AI for Whose Social Good?

Luke Stark will discuss two recent papers (Greene, Hoffmann & Stark 2019; Stark & Hoffmann 2019) that use discursive analysis to examine a) recent high-profile value statements endorsing ethical design for artificial intelligence and machine learning and b) professional ethics codes in computer science, statistics, and other fields. Guided by insights from Science and Technology Studies, values in design, and the sociology of business ethics, he will discuss the grounding assumptions and terms of debate that shape current conversations about ethical design in data science and AI. He will also advocate for an expanded view of expertise in understanding what ethical AI/ML/AI for Social Good should mean.

Speaker bio: Luke Stark is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Fairness, Accountability, Transparency and Ethics (FATE) Group at Microsoft Research Montreal, and an Affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Luke holds a PhD from the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, and an Honours BA and MA in History from the University of Toronto. Trained as a media historian, his scholarship centers on the interconnected histories of artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioral science, and on the ways the social and ethical contexts of AI are changing how we work, communicate, and participate in civic life.