Panel Discussion: Ethical AI - From talk to practice
| Start time | 09:15 |
|---|---|
| End time | 09:40 |
| Countdown link | Open timer |
In this moderated panel, we'll hear from three experienced data science practitioners on how issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and misaligned incentives play out in their professional lives, as well as their perspectives on how we can actively work towards more ethical AI.
As the fabric of civic infrastructure becomes increasingly digitised and data-driven, and our lives are nudged in the direction of what is presented as optimal many times a day, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of ethical AI. Issues that have been called out in particular are: data privacy, the harm that algorithmic bias can have, and the negative repercussions of unchecked recommendation systems blindly maximising engagement.
That ethical AI has become part of the discourse of data and AI is a positive sign, but how do we move from just talk? Who is responsible? What can you do about these issues?
In this moderated panel, we'll hear from three experienced data science practitioners on how these issues play out in their professional lives, as well as their perspectives on how we can actively work towards more ethical AI.
We hope this discussion will provide a valuable backdrop upon which to reflect throughout the rest of the day as we cover a range of exciting topics in science, data, and analytics.
Social Scientist at ThoughtWorks, and a more-than-interested bystander in the world of AI and Machine Learning. Co-host of AI Australia, plus the Press 2 For More Information podcast (a podcast with quite a lot of data folk), Chair of Lean Enterprise Australia, and supporter of charities Orange Sky Laundry and Flying Robot School. In spare time, a punk guitarist, and host of the annual Battle of the Agile Bands. Currently writing a book titled SuperProductive, while wishing he was.
A few months into her new role as Head of AI & Data at Whispir, Fiona is more interested than ever in practicing ethical AI. Fiona is designed to be simple and dependable, just like her namesake https://pypi.org/project/Fiona/
Arna is a data scientist and accidental designer on a mission to bring design thinking into data science, and create more responsible, ethical tech that makes everyday life better. She is co-Director or Random Hacks of Kindness Australia, an organisation that that brings together social change makers and skilled volunteer technologists to co-develop open-source tech solutions to complex social problems. Previously she had a decade-long career as an astrophysicist – working primarily in the UK & USA on Hubble Space Telescope projects (the Universe is freakin' awesome), before returning to Australia and joining Swinburne University to build capability for data-intensive research, and to lead initiatives around data science, data management & policy, and tech skills training within academia.
Dr Lizzie Silver is a data scientist at Silverpond, an AI company based in Melbourne, Australia. She did her PhD at Carnegie Mellon University on methods for learning the structure of causal models. She was a Data Science for Social Good fellow in 2015, served on the Random Hacks of Kindness committee for two years, and is a member of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.