The 12th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS ICAS 12)

With the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, the transformative potential of artificial intelligence captured widespread attention, triggering a cacophony of reactions and speculations ranging from the euphoric and optimistic to the panic-ridden and foreboding, conjuring visions of a utopia on one hand, and the spectre of an apocalypse, on the other. As it is AI-powered applications have been reshaping our lives in the way they are already in use in diverse settings including education, healthcare, transport, production management, business processes, agriculture, media and communication and the arts, to name a few. But generative AI is a game changer, giving rise to a pressing need to unpack the existential implications of AI.

And yet in spite of the imminence of AI's pervasive impact on life across the global landscape, the dominance in this field of knowledge generated in the Global North persists while a gap in research that specifically addresses AI in light of Asian realities remains. There is need for robust discussions, insightful discourse, and vigorous debates that will shed light on AI's implications in the Asian context.

The 12th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS ICAS 12) aims to amplify the significance of AI within Asia's diverse sociocultural, economic, and political tapestry through a multidisciplinary and translocal perspective. It seeks to serve as a platform for scholars and practitioners to examine the opportunities, challenges, risks and social dynamics generated by AI in Asian societies. It is designed to bring to light knowledge and foster informed discussions on AI’s transformative potentials in Asia, the contours of Asian societies shaped by AI, and the Asian perspective on humanity’s future with AI. It is hoped that the conference will help narrow gaps in contemporary AI research in the region. 

For more information, visit:

 ateneo.edu/icas12