Leading critical data and AI scholars gather in Cardiff for the 4th Data Justice Conference
9 June 2026
The Data Justice Lab and Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture welcomed around 200 scholars to the 4th Data Justice Conference on 1 and 2 June 2026.
The conference focused on the theme The Datafied State and the ways data-driven technologies have intermingled with and transformed the state. It was an international gathering with attendees and speakers from across countries and continents, stretching from the UK to North and South America, East Asia and Australia.
“Rather than ask if ChatGPT is ‘good’ or not, we should ask if the unaccountable power that AI firms and Big Tech firms hold is good for society”, declared Sarah Myers West, co-Director of the US-based research centre AI Now. In her keynote address at this year’s Data Justice Conference, Sarah explored how AI technology and state power have become thoroughly intertwined. Yet she asserted that critique can be an act of optimism and called on participants to maintain spaces for critical reflection.
Dr Arne Hintz, co-Director of the Data Justice Lab and Reader at the School of Journalism Media and Culture reflected on the conference and the growing role that AI and technology plays in public life and society: “Public services, government interventions and crisis management now rely heavily on AI systems.
“While AI can be an effective tool, the role that technology and its providers now play in society needs to be scrutinised. At a time when governments and technology companies are seen to be closer than ever, examining their relationship and its consequences seems pivotal for our understanding of society and for advancing democracy.”
During the 2-day conference, participants discussed policy measures and models for involving the public in necessary debates on AI and learnt about promising citizen initiatives being developed around the world to address the challenges of datafication and AI.
The Data Justice conferences are organised by the Data Justice Lab – a research hub that was born at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture and which has since spread across different institutions, with hubs emerging at universities in the UK, Spain and Canada. Exploring the relations of datafication and social justice, the Lab has conducted world-leading research on the social impacts of data analytics and AI and advised government and civil society in the UK and beyond.
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