region. And as the world’s tide turns\, we will explore how the Arctic can influence\, adapt to\, and help shape the global future. \n\nScience SESSIONS\n\n\nArctic Frontiers 2026 will feature 7 different science and research themes. These are designed to be interdisciplinary and welcome submissions from natural sciences\, social sciences\, humanities\, law\, management\, and more. All researchers are welcome to submit an abstract to the session that best suits their work. \nThe themes for 2026 are: \n\nMonitoring\, Modeling\, and Mitigating the Consequences of Arctic Permafrost Change\nMaritime Extremes: Communication\, Uncertainty and Emerging Technologies\nHigh Tide for Arctic Preparedness\nGovernance and Policy for Sustainable Space Activities\nOcean Observational Pyramid: From Seabed to Space Monitoring\nMaintaining and Developing Arctic Observing Capabilities\nArctic Transformation: Climate Change and Cumulative Effects on Ecosystems\n\n\nCentre leader Christoph Trattner will be part of the Science Committee for the session called High Tide for Arctic Preparedness. \n2026 Conference Program will be launched in November. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/arctic-frontiers-2026-turn-of-the-tide/ LOCATION:Clarion The Edge Hotel\, Tromsø CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-141.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260204T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260204T100000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260120T145957Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T094736Z UID:22370-1770195600-1770199200@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Innovation Work in Academia: SFI MediaFutures' Approach and Experience. DESCRIPTION:We are pleased to invite you to the Academic Morning Coffee\, where Christoph Senf from MediaFutures will discuss innovation work in academia and the MediaFutures approach. \nDate: 4 FebruaryVenue: SV-cafeteria (Lauritz Meltzers hus\, 4th floor)\, Fosswinckels gate 6\, 5007 Bergen \nTime: 9:15-10:00 (coffee and tea served from 9:00) \nAbstract: \nWhat does innovation work look like at a university research center? This conversation explores how the SFI MediaFutures: Research Centre for Responsible Media Technology and Innovation has developed its distinctive industry-academic partnership model\, and the opportunities and challenges that emerge when bridging academic research and media industry needs. We will discuss conceptual frameworks for understanding innovation\, MediaFutures’ collaborative approach\, and key strategic and practical lessons learned. \nDr. Christopher (‘Chris’) Senf is Innovation Coordinator at SFI MediaFutures\, where he coordinates the Centre’s research-to-innovation projects with major Norwegian media companies. A political philosopher by training\, Chris completed his PhD at UiB in 2023. He was a Fulbright Fellow at UMass Boston (2021) and Oxford Alumni from Saïd Business School’s Strategic Innovation Online Programme (2024). \nThe conversation will be in English. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/innovation-work-in-academia-sfi-mediafutures-approach-and-experience/ LOCATION:SV-cafeteria (Lauritz Meltzers hus\, 4th floor)\, Fosswinckels gate 6\, Bergen\, 5007\, Norway CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-150-5.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260304T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260304T100000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260120T152330Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T153224Z UID:22377-1772614800-1772618400@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Why should we consider ethical and societal aspects in the development of language models? DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday\, 4 March\, Samia Touileb\, Associate Professor at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies\, will join Academic Morning Coffee to talk about: Why should we consider ethical and societal aspects in the development of language models? \nDate: 4 MarchVenue: SV-cafeteria (Lauritz Meltzers hus\, 4th floor)\, Fosswinckels gate 6\, 5007 Bergen \nTime: 9:15-10:00 (coffee and tea served from 9:00) \nAbstract: \nAs language models become increasingly integrated into everyday life\, the need to understand and mitigate their ethical risks grows. These technologies influence various aspects of our lives\, making it important to ask questions such as: How can we measure and reduce the social and cultural biases embedded in language models? What methods exist for evaluating the safety of these systems and preventing potential harm? Is it possible to adapt language models to our ethical\, cultural\, and societal values while ensuring transparency and accountability? And are we capable of developing robust evaluation mechanisms? \nSamia Touileb is an Associate Professor in language technology (Natural Language Processing) with research interests in bias and fairness in models\, information extraction\, automatic summarisation\, and applications of language technology and machine learning in social science research. She received the Faculty’s Award for Dissemination in 2025 and\, in the same year\, became a member of the Young Academy of Norway (AYF). In this conversation\, Touileb will discuss some of the most pressing concerns related to the rapid development of large language models\, both globally and in the Norwegian context. \nThe conversation will be in Norwegian. