Nostos Salon 03
A monthly gathering of good food, drinks, and conversation—where anthropology meets community in an engaging, accessible way.
Anthropology of AI and Emerging Technologies with Dr Fabio Mattioli
Our third Nostos gathering, and our largest to date, brought together an incredible mix of thinkers, technologists, and curious minds to explore the evolving relationships between humans and machines. The theme, The Anthropology of AI and Emerging Technologies, invited us to pause and reflect on how technological systems are shaping, and being shaped by, human ethics, creativity, and care.
Our guest speaker, Dr Fabio Mattioli, is a social anthropologist whose work explores how technology, economy, and society intertwine. Through his ethnographic research, Fabio has examined startups, innovation ecosystems, and the worlds of automation, from the dynamics of artificial intelligence to how pilots interact with autopilot systems in aviation. His work reveals how practices of care, attention, and responsibility are quietly embedded within technological infrastructures that we often take for granted.
Together, we explored the spaces where humans and technology meet, from the subtle shaping of our attention to the algorithmic patterns that influence how we decide, create, and connect. The conversation surfaced deep questions like, how do we ensure technologies remain grounded in human values? How can AI serve social good rather than amplify inequality? And what does it mean to design technologies that not only perform efficiently but also honour ethical and moral responsibility?
Many participants shared their own experiences of ambivalence, the pull between wanting to disconnect from our devices and the recognition that digital tools also open new pathways for connection, creativity, and equitable futures. There was a palpable sense of curiosity and humility in the room, as we collectively grappled with how anthropology might help reimagine our relationship with technology, not as something separate from us, but as part of our evolving social and moral worlds.
It was a powerful and thought-provoking gathering, one that left many with a renewed appreciation for anthropology’s capacity to ask the difficult, human questions that technology alone cannot answer.
Special thanks to Gentle Habits for supporting this event.
Longer Reads | Articles
“Anthropology in the Age of AI: Why We Need More Empathetic Humans in Machine-Driven Futures” by Habitus
“Generative AI as Cultural Artifact: Applying Anthropological Methods to AI Literacy” by Jasper Roe
Podcasts
“Anthropology and Algorithms” by AnthroPod
“Anthropology and Artificial Intelligence” by World Anthropological Union
“Empire of AI: Inside OpenAI’s Race to Conquer the Future” by Karen Hao
“Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society” by Matt Artz
“How anthropology can make us more effective innovators with Dr. Fabio Mattioli” by Innovation Matters
“Esther Perel on New AI – Artificial Intimacy” by Ester Perel and Brené Brown
Podcasts
“Anthropology and Algorithms” by AnthroPod
“Anthropology and Artificial Intelligence” by World Anthropological Union
“Empire of AI: Inside OpenAI’s Race to Conquer the Future” by Karen Hao
“Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society” by Matt Artz
“How anthropology can make us more effective innovators with Dr. Fabio Mattioli” by Innovation Matters
“Esther Perel on New AI – Artificial Intimacy” by Ester Perel and Brené Brown
“Artificial intelligence is neither artificial nor intelligent. It is made from natural resources, fuel, human labour, data, infrastructures — it is material, political, and deeply human.”
― Kate Crawford
