Towards digital autonomy

How do we move towards a more inclusive and sustainable city where the technology we adopt is under our own collective control? What is needed to make progress on that journey and what is the role of academia, governments, societal organisations and private companies? 

On Thursday 29 January, we will explore Amsterdam’s route towards digital autonomy. Waag’s Research Director and VU Research Fellow Sander van der Waal shares six perspectives on technology development that can guide us. He will introduce the three deep dives into topics that illustrate this in cross-collaboration between VU, Waag, and city actors. In three panels, experts will discuss three topics in-depth that are relevant to Amsterdam: its reliance on communications infrastructures, questions around controlling the environmental footprint of our technology, and inclusive adoption of technology in the care domain. 

Programme

Panel 1: How do we ensure that technology contributes to a just society?

With Tessel van Leeuwen (Waag Futurelab), Ilse Heeremans (SINA)

Who designs our technology and what are their world views? How do we ensure that everyone can participate fully in society in an increasingly digital world? While technology can improve access to public services, the introduction of digital tools can also create new barriers, making it more difficult to inhabitants of Amsterdam to participate and to access support when they need it. How can we design technology for use in social service contexts that is inclusive for everyone and supports participation in society?

Panel 2: Ownership and governance of our communications infrastructures

With Danny Lämmerhirt (Waag Futurelab), Douwe Schmidt (Gemeente Amsterdam), Mariken van der Velden (VU Amsterdam)

Polarisation online is destructive for our public debate. Most if this debate is happening on platforms we don’t control. How can we, in Amsterdam, take back control over our communications infrastructures and what is the role of the local government and civil society in this? What lessons can we learn from academic studies into these dynamics that can help guide a transition to communications platforms that are more inclusive and give us more control?

Panel 3: How do we ensure that technology starts within planetary boundaries?

With Judith Veenkamp (Waag Futurelab), Patricia Lago (VU), Robert Keus (GreenPT)

The true environmental impact of our technology use in the city is tremendous, but often stays invisible. How can we better understand that impact of technology use, and how can we drastically reduce these impacts so that we stay within planetary boundaries? What is the role of new companies in helping us make different choices?

Accessibility

The Waag building is not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. View our accessibility information here. 

If you are tight on funds and want to participate in this event, please get in touch with sander [@] waag [dot] org.  

About the organisers

This event is organised by Waag Futurelab and Vrije Universiteit in the context of the VU Connected World Research Fellow. During 2025, this position was filled by Waag's Research Director Sander van der Waal. In the course of the fellowship, Sander has further refined the Public Stack model, that includes six perspectives on technology development that can guide us towards achieving more digital autonomy on our technology. This event will showcase some of the main learnings that are also included in Waag’s new Research Agenda 2025 – 2028. Additionally, the VU and Waag are co-leaders of the Tech & AI - Digital Autonomy theme at the Amsterdam Economic Board.