Francisca Grommé is an assistant professor in Digitalisation in work and society. She works from a background in science and technology studies (STS), political science, and digital sociology. In 2024, she co-founded the Feminist Generative AI lab. Read the interview below to learn more about Francisca's academic background and research interests.
Can you share a bit more about your academic background and expertise?
I have always operated from an interdisciplinary perspective. Already during my Bachelor, the Bèta-gamma Bachelor, I combined bèta courses with gamma courses. I benefited from developing a helicopter view over all different scientific disciplines, but also learning basic skills in math, programming, and computer science. That is how I first learned about science and technology studies, and I combined this with political science.
I remember the importance of 9/11, which took place in the first year of my studies. In the years after, I witnessed an increasing emphasis on securitization to survey people, and all these implementations of preventive crime control. Also, personally, in the neighbourhoods where I lived, and how the media reported on those neighbourhoods. This is linked to my Master's when I studied the implementation of an AI system for policing supermarkets.
Currently, I am an assistant professor in the sociology department of Erasmus University, and I teach courses for the Master’s program Digitalization in work and society. I co-founded the Feminist Generative AI Lab together with my colleague Sara Colombo, who is an assistant professor at TU Delft, and I have a lead role and a research project in the AiPact at Erasmus University. As you can see, the interdisciplinary approach is the common thread in everything I do.
Why do you think an interdisciplinary approach is so important?
When you study technology, it becomes evident that it cannot be studied through only one discipline. Because technology by definition embodies social values, power struggles and technological expertise, you need to be able to move around with it. But also personally, I find it important to approach people with empathy when I interview them about the technology they develop and implement. It is essential to not only critique technology but also actively work with it to understand the choices that are made.
For example, I can be against a certain technological solution, but I am always interested in the black box that underlies it. Often, these technological implementations are aimed at solving a social issue. For me, the goal is not to overlook that social aspect, even when the current technological approach is not ideal yet.
What does the Centre for BOLD Cities mean to you?
I have seen the efforts of the centre on participative design methods. I believe the centre offers a critical space for future-oriented, participative, critical, and constructive engagement with our digital environment. It is successful in making the link with local governance and policy-making. Again, I see this combination of critical analysis and a constructive approach. BOLD is able to identify a policy problem but also approaches it constructively and reimagines it. Bold is critical of digitization and datafication and rightfully so, but through actively engaging with stakeholders, it also succeeds in translating these critiques into constructive developments.
You are a co-founder of the Feminist Generative AI Lab. Why and how did you start this initiative?
My colleague Sara Colombo from TU Delft carried around this idea for quite a while, and through the Convergence we were able to develop it as a collaboration with Erasmus University. Currently, in the development and application of AI, we are asked to accept that this process is exploitative and exclusionary by definition. Regarding the use of resources, the use of data for commercial purposes, and in terms of labour. AI technology, today, consists of and reproduces gender and other biases. Feminist theories challenge this status quo and provide an opportunity to reimagine this structure. First, we can use feminist theories to restructure the way we engage with AI. Second, feminist theories provide space to explore how AI can be used for feminist ends.
The lab builds on four main pillars for its research: detecting and mitigating bias in generative AI; co-envisioning generative AI with vulnerable and marginalized communities; researching human labour in the generative AI supply chain; and researching environmental harm and justice in the production of generative AI. These pillars also bring together different strands of feminist and decolonial this. I hope the Feminist Generative AI Lab continues to remain this openness, to bring researchers together and foster a critical but constructive dialogue about generative AI.
What research are you working on currently?
I am working on a couple of research projects that centre on automation in the workforce and care. Not only in terms of health care, but asking how we can create life-sustaining networks. So here, I am also able to apply the feminist theories of care. For example, aquaculture becomes increasingly technological in an effort to make it more sustainable. However, how we implement sustainability often damages care relationships, even when most people have a desire to care for their surroundings and their work. I am interested to see how this relationship of care changes as employees become more distanced from the animals they are taking care of.
Do you have a podcast/book tip you would like to share with us?
I would highly recommend the podcast The Digital Human by the BBC. They have some wonderful episodes about issues of digitalization that you would not immediately think of. For example, one episode talks about the virtualization of money. The episode explains that Roma People in Eastern Europe collected bottles and cups and received tangible money in return. With this virtualization, this is no longer possible. Really interesting and unexpected topics, so I would definitely give it a listen.
Podcast - The Digital Human - BBC