Past events

27-09-2023 | Internet Search Algorithms and Gender Inequality

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

25-10-2023 | AI Facial Recognition and Border Control

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

23-01-2024 | Fertility Apps: Legal and Socio-Ethical Considerations

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

05-03-2024 | From harmful online behaviour to inclusive online environments

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.



Upcoming events

02-04-2024 | DAFI: An Index for Measuring AI Effectiveness through Functionality

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.

To receive updates and get the link for the online talk, sign up here.

Location: online

23-04-2024 | Identity in Computer Vision: Exclusionary and Reflecting Histories Present in Colonialist Worldviews

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.

To receive updates and get the link for the online talk, sign up here.

Location: online

23-05-2024 | Algorithms propagate Gender Bias in the Marketplace – with Consumers’ Cooperation

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.

To receive updates and get the link for the online talk, sign up here.

Location: online