Prof. Atsushi Deguchi of the University of Tokyo - open lecure on Society 5.0 and digital transformation.
A leading scholar in urban planning and social systems design, Prof. Deguchi will present in (March 2026) Japan’s vision of Society 5.0 and examine how emerging digital technologies are reshaping public administration, smart cities, and the broader socio-economic landscape.
Dr. Jeni Brown, The London School of Economics and Political Science
In February 2026, Ms Jeni Brown, Head of the Digital Skills Lab at LSE, conducted a short study visit to SNSPA to explore the Urban Camp #IN NOVA programme, engaging with faculty leadership, academic staff, and potentially students in order to understand its origins, design, evolution, practical placements, graduation projects, impact, and strategic positioning, with the aim of informing the development of a similar digital skills initiative within her own institution.
Natalia Menéndez González, Research Associate at the Centre for a Digital Society at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy
In October 2025, Ms Natalia Menéndez González, scholar specializing in AI, biometric technologies, and democracy, was invited to Smart-EDU Hub @ SNSPA to contribute her expertise on AI and smart-city technologies. Her lecture examined how AI-powered facial recognition, despite its growing accuracy and widespread deployment, raises serious concerns for democracy, fundamental rights, and human dignity. After clarifying how the technology operates - its probabilistic identification mechanisms and controversial categorization uses - the discussion focused on risks such as mass biometric surveillance, erosion of privacy, deterrence of free expression and assembly, and algorithmic discrimination. Drawing on contemporary examples from law enforcement, protest monitoring, voting systems, and conflict settings, she argued that the decisive issue is not the mere existence of the technology, but the manner of its governance, emphasizing the need for strict regulation, ethical limits, and sustained human oversight to preserve democratic principles.