Shows
Technically BiasedBeing Picky with Piki: Ironing out the Biases in Song Quality AlgorithmsListen to Krystyn Gutu, M.S. introduce Sasha Stoikov, a senior research associate at Cornell Financial Engineering in Manhattan (CFEM). His research studies algorithms in high-frequency financial trading, online ratings systems, and recommendation systems. In these various domains, he has come across algorithmic biases such as survivorship bias, popularity bias, and inflation bias.He is also the founder of Piki, a startup that gamifies music ratings. Ratings produced by users on Piki can mitigate algorithmic biases, which he discusses in a recent paper, aimed at answering a simple but provocative question: “Are the popularities of artists like Ju...2024-05-0830 min
Technically BiasedAlgorithmic Auditing... it's Not Rocket Science, it's AstrophysicsTune in to learn about the applicability of algorithmic auditing.Guest, Shea Brown, founder and CEO of BABL AI, joins us to share his perspective. An Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa, Brown has his PhD in Astrophysics and specializes in AI Ethics and Machine Learning, with a focus on Algorithmic Auditing and AI Governance.In this episode, we discuss:– Brown’s use of AI in astrophysics and its applicability, given the extent of data from the sky – Brown’s transition to founding BABL AI after realizing a big prob...2024-04-2433 min
Technically BiasedMuslim American Indentities and Their Many FacetsListen to Krystyn Gutu, M.S. introduce Hauwa Abbas and Lama Aboubakr.Abbas is the founder of The Halimah Project, a mentoring and tutoring program created for refugee youth in the Greater Lansing (Michigan) Area. She is a graduate student at American University and a grant writer at Miftaah Institute.Aboubakr runs her own practice, where she is a Mindset & Life Coach, combining cognitive psychology-based techniques with Islamic Spirituality coaching. She specializes in dating and relationships for Muslims.Tune in to listen to them share their perspective on:~ the...2024-04-1039 min
Technically BiasedAlgorithmic Accountability... and What That Means from a Human Rights Perspective | 1.15Damini Satija is a Human Rights and Public Policy Professional, as well as Head of the Algorithmic Accountability Lab and Interim Director at Amnesty Tech. Satija has experience working on data and AI, with a focus on government surveillance, algorithmic discrimination, welfare automation, and tech equity and justice. She has her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, with a specialization in tech policy, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.In this episode, she and Gutu discuss how:Bias and discrimination generally emerge in AI algorithmsHuman rights implications play a...2024-02-0745 min
Technically BiasedLegal Decisions are Being Codified and the Models are Perpetuating Historical Biases | Episode 1.14𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗞. 𝗟𝗶𝗻 is a lawyer and researcher focused on AI, privacy, and technology regulation. He is the author of 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘋𝘰, a book that explores the ways public institutions use technology to surveil, police, and make decisions about the public, as well as the historical biases that impact that technology.Patrick has extensive experience in litigation and policy, having worked for the ACLU, FTC, EFF, and other organizations that advocate for digital rights and social justice. He is passionate about addressing the ethical and legal challenges posed by emerging technologies, especially in the areas of surveillance, algorithmic bias, and data privacy. He has also published articles and papers on facial recognition, data protection, and copy...2023-12-1339 min
Technically BiasedRacial Bias in American Housing, From Founding Policies to Predatory Algorithms | Episode 1.13Listen to Krystyn Gutu interview Leah Rothstein, co-author of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. Written with her father, Richard Rothstein, the book acts as a follow-up to his 2017 work, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Together, they analyze how housing and community development policies impact the ways people relate to their communities and to each other.Leah is a community and labor organizer, with experience consulting on housing, police accountability, environmental justice, education, and worker health and safety issues. She has consulted on financial and policy...2023-11-1644 min
Technically BiasedPalestine and Israel: Technology’s Role in How We Record and Analyze Data | Episode 1.12Palestine and Israel have been fighting internally for more than a century. To lay blame to one side and call it a day is unfortunately not as easy as it sounds. There are human rights abuses occurring on both sides, inflicted by parties representing each nation/nation-state.Listen to this episode to learn about the historical timeline leading up to today, and how harmful technology like ChatGPT primes people to feel hatred toward one group of people over another. Marc Getzoff shares his knowledge on the histories of Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding region. We cover the following events:2023-10-2546 min
Technically BiasedTechnology’s Role in the Policing and Erasure of the Chinese Uyghurs | Episode 1.11There are human rights abuses occurring in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, also known as East Turkestan, or the western part of China. The Chinese government is accused of detaining a significant number of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in what they term "re-education camps" or "vocational training centers." These camps reportedly involve forced labor, cultural assimilation efforts, and religious restrictions, among other violations. Listen to this episode to learn how predatory technology is being used against the Uyghur community. Arslan Hidayat shares his knowledge based on research and first-hand interviews. We cover: Facial Recognition Technology...2023-09-0642 min
Technically BiasedGender Equality & Women Empowerment on an International Platform | Episode 1.10Get ready for an eye-opening discussion where Alia Flanigan helps us dive deep into the fascinating interplay of culture, language, and gender dynamics on a global scale. We will be discussing:– Women on the Global Stage: the international expectations placed on women and the many challenges of navigating a complex world while striving to shatter gender norms – from boardrooms to the household– Power of Language: the captivating connection between language and biases; the words we use can unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes and impact our understanding of gender roles and societal expectations– Cultural Lens: how our cultural background shapes the way we perce...2023-08-3040 min
