Past events
Prof. David Amodio
27th of September 2023, 17:30 – 18:30
David Amodio is a professor at the Social Psychology department at the University of Amsterdam.
People frequently use AI-powered search engines. However, these search engines often contain gender bias. In his talk, Prof. David Amodio will present his research on how exposure to these biased algorithmic outputs can lead to a cycle of gender bias propagation between society, AI, and users.
Please sign up here.
Location: Amsterdam Business School, Plantage Muidergracht 12. Room MS.01
Dr. Lucy Hall
25th of October 2023, 17:30 – 18:30
Lucy Hall is a lecturer for the Faculty of Law & PPLE at the University of Amsterdam.
AI technology is increasingly used to manage security practices at borders. In her talk, Dr Lucy Hall will present her research on iBorderCtrl – an EU ‘deception detection’ and ‘risk assessment’ technology. Lucy’s research applies an intersectional feminist approach to examine the gendered, raced, and sexualized bias embedded in AI technologies. Her findings illustrate the potential for AI to reproduce inequalities at the border which poses significant ethical and protection issues for asylum seekers, gender-diverse folks, and survivors of trauma.
Please sign up here.
Location: Amsterdam Business School, Plantage Muidergracht 12. Room M0.02
Anastasia Siapka & Elisabetta Biasin
23rd of January 2024, 17:30 – 18:30
Elisabetta Biasin & Anastasia Siapka are PhD researchers at the Centre for IT & IP Law at KU Leuven.
Fertility and Menstruation Tracking apps (FMTs), as a subset of femtech, are growing in popularity. However, these apps expose users to legal risks related to privacy and data protection, (cyber)security, consumer protection, medical reliability, and non-discrimination. From an ethical perspective, they facilitate users’ surveillance, quantification, stereotyping, and the commodification of their data. This talk delves into these risks and suggests potential ways forward.
Location: Amsterdam Business School, Plantage Muidergracht 12. Room M0.01 or online
Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee (Rathenau Instituut)
5th of March 2024, 17:30 – 18:30
Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee is a researcher and theme coordinator at the Rathenau Instituut in Den Haag.
Sextortion. Phishing. Cyber Bullying. Disinformation. These are just a few examples of harmful online behavior. Certain properties of the internet – the virality of online messages, the (perceived) anonymity of internet users, and the immediacy with which a video can be viewed worldwide – facilitate these kinds of behavioral phenomena. They can be enormously harmful for both individuals and society. However, certain properties also have very positive effects: social media allows like-minded people to find each other, and anonymity can provide whistleblowers with protection to share their stories. Can we design an online environment that harnesses the positive aspects of the internet, and discourages harmful behavior?
In her talk, Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee will share her insights on the mechanisms behind harmful online behavior and share how her research group is experimenting with design methods to explore alternatives.
Dr. Hinda Haned (Owls & Arrows, Amsterdam)
2nd of April 2024, 17:30 – 18:30
Dr. Hinda Haned is the founder of Owls & Arrows (Amsterdam).
Despite the transformative potential of AI-driven decision-making for growth and innovation, many organizations are still struggling to see a return on their AI investments. The culprit? The rush to keep pace with the AI hype and address immediate business needs often leads to poorly planned implementations of unsuitable and non-functional AI solutions. To address this challenge, in this talk the Data Analytics Functionality Index (DAFI) is proposed. Inspired by food labels, DAFI simplifies the evaluation and assessment of AI projects through a clear, visual representation of a project’s functionality and potential impact, which empowers decision-makers to prioritize promising ventures and strategically abandon non-viable ones.
Dr. Morgan Klaus Scheuerman (CU Boulder)
23rd of April 2024, 17:30 – 18:30 CET
Dr. Morgan Klaus Scheuerman is a postdoctoral associate in Information Science at CU Boulder.
Computer vision technologies have been increasingly scrutinized in recent years for their propensity to cause harm. In this talk, Morgan will present work on how identity is implemented in computer vision, from how identity is represented in models and datasets to how different worker positionalities influence the development process. Specifically, he will showcase how representations of gender and race in computer vision are exclusionary and represent problematic histories present in colonialist worldviews. He’ll also highlight how traditional tech workers enact a positional power over data workers in the global south. Through these findings, Morgan demonstrates how identity in computer vision moves from something more open, contextual, and exploratory to a completely closed, binary, and prescriptive classification.
