Roundtable on artificial intelligence and diversity

Decoding biases in artificial intelligence: Does AI have a diversity problem?
Why are most digital voice assistants female by default? How “smart” is facial recognition when it is based on racial or outdated stereotypes? Will personalised recommendations standardise our tastes? 

Big data and machine learning are changing the nature of how we live and work. More and more decisions are based on randomised algorithms, while they are criticised for exhibiting discriminatory behavior. If AI systems tend to replicate the biases of the data used to train them, they may also reflect the (often unconscious) stereotypical thinking of the humans who design them. In that context, the lack of diversity in machine learning researchers becomes a significant factor. Are we programming biases into our future? Bringing together academia, policymakers and the private sector, this conference will discuss the social impact of artificial intelligence, diversity in the tech sector and whether it is possible to build fair algorithms.

Speakers
Professor Solange Ghernaouti, Director of the Swiss cybersecurity Advisory & Research Group (SCARG) based in Switzerland, and leading international expert on cybersecurity will deliver a keynote lecture, followed by a roundtable discussion.

Panellists:

• Irakli Beridze (UNICRI Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics)
• Dr Haroon Sheikh (WRR; VU University)
• Dr Tanya Krupiy (Tilburg University)
• Eve Logunova (Women in AI Ambassador Netherlands)

Moderator: Rebecca Mignot-Mahdavi (T.M.C. Asser Instituut)

Programme

• 16:15–16:30: Arrival and Registration
• 16:30–16:45: Welcome remarks by:
  • Professor Janne Nijman (Academic Director, T.M.C. Asser Instituut)
  • H.E. Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn (Ambassador of Switzerland to the Netherlands)
• 16:45–17:10: Keynote lecture by Professor Solange Ghernaouti
• 17:10–18:20: Roundtable and Q&A
• 18:20–18:30: Closing remarks
• 18:30–19:00: Reception (sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands)

This event is organised in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands, the International Gender Champions– Den Haag Hub, and UNICRI Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.