Technically BiasedBuilding a Responsible Tech Ecosystem | Episode 1.9Technology itself is not conscious in the same way that humans are. It does not possess self-awareness, thoughts, or emotions, yet many of us believe in the hype that it can be “smarter” than us. Though AI systems can be programmed to analyze data, make decisions, and respond to stimuli in ways that mimic human intelligence, it is still far from achieving the level of intelligence that we so often credit it with. Listen to this week’s episode and guest speaker David Ryan Polgar share his thoughts on the following:~ His company, All Tech is Human, and how it has evo...2023-07-1952 min
Technically BiasedAI Threatens Creative & Journalistic Writing – Or Does It? | Episode 1.8Listen to Krystyn Gutu, M.S. introduce Lindsay Lee Wallace, a freelance writer focused on culture, health, and health equity. She has been featured in Time, Slate, Teen Vogue, Inverse, and Bitch Media, among others.New to the reporting scene, Wallace shares her thoughts regarding the below topics:~ If AI will replace writers – and if so, in which ways~ If using AI in creative writing will bring diversity and perspective to the stories they fabricate or ... further perpetuate harmful biases and stereotypes~ How the rise of AI in the writing industry might impact the overall quality of written content~ What it...2023-06-2836 min
Technically BiasedSearching for Rare Metals and Renewable Energy - At The Expense of Humans and the Environment | Episode 1.7Listen to Krystyn Gutu, M.S. introduce award-winning journalist and author, Vince Beiser, who has had his work featured in Wired, Time, The Los Angeles Times, Harpers, and National Geographic, among others. His first book was "The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How it Transformed Civilization," which highlights how sand is the most important solid substance on earth - and what that means for the environment and its people.As we have started to run out of sand, and organized crime is starting to increase, it is important we understand the downsides of...2023-06-2134 min
Technically BiasedUnderstanding the Colonization of Tech by Understanding Vexillology (Flags) | Episode 1.6In honor of Flag Day today, June 14th, today’s episode will be discussing different holidays this week, and tie in the history of those holidays, as well as their corresponding country’s flags.Some of the holidays discussed include:King Kamehameha Day (June 11)Philippines Independence Day (June 12)Russia Day (June 12)America’s Flag Day (June 14)Valdemar Day (June 15)Youth Day (June 16)Iceland’s Independence Day (June 17)You might not realize how interconnected our history is with vexillology (the study of flags) a...2023-06-1421 min
Technically BiasedCorporate Colonization Through the Exploitation of the Environment and Its People | Episode 1.5In honor of World Environment Day Monday, June 5th, this episode will be discussing Corporate Colonization Through the Exploitation of the Environment and Its People. Through this discussion, our goal is to understand how those who most destroyed our physical environment are now moving into the digital space, which just like the physical one, is again being monopolized by big corporations and billionaires. Tune in to learn:~ How technology contributes to climate change~ About some of the companies which have contributed significantly to increased emissions, and how they have done so~...2023-06-0730 min
Technically BiasedUnderstanding Gender Bias in Tech, From Darwin to World War II to Present-Day | Episode 1.4This episode, which discusses Liza Mundy’s book, Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, delves into the history of American women cryptanalysts and code breakers.Tune into this episode to learn:How science used pseudoscientific gender biases to justify the exclusion of womenHow Darwin influenced societal gender expectations and beliefsThe difference between an American housewife and an American woman code breakerHow education was seen as a bad thing for women to attainHow educated women saved American tr...2023-06-0124 min
Technically BiasedThe Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule with Angela Saini | Episode 1.3Listen to author and science journalist, Angela Saini, discuss the myth of “The Patriarchy.” Rather than there being only one, there are and always have been many patriarchies. Her research illustrates how some societies used to be more egalitarian than they are today but have been influenced by the strict gender roles of more recent generations. By understanding the below, we may better understand how our perspective on gender influences sexist biases being codified in tech.In this episode, we discuss:How “we’re constrained by our own experiences and beliefs” (The Patriarchs, 7)How “subservience does not, on...2023-05-2437 min
Technically BiasedMore Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech with Meredith Broussard | Episode 1.2Second episode of Technically Biased is out now! Listen to expert Meredith Broussard share her knowledge regarding how biases are codified in tech. She will answer all the crazy questions, including:What is technochauvinism?Why shouldn't we use Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) in policing or EdTech?Do the algorithms used to predict recidivism rates ensure that they do not use data on wrongful arrests?Why is Google's skin cancer AI racist?How do algorithms perpetuate systemic biases, using centuries-old data?How did the NFL use bogu...2023-05-1737 min
Technically BiasedBias in Tech | Pilot EpisodeWhat is ethical tech vs predatory tech?What is algorithmic oppression?Can training data be biased?Is bias present when mal intent is absent?Is it okay if there is no mal intent?How does language and history impact the code we write?How does perspective influence the technology we build and the people we build technology for?Are all people represented in the data equally?Is Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) biased / safe to use for all people alike?Why does...2023-05-1019 min