Theme 3. On digital technologies and human interactions:
the co-development of a hybrid reality

  Hybrid reality (HyR) is about the close interconnection of technology and people, addressing every instance of their behaviour individually or as parts of groups or organisations. From a cybernetic perspective, this theme is addressing the convergence and integration of our digital and physical realities. It offers a debate about the amplification of individual capabilities, through organisation and technology, and the attenuation of digital representations and constructions of digital systems, actively affecting our lives. Hybrid reality refers to the dynamics of the gradual integration of the Artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the real life and its perception.

  Thereby, HyR can be time-limited, setting a timeframe in which AI technology gradually develops its abilities to actively participate in the complete loop of observing/deciding/acting/learning processes with its elements and services (Perko, 2020).

In this theme special attention is posted to the gradual development of hybrid reality elements.   Regarding AI technology, these combine the development of capacities, enabling AI to interact in the real world:

• capacity to sense;

• capacity to reason and understand

• capacity to act in the real world.

The examination of gradual development of these capacities may provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of interactions between the stakeholders in the systems encompassing people, organisations, regulators, natural environment and AI technology and provide the means for sustainable governance.

In the age of human-machine interdependence, the boundaries between individual and group intelligence are constantly being redefined, putting information technology in everything we do and experience. Reasoning on group consciousness and clarification of these boundaries pose a challenge for WOSC 2021.

  In WOSC 2021, we are inviting contributions elaborating on the development path of technological research and its applications through new tools, computing and computation in its design and architecture, focused especially on their implications for people, organizations, societies and the environment.

  Contributions can focus on concepts and implications of big data analytics and sharing, AI technology developments, situation centres, energy and transport related issues, health, blockchains, autonomous devices, and the convergence of technologies and similar.

  Reasoning on smart devices and intelligent environments should be advanced with implications for people, organisations, society and the environment. Known positive implications (communication, upgrade of capacities, international connections etc.) and negative implications (cyber threats, data monopolies, truth adjustment, surveillance and lack of privacy) as well as paths for identifying not yet recognised consequences should be considered.

  We consider that CyberSystemic approaches should be invoked in governing the development of complexity of interactions in hybrid reality to maximize its synergetic potentials on people and organizations, to avoid misuse, and to mitigate undesired consequences.