Further research into witnessed presence can be accessed at http://www.beig-here.net. It was a pleasure to work on this special issue thanks the board of AI and Society and its publisher Springer. We are specifically grateful to the reviewers for their time, attention and valuable comments. Most of all we appreciate the effort that each of the authors has given in offering us their best knowledge and insight.
Space of places, space of flows
This special issue shows that new bridges between the space of places and the space of flows are being constructed. However, when such bridges are built, more research is needed for ontology of presence that will include the above-identified complex dynamics of the in-between space that constitutes witnessing. The presented studies herein clearly indicate that intention, availability, embodiment, representation, culture, imagination and fictional presence need to be incorporated in the building of these bridges. Only when being and bearing witness to each other is fully facilitated, will social structures of the future offer an environment in which human beings can survive and be well.
