A fascinating community of scholars, thinkers, and creators working at the intersections of technology, automation, and futures emerged in Central and Eastern Europe after the Second World War. On the one hand, there were those studying technology as a means of streamlining production and automation in a centralised economy, and enhancing citizen surveillance. On the other, there were the dissenting voices that relied on fictional accounts of technological futures to criticise the authoritarian regimes.

2021 marks a double anniversary in Eastern European science fiction. First, it marks the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), a Polish science fiction writer and philosopher. Second, the word ‘robot’ was used for the first time exactly a century ago, in the play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered on 25 January 1921. The Global AI Narratives workshop held on 15th January was a celebration of these two centenaries.

Narratives of AI have a deeply rooted history in Central and Eastern Europe. Central to these narratives is the Golem, a legendary clay creature dating back to the 16th century.