Seminar Series
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The seminar series "Cross-Cultural Approaches to Desirable AI" aims to encourage intercultural and interdisciplinary discussion on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI). Its primary focus is to support and develop research on AI and social justice, particularly from intersectional feminist and anti-racist perspectives. "Cross-Cultural Approaches to Desirable AI" is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge, Bonn, Tokyo and the University of Europe for Applied Sciences.
We bring together researchers working on AI and digital technologies of all career stages from a variety of disciplines. The series seeks to bridge perspectives from the arts and sciences, with a particular emphasis on encouraging students with technical and engineering backgrounds to engage with ethical issues surrounding AI.
The concept of "desirable AI" refers to the development of technology that places social justice and environmental sustainability at its core. Rather than simply optimizing technology, the goal is to design AI that reflects and respects the diverse values and needs of different cultures. This approach requires acknowledging different worldviews while avoiding issues such as cultural appropriation and "diversity washing" in technology development.
Dates and Registration
The seminar series will be held on Wednesdays via Zoom at 09:00 UK / 10:00 GER / 18:00 JP, starting on October 9th. Each session will last 120 minutes.
If you would like to attend any of the sessions, please click here.
Schedule
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Organizers of the Seminar Series: Kerry McInerney, Eleanor Drage (University of Cambridge), Jiré Emine Gözen (University of Europe for Applied Sciences), Ai Hisano, Sunjin Oh (University of Tokyo), Christiane Schäfer (University of Bonn)
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Wakanyi Hoffman, Utrecht University: Ubuntu 2.0. A Compatible Hybrid Intelligence for Human and Machine Co-Living.
Jahaziel Osei Mensah, University of Ghana/IWE: The Role of ‘Ukama’ Towards Environmental Sustainability in Africa.
Pius Mosima, Leiden University: Being Human in the Technological Age.
Amara Esther Chimakonam, University of Fort Hare: Towards Indigenous Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence.
Panel Chair: Christiane Schäfer, CST Bonn
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Sunjin Oh, UTokyo: Rootless Signifiers: Does Signification Have a Chance in the Digital World?
Xinqi He, Rikkyo University: A post-humanist perspective on plagiarism in the era of AI.
Priya Mu, UTokyo: Embodied Self and the Creative Process.
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Aisha Sobey, LCFI: The Hidden Expectations of Self-Tracking Apps: Who Really Benefits?
Amy Gaeta, LCFI: Diagnostic Advertisements: Social Media, Surveillance, and Targeted Heath Marketing .
Carlon Fleischer-Heininger, LMU: Desirable AI for the real world: shaping futures through a cultural disability studies lens.
Panel Chair: Kerry McInerney, University of Cambridge
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Tobias Matzner, University of Paderborn: The Politics of Data and Algorithms.
The social and political implications of so called artificial intelligence are widely discussed in public discourses as well as academic circles. In both, the argument most often points at training data. Data are biased and systems that are trained on them take over these biases. Computer scientists sometimes state this a bit coarsely as "bullshit in, bullshit out". In the presentation, I want to discuss that this emphasis on data is not wrong, but too short. In a sense, data only become data (and thus biased data) when they are used by an algorithm. To show this, I will revisit the history of AI since the 1980s and detail how the concept of data changed from data as description of the world to data as material for algorithms. In consequence, I will point out how algorithms and data need to be considered as mutually related.
Mary Shnayien, University of Paderborn: Calculating Difference(s).
If in the search for the locus of bias in AI the emphasis should not just lie on training data, but also, as my colleague points out, on the algorithms, it would be interesting to also look at the mathematical principles governing said algorithms. In my presentation, I want to do a deep dive into the history of some mathematical principles and calculation methods at the core of AI, as well as their respective ways of generating difference. The central question of my inquiry is which assumptions about gender, race and/or other categories of difference are incorporated into AI systems via mathematical processes.
Panel Chairs: Jiré Emine Gözen & Iris Lorscheid, University of Europe
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Yulu Pi, LCFI: Human-Centric and Outcome-Focused Approaches to AI Governance and Compliance.
James Wright, UNESCO: UNESCO’s approach to AI ethics and governance.
Hiroki Habuka, Wadhwani AI Center: Japan's Approach to AI Regulation: Shaping the future of Human-Machine Interaction.
Panel Chair: Eleanor Drage, University of Cambridge
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Audrey Borowski, CST Bonn: Planetary AI.
Chelsea Haramia, CST Bonn: Unsustainable AI and Global Ethical Inequality.
José Renato Laranjeira de Pereira, IWE Bonn: AI Policies and the Environment.
Tom Metcalf, IWE Bonn: Artificial Intelligence, Political Education, and the Sustainability of Democracy.
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Beate Hertwig & María Nenclares, University of Europe
This conversation explores the intersection of AI and design, focusing on how AI influences the creative design process and accessibility. In the first half, Beate Hertwig discusses AI's impact on creativity, examining in which ways will AI impact the creative process, along with examples from UX processes and group interactions. The second half, led by Maria, dives into the accessibility of AI tools, emphasizing inclusivity, equity, and democratization in technology in the context of desirable futures. A participatory approach will be encouraged throughout, inviting critical questions from the audience and fostering a dialogue between Beate and Maria. The session concludes with thoughts on the future of AI in design professions, addressing ethics and inclusivity.
Panel Chair: Jiré Emine Gözen, University of Europe
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Tomasz Hollanek, LCFI: Designing Deadbots: Human-AI Interaction in the Digital Afterlife Industry.
Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska, LCFI: Imaginaries of Immortality in the Age of AI: An Intercultural Perspective.
Chihyung Jeon, Graduate School of Science, Technology, and Policy of KAIST: Alive again, digitally: Resurrecting dead persons into virtual humans in South Korea.
Akito Orita, Kanto Gakuin University: Digital Data of the Deceased in Japan. Two Paradoxes of Preservation and Rejection.
Panel Chair: Stephen Cave, University of Cambridge
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Galina Shyndriayeva, Musashi University: New Accords: Exploring Creativity and Agency in AI-Assisted Perfume Creation.
Alyssa Yap, UTokyo: Desirable Images of the Healthy Human: From Medical Interventions to Generative AI Prompt Generation.
Grant Jun Otsuki, UTokyo: Towards a Post-Turing Typology of Machines.
Panel Chair: Ai Hisano, UTokyo
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the respective address by replacing the [at] with an @:
University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Jiré Emine Gözen: jire.goezen[at]ue-germany.de
UTokyo/B’AI Global Forum Office, Sunjin Oh: bai.global.forum[at]gmail.com
University of Cambridge, Kerry McInerney: desirableai[at]gmail.com
University of Bonn, Christiane Schäfer: desirableai[at]gmail.com