Responsible Future-Making? Testing Intercultural AI Ethics through the Use of Generative Tools
Abstract: The recent proliferation of off-the-shelf generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion had both intrigued and unsettled the artistic and academic world in equal measure. As part of an international consortium project in exploring how traces of the past shape policy development and society's future, the working group on "Traces and Technology" developed a project to examine if generative AI tool can be responsible used to envision a more sustainable and fairer future. Members of the working group (WG) were asked to visualize a more accurate and fairer representation of the world in a more sustainable future. They were aware of the fact that historic/ mainstream representations of the world (cartography), such as the Robinson and the Universal Transverse Mercator System, often reflect geographical distortion, and had long been viewed as associated with colonial emphasis on the "centre" and the "periphery". The group, comprised of members from diverse cultures and backgrounds, ranging from artists, geographers, to aerospace scholars, produced vastly different visualizations. The group will next attempt to synthesize these images with the help of generative AI tool, such as Stable Diffusion, to see if the application of AI and generative software could be used responsibly to synergize diverse visions. The project seeks to put AI ethics to the test, with close monitoring of AI application through participatory decision-making. In doing so, it will not only document diverse conceptions of the "future" by professionals from various sectors and disciplines, but also to make a concrete attempt at synergyzing diverging, and at times contrasting opinion of a fairer and more responsible vision for the future world.
Author bios: Dr Nikita Chiu is Senior Lecturer in Innovation Policy at the University of Exeter. She is also Ad Astra Distinguished Fellow in Robotic and Outer Space Governance at the Space Engineering Research Center at USC. Dr Chiu is a former recipient of the Ernst Mach Grant. Named after the Austrian physicist, the grant enabled the investigation of multilevel governance policy at the city, national, and international (UN) level. Dr Chiu is also a mentor for Space4Women, a network organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs(UNOOSA) to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She was selected as one of “20 under 35” future leaders to watch by the Space & Satellite Professionals International in 2019 for her work on space sustainability. She is currently working group lead of "Traces and Technology" - part of an international consortium project that examines how historic traces (e.g. data, archives) could inform and shape the governance of future technologies in a more sustainable and responsible manner.
[Please note that the author of this presentation requested not to be recorded]
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