05/05/2026
Centre for Aristotelian Studies and Critical Theory, in cooperation with DEMOS, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and Kaunas University of Technology, is organizing
the Reading and Public Discussion Group
“Artificial Intelligence, Labour, and Digital Capitalism”
Room 101, LAB MRU, Didlaukio st. 55, Vilnius
The ongoing revolution in the AI industry is reshaping our societies with unprecedented speed and depth. Its impact on everyday life, work, and politics is already profound—and it is only set to grow. Democratic societies, therefore, have a vital stake in how these transformations unfold.
Today, the AI industry is largely privatized and increasingly monopolized, dominated by a small number of powerful technology corporations. This makes it more important than ever for the public to understand these developments, to critically engage with the political economy of AI production, and to explore new strategies for democratizing this rapidly evolving field. At the same time, we must ask a fundamental question: how should AI be used if we are to truly flourish as democratic societies?
This reading and discussion group offers a unique opportunity to explore these urgent issues in depth. The sessions are organized by Prof. Andrius Bielskis, who recently spent a year in the United States conducting research at the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York. His work also included a month-long ethnographic study in Silicon Valley, focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence on human flourishing and the growing power of the AI industry over our lives. Drawing on this experience, the group will provide critical insights and foster meaningful, open discussion.
We warmly invite everyone to take part in this engaging and thought-provoking series. To register and receive the reading materials, please send an email to [email protected].
Participants are also welcome to attend online via Zoom (passcode: Critique)
Schedule of Meeting:
4 pm, April 21, 2026: discussion on the basis of Aaron Benanav’s Automation and the Future of Work (London: Verso, 2022).
4 pm, May 5, 2026: discussion on the basis of Nick Dyer-Witheford & Alessandra Mularoni’s Cybernetic Circulation Complex: Big Tech and Planetary Crisis. London: Verso, 2025.
4 pm, June 2, 2026: discussion on the basis of Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021).
4 pm, August 25, 2026: discussion on the basis of Shannon Vallor’s The AI Mirror (Oxford: OUP, 2024).
4 pm, September 15, 2026: discussion on the basis of Trebor Scholz’s Own This!: How Platform Cooperatives Help Workers Build a Democratic Internet (London: Verso, 2023).
Events & Activities – Centre for Aristotelian Studies and Critical Theory Events & Activities Centre for Aristotelian Studies and Critical Theory, in cooperation with DEMOS, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and Kaunas University of Technology, is organizing the Reading and Public Discussion Group “Artificial Intelligence, Labour, and Digital Capitalism” Room 101, LAB MRU, D...
25/04/2026
25/04/2026
23/04/2026
22/04/2026
22/04/2026