Dr. Shelly Rathee (Villanova University)
23rd of May 2024, 17:30 – 18:30 CET
Dr. Shelly Rathee is an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Villanova University.
Recent research shows that algorithms learn societal biases from large text corpora, revealing how such biases shape consumer behavior in the marketplace. Through meticulous examination of billions of online documents, Dr. Rathee’s recent publication in Journal of Consumer Psychology (JCP) elucidates how algorithms learn to associate women with negative consumer psychographic attributes, thus perpetuating gender stereotypes. Further, a series of rigorous field experiments underscore the delivery of gender-biased digital advertisements and product recommendations across various platforms and product categories. By empirically examining the role of consumers in co-producing algorithmic gender bias, this research sheds light on how their interaction with biased ads reinforces stereotypes.
Dr. Stephen Spiller (UCLA) and Dr. Nicholas Reinholtz (CU Boulder)
5th of June 2024, 18.00-19.00 CET
Dr Stephen Spiller is a Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and Dr. Nicholas Reinholtz is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Leeds School of Business.
In a world full of bias, it is tempting to view data as a neutral arbiter of truth. In this talk, we offer a prospective of caution: Presenting data entails making choices on *how* to present these data. And, unfortunately, these choices on how to present data can affect how people interpret it and the judgments they make about it. We demonstrate this in the domain of time-series data. We show that in certain cases the choice of presenting data as “stocks” (absolute levels over time) versus “flows” (change in absolute levels over time) can lead to opposing inferences. For example, when employment data from 2007 to 2013 are shown as flows (jobs created or lost), President Obama’s impact on the economy during his first year in office is viewed positively, whereas when the same data are shown as stocks (total jobs), his impact is viewed negatively.
FemData x Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam)
17th of February 2025, 20.00-21.30 CET
Panelists: Dr. Paula Helm (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Caroline Figueroa (TU Delft), and Prof. Aurélie Lemmens (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Through three episodes in collaboration with Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam), this series unpacks the hidden impacts of data bias, examines the power dynamics driving AI systems and explores policies and initiatives shaping its future. Join us as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of an AI-driven world.
In the first episode, we discuss what data bias is, and how different disciplines view and define it. How does it shape the systems we rely on, and what impact does it have on our society? During this programme, we will take a closer look at the many faces of data bias. From the ways it is understood in different fields to its far-reaching consequences in different levels of society. Together, we’ll explore how bias in AI systems affects our lives.
FemData x Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam)
17th of March 2025, 20.00-21.30 CET
Panelists: Alexander Laufer (Amnesty International), Prof. Daniel Mügge (University of Amsterdam), and Berty Bannor (Bureau Clara Wichmann)
Through three episodes in collaboration with Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam), this series unpacks the hidden impacts of data bias, examines the power dynamics driving AI systems and explores policies and initiatives shaping its future. Join us as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of an AI-driven world.
As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes our society, critical questions arise about accountability and power. In this second episode we aim to discuss who controls the data and algorithms driving these systems. How do these power dynamics influence societal structures, and in what ways do they perpetuate patterns of inequality? In this programme, we’ll delve into the forces behind AI and the societal structures they influence.
Upcoming events
FemData x Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam)
14th of April 2025, 20.00 – 21.30 CET
Panelists: Monique Steijns (The People’s AI GENCY), Dr. Naomi Appelman (Racism and Technology Center), Dr. Gabriel Pereira (University of Amsterdam)
Through three episodes in collaboration with Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam), this series unpacks the hidden impacts of data bias, examines the power dynamics driving AI systems and explores policies and initiatives shaping its future. Join us as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of an AI-driven world.
The last and third episode focuses on how can we influence the future of AI to ensure it benefits society. What policies and initiatives are needed to safeguard its development and use? In this programme, we will explore ideas for shaping AI through advocacy. From the EU’s regulatory approaches to local and grassroots initiatives, we will examine the tools and strategies that can guide AI’s impact on our society.
To attend (online or in person), sign up here.
Location: in person (at Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam) or online