ADM+S expands international research program through French partnerships
Author ADM+S Centre
Date 14 May 2026
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) at RMIT University has established new international partnerships with leading French universities and launched a collaboration with Sciences Po médialab, a globally recognised computational social science laboratory.
The partnerships follow a month-long research residency in France by ADM+S Associate Investigator Dr Daniel Binns from RMIT University in a broader effort to expand ADM+S engagement with French research institutions working on artificial intelligence, media and digital governance.
France’s approach to AI governance, data sovereignty, and innovation offers a genuinely different model to Australia’s comparatively hands-off regulatory environment.
“Australia and France aren’t often in the same conversation when it comes to tech governance, research, and innovation ecosystems. But it turns out there’s a real appetite for these discussions,” said Dr Binns.
“Being embedded in France for a month — rather than just visiting — made it possible to have deep conversations that actually lead to concrete outcomes and lasting collaborations.”
Dr Binns was hosted as a Chercheur Invité at Université Paris 8 Vincennes–Saint-Denis and its Laboratoire Paragraphe during April 2026.
International Research Collaborations
One of the most significant outcomes of the trip emerged from meetings with researchers Jean-Philippe Cointet and Donato Ricci at Sciences Po médialab, a leading computational social science laboratory whose prior Shaping AI project mapped AI innovation ecologies across France, Germany, the UK, and Canada.
Following these discussions, the group now plans to extend its research into the Australian context through the development of a co-authored working paper examining both sanctioned and shadow adoption of generative AI across Australian workplaces.
The project draws on Dr Binns’ professional networks and existing Centre research, including work from the Australian Internet Observatory and the Critical Capabilities for Inclusive AI project. The collaboration will also include a joint submission to the 4S conference in Toronto later this year.
Institutional Agreements
Two institutional agreements were advanced during the visit. A Convention d’Accueil between Dr Binns and Laboratoire Paragraphe was formally signed by the Président of Université Paris 8, and MOU processes have been initiated with both Paris 8 and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne — the first formal institutional agreements between RMIT and these universities.
Presentations
During the visit, Dr Binns delivered three invited presentations:
- The international symposium Créativités Artificielles: Approches Critiques de l’IA (Université Côte d’Azur, 27–29 April)
Presentation proposing an ecological — rather than literacy-based — framework for critical engagement with generative technology. - TV-IA Journée d’Étude at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (8–9 April)
How episodic television form is being reshaped under algorithmic conditions — a paper subsequently invited for publication in translation. - The Séminaire HERMES at Campus Condorcet (24 April)
Media-materialist framework for generative AI image-making alongside European artist-researchers.
Dr Binns also attended the Noûs Art and AI Festival at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and GenAI Days #3 — an industry-facing AI event where he was the only academic researcher present — providing a grounded view of how French industry and cultural institutions are navigating the generative AI moment.
A joint online seminar organised with Alexandre Gefen (CNRS/THALIM) and curators of the Jeu de Paume’s AI exhibition is scheduled for June 2026 and a research exchange with the University of Groningen is in development.
Dr Binns plans to return to France in late 2026 or early 2027, with funding applications to the PHC FASIC program and the French Embassy’s social sciences initiative currently in preparation.
This research visit was supported by RMIT’s Academic Development Program, ADM+S, Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations, Inc. (ISFAR), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and Université Côte d’Azur.