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/why-should-we-consider-ethical-and-societal-aspects-in-the-development-of-language-models/ LOCATION:SV-cafeteria (Lauritz Meltzers hus\, 4th floor)\, Fosswinckels gate 6\, Bergen\, 5007\, Norway CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-151-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260311T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260311T200000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260127T142842Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T093920Z UID:22429-1773252000-1773259200@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Samia Touileb & Lilja Øvrelid at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters DESCRIPTION:Samia Touileb and Lilja Øvrelid from MediaFutures will participate as keynote speakers in a conversation at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters\, as part of the Forskning og KI (Research and AI) series. The event will focus on the themes of research sovereignty and artificial intelligence\, discussing their implications for the future of media and technology. It will provide valuable insights into how AI intersects with academic research and the importance of sovereignty in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. \nSpeakers:Samia Touileb is an Associate Professor in Language Technology at the Department of Information and Media Studies at the University of Bergen. She is a member of the Academy of Young Researchers and was honored with the Communication Award by the Faculty of Social Sciences in November 2025. \nLilja Øvrelid is a Professor at the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo\, where she leads the Language Technology Group. Her research focuses on text processing using machine learning techniques. \nDate: 11th March 2026Location: Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters \nFor more details\, please visit the official event page. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/samia-touleb-lilja-ovrelid-at-the-norwegian-academy-of-science-and-letters/ LOCATION:Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi\, Drammensveien 78\, Oslo\, Norway CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-155-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260327T111500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260327T124500 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260309T141846Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T094807Z UID:22637-1774610100-1774615500@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:SFI MediaFutures Lunch Seminar: Meet Ryan Anthony Marinelli DESCRIPTION:Join us for a lunch seminar with our new postdoctoral researcher Ryan Anthony Marinelli\, who will introduce himself and his work. \nRyan will present his previous research and current research interests\, followed by his postdoctoral plan and project collaboration ideas with our industry partners. \nAll are welcome! \nDate: 27 MarchTime: 11:15 – 12:45Venue: MediaFutures  \nAbstract:From Exploitation to Representation: Evaluating Secure AI and Norwegian EmbeddingsThis talk opens by exploring AI safety and security across different levels of abstraction. At the highest level\, we examine how AI interacts with society and how filtering mechanisms can be applied to mitigate risks. In contrast\, the lowest level is explored through mechanistic interpretability\, focusing on how models memorize information and how they may be aligned with human values.The second part of the talk focuses on embeddings and recent evaluation efforts to understand the ability of large language models to function as embedding models. There is particular interest in embeddings within a news context\, analyzing how to best support retrieval and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) in more specialized use cases\, including Norwegian-language settings. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/sfi-mediafutures-lunch-seminar-meet-ryan-anthony-marinelli/ LOCATION:MediaFutures\, Media Futures HQ\, 3rd floor\, Bergen\, 5008 CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-164.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260504T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20260506T143000 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260210T125715Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T130650Z UID:22461-1777888800-1778077800@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Call for Participation: Workshop Tracking Eyes and Mind DESCRIPTION:From May 4th to 6th\, the University of Bergen\, in collaboration with MediaFutures\, is organizing Workshop Tracking Eyes and Mind. \nTo view the updated program and register for the event\, please visit the official organizer’s website. \nRegistration Deadline:\n30.03.2026 – 23.55 \nWorkshop Goals:\nThe workshop focus on demonstrations of eye tracking designs in Linguistics and Human Computer Interaction.\nIntroduction to Intermediate Level + Network building\nInvited Poster presentations. \nTarget Audience:\nAdvanced MA students and Ph.D. Scholarship students\nResearchers in Linguistics and/or Human Computer Interaction and/or\nAI/NLP who want to use Eye Tracking in their Research. \nInvited Lecturers:\nAndrew Duchowski\nMauro Manassi\nAgnieszka Konopka \nProfessor Andrew Duchowski is a world-leader in the field of eye tracking. \nLocal Team:\nChrister Johansson\nMorten Fjeld\nMaki Kubota\nJade Sandstedt\nAssociate Member\nOana Geman (Chalmers) \nOrganizers:\nProfessor Christer Johansson\, Department of Linguistic Literary and Aesthetic Studies (UiB)\nProfessor Morten Fjeld\, Department of Information Science and Media Studies (UiB) and WP-leader in SFI MediaFutures \nSponsors:\nthe Bergen University Fund\nHCI Infrastructure Grant\, UiB\nAccessibility Lab\, UiB\nSFI MediaFutures\, UiB \nTo view the updated program and register for the event\, please visit the official organizer’s website. URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/call-for-participation-workshop-tracking-eyes-and-mind/ LOCATION:University of Bergen\, venue TBA CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-160.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260506 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260509 DTSTAMP:20260511T003215 CREATED:20260203T093411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T094158Z UID:22441-1778025600-1778284799@mediafutures.no SUMMARY:Nordic Media Days (Nordiske Mediedager) DESCRIPTION:Nordic Media Days (Nordiske Mediedager) is the biggest media conference in Northern Europe\, bringing together journalists\, editors\, media leaders\, researchers\, and industry professionals to discuss key developments in journalism\, media\, and communication.  \nThe event offers insights into both current challenges and emerging trends in the media landscape.  \nNordic Media Days is relevant for media professionals\, researchers\, students\, and others interested in the role of media in society and the future of journalism.  \nDate: 6-8 May 2026Location: Grieghallen\, Edvard Griegs plass 1\, 5015 Bergen \nFor more details\, please visit the organisers’ website.  URL:https://mediafutures.no/event/nordic-media-days-nordiske-mediedager/ LOCATION:Grieghallen CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://mediafutures.no/wp-content/uploads/Frame-159.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR