Published Sep 03 2021

‘What Happens Next?’: Is AI a Little Too Human?

Mark
Andrejevic
Professor, Communications and Media Studies, Faculty of Arts
Yolande strengers
Professor, Digital Technology and Society, Emerging Technologies Research Lab
Ann nicholson
Professor and Deputy Dean (Research), Faculty of Information Technology
Susan carland
Academic, author and social commentator
Rita arrigo
Digital Innovation Lead, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, Deputy Director CIAIRI - Centre for Industrial AI Research & Innovation at RMIT

The Jetsons had Rosie, Tony Stark had J.A.R.V.I.S, and the crew of the USS Enterprise could always count on Data.

Humans have long dreamed of artificial intelligence and smart machines that can help us make better decisions, or even simply cut down on our chores. What was once a sci-fi fantasy is now a reality – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an increasing presence in our day-to-day lives, with Siri on your iPhone, Alexa on your kitchen bench, and Lil Miquela in your Instagram feed.

But AI is built by humans, and its algorithms are sometimes guided by very human biases. The more we rely on automated decision-making, the more often we see examples of AI being sexist, racist, or exhibiting other forms of prejudice.

How did assumptions and biases find their way into machines? As groups around the world fight for social equality, is AI helping or hurting our progress? How do we hold designers accountable for their creations? And can we address these issues without overcorrecting into social engineering?

In the first What Happens Next? episode on bias in AI, Dr Susan Carland speaks to communications and media studies expert Professor Mark Andrejevic, human-computer interaction scholar Yolande Strengers, Monash University Interim Dean of Information Technology Ann Nicholson, and Microsoft Australia’s former chief digital advisor, Rita Arrigo.

“If there's stereotypes, or biases, or features in the pictures we're giving them or the speech we're using, that AI system will learn it. It can't make those ethical judgements. We who are training them up have to change the way we put the data in, and try and remove those biases so we don't produce a biased AI system.”

Professor Ann Nicholson

What Happens Next? will be back next week with part two of this series.

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and rate or review What Happens Next? to help listeners like yourself discover it.

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About the Authors

  • Mark andrejevic

    Professor, Communications and Media Studies, Faculty of Arts

    Mark contributes expertise on the social and cultural implications of data mining, and online monitoring. He writes about monitoring and data mining from a socio-cultural perspective, and is the author of three monographs and more than 60 academic articles and book chapters. His research interests encompass digital media, surveillance and data mining in the digital era. He is particularly interested in social forms of sorting and automated decision-making associated with the online economy. He believes regulations for controlling commercial and state access to and use of personal information is becoming an increasingly important topic.

  • Yolande strengers

    Professor, Digital Technology and Society, Emerging Technologies Research Lab

    Yolande is a digital sociologist and human-computer interaction scholar investigating the sustainability and gender effects of digital, emerging and smart technologies. At Monash University, she leads the energy futures theme in the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, which undertakes critical interdisciplinary and international research into the social, cultural and experiential dimensions of the design, use and futures of new and emerging technologies.

  • Ann nicholson

    Professor and Deputy Dean (Research), Faculty of Information Technology

    Ann is an expert in artificial intelligence (AI) and a leading researcher in bayesian networks – now the dominant technology for probabilistic causal modelling in intelligent systems. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, co-authored the well-received ‘Bayesian Artificial Intelligence’ and attracted more than $8M in research funding.

  • Susan carland

    Director, Bachelor of Global Studies, and Lecturer, School of Language, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics

    Susan's research and teaching specialties focus on gender, sociology, contemporary Australia, terrorism, and Islam in the modern world. Susan hosted the “Assumptions” series on ABC’s Radio National, and was named one of the 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices in 2012 by The Age.

  • Rita arrigo

    Digital Innovation Lead, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, Deputy Director CIAIRI - Centre for Industrial AI Research & Innovation at RMIT

    Chief Digital Advisor at Microsoft, Australia

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