A few weeks ago, I went to my second SRA conference in London. As always, there were several fascinating sessions, and it was a great opportunity to meet new people as well as familiar ones.?
The food was also excellent.?
I attended several sessions (unfortunately I was physically unable to be at two or more parallel sessions simultaneously, however tempting it was); the sessions provided a lot of food for thought, which is always a sign of a successful conference.
A few things stuck with me which I wanted to share.
1. AI is a tool, not a replacement?– the mood around AI at this year’s conference might have not been all-embracing, but there was a realisation that AI is here to stay, at least based on the different sessions and informal conversations I had during the day. One of the statements that stayed with me from a chat with a fellow attendee is that ‘data literacy and critical thinking remain essential’ and that ‘AI is a tool, not a replacement’. I find these statements encouraging as they make me want to engage with AI as an ‘interested sceptic’ rather than shy away from it and pretend it isn’t there.
2. Ethnography matters?– in one of the keynote sessions, Claire Alexander reflected on the power of ethnography; a key strength she argued was its power to tell stories, and that it remains an important antidote to the focus on rapid research and findings. It left me thinking that more space can/should be carved out for ‘ethnographic’ or more immersive research in applied policy research, although ‘ethnographic’ research in the original sense might be a step too far (and would undoubtedly cause some budgetary challenges).?
3. Language matters?–The conference was a refreshing reminder to be more careful about certain phrases. For instance, I have occasionally found myself using words or terms such as ‘hard to reach’ or ‘giving a voice’ without much thought. Molly Zakra from Savanta made the point in her breakout session that people with disabilities?already?have a voice; the task is not to give them one but to develop tools to make sure they are heard. I really liked this, as it puts the onus on us as researchers and not participants.
Of course, there was more to the conference than these three takeaways. Perhaps the most important one is that the conference was full of social researchers passionate about their craft and keen to make a difference. I will be back – hopefully next year.