Speaker: Prof. Nitin Sawhney, Aalto University
We kick off the second part of the Human-Centred Research and Design in Crisis course on August 3rd, with a lecture by Prof. Nitin Sawhney on Ethics and Politics of AI in Society. This session is part 1 of a three-part series on Ethics of AI, with part 2 on AI Ethics in Practice: Designing for Ecosystems and part 3 on Decolonizing AI & Rethinking Resistance.
The learning goals of this introductory session include:
1. Understanding the role and influence of ethics and politics in AI
2. Recognizing Bias, Fairness, Accountability and Transparency in AI
3. Examining ethical implications in real-world AI scenarios in society
Prof. Sawhney emphasizes several key concepts for Ethics in AI, which include:
- Bias and Fairness
- Accountability and Remediability
- Transparency, Explainability and Trust
- Safety and Privacy
- Value-Alignment
An understanding of those concepts is important to be able to critically assess ethics in any context. The lecture concludes by examining the opportunities & risks and an ecological approach to examining ethics and values in society (diagram below). In the 2nd session we discuss AI Ethics in Practice to design cooperative ecosystems and platforms.
We suggest some readings and resources to familiarize yourself with the topic:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Ethics (3-part series), B. Nalini, May – June 2019.
AI Now 2017 Report, AI Now Institute at NYU, October 18, 2017.
Additional Reference:
The Politics of AI, Kate Crawford (video lecture), July 17, 2018.
More readings and resources can be accessed here.
Human-Centred Research and Design in Crisis 
6 Comments