Unfortunately, Meredith Whittaker has cancelled her trip to the Netherlands. She has done so to to prevent the risk of not being able to travel back to the United States, due to the possible developments with the corona virus. This means we’re cancelling this Fridays event at Waag. Both AI Now Institute and Waag were really enthusiastic about the event, so we will look at another option to organize it again in the near future.
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Whittaker found the AI Now Institute at New York University. This interdisciplinary research group has been established to gain insight into the social implication of artificial intelligence.
Google Walkouts
In addition to her research and policy contributions through the AI Now Institute, Whittaker has played a crucial role in the Google Walkout, in which more than 20,000 employees of the organization participated in a global walkout to protest the way the company handles sexual harassment issues and workers in general. Whittaker was also leading in the efforts to push back against unethical use of artificial intelligence technology, including Project Maven and Project Dragonfly.
Engagement in Policy Discussions
Last year, Meredith Whittaker testified to American Congress about the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence. Whittaker pointed to research and cases that showed that AI systems can anchor prejudices and replicate harmful patterns. She also took part in the New York Taskforce for Automated Decision Systems, which aimed to create transparency and to engage citizens in the construction and integration of such systems, but got stalled due to lack of political will.
Program
The conversation with Meredith Whittaker at Waag will focus on three themes: AI and work, AI and the government and AI and the climate. For each topic different experts will join to engage in informal conversation. We will schedule three half-hour conversations, in which Meredith Whittaker briefly introduces the theme and states her first idea, followed by a short panel discussion with three members and Meredith Whittaker herself.
The announcement of the speakers in the thematic panels will follow soon. Moderation is in the hands of Marleen Stikker.
The capacity for this event is limited. Please send an email to gro.gaaw@sjig (Head of Communication at Waag) if and why you want to join this session.