Dr. Neil Randall, GI Executive Director and Chair of the Ethics, Technology and Social Impact (ETSI) Council, is a panelist for the upcoming event "Wo(man) and machine - who makes the decisions and why?". Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is running this panel event to bring together perspectives on ethics and artificial intelligence.
The event will take place on June 25 from 5:30-8:30pm at the Accelerator Centre. For more details and to purchase tickets, click here.
Wo(man) and machine – who makes the decisions and why?
Abstract
Companies are developing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) that affect our every day life, including our employment, health care, education and transportation. Recently published articles and studies demonstrate that unintentional biases have been introduced in these AI applications not only by the algorithms, but also by the data that is used for the learning and eventually the decision process of these algorithms. These biases may result in someone not being hired or promoted or even worse, not properly treated for an illness due to the lack of diversity and inclusion in the development of the algorithms and the data.
What can or should public good play in development of these applications? How do we ensure that the algorithms and the data sets are developed by people with different backgrounds and not by a small, possibly myopic group?
Please join WCT Waterloo Region Chapter on June 25, 2019 as a panel of experts, including Dr. Neil Randall, Executive Director of Games Institute at the University of Waterloo and Chair of the UWaterloo Ethics, Technology and Social Impact (ETSI) Council; Professor Maura Grossman, Director of Women in Computer Science at UWaterloo and pioneer in eDiscovery; Sheldon Fernandez, CEO of DarwinAI; and Dr. Rozita Dara, Principal Investigator of Data Management and Privacy Governance research program at the University of Guelph. The panel will be moderated by Sarah Shortreed, an accomplished senior technology executive, who along with the panelists, will engage with the audience in a discussion on these important issues and what we can do as individuals to ensure ethical, diversified and inclusive AI deployments. Drink and light refreshments are included along with networking before and following the discussion.