The recent debate around so-called “constitutional AI” shows how digital technologies are never neutral. As highlighted by Nuno Jardim Nunes, Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico in his latest opinion essay at Expresso entitled “IA: A nova máscara do poder?“, artificial intelligence carries with it invisible ideological frameworks that shape discourse and behavior in subtle, almost imperceptible ways . This raises a central question: who decides the principles and values embedded in the digital systems we use every day?
It is precisely in this space of reflection and action that the BIG ERAChair project positions itself. By combining blockchain and other digital technologies and design for social good, BIG aims to unlock the potential of interdisciplinary research and create digital solutions that are transparent, auditable and aligned with democratic values. Blockchain offers mechanisms of decentralization, trust and verifiability that can help mitigate risks of manipulation and opacity, while the integration of design ensures that citizens remain at the heart of technological innovation.
By questioning the invisible power of algorithms, the BIG ERAChair also seeks to open space for technology with public legitimacy, based on principles that are shared and debated democratically. This is the project’s true ambition: to transform emerging technologies into instruments of responsible innovation, serving the common good.