Events

In an increasingly data-driven world, algorithms play a pivotal role in shaping our lives, from determining what content we see on social media to influencing hiring decisions and resource allocation. The impact of these algorithms is not always equitable and can perpetuate bias and inequity, yet they also have the potential to foster a more just and inclusive world.Join us online to learn about how research is addressing bias, discrimination, and ethical concerns in algorithm development. Our panel of experts will delve into the many challenges and opportunities, including the complexities behind the design of equitable algorithms, the biases they may unintentionally harbor, and the profound social implications they have.This panel is co-organized by the Computational Social Science Institute (CSSI), Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), The Equity, Accountability, Trust and Accountability Initiative (EQUATE), and Public Interest Technology Initiative…

Join the Responsible Technology Coalition for pizza, informal socializing, an overview of their plans for the year, and a presentation by Research Fellow Virginia Partridge on UMass' Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure's interactive map of Reddit, which shows how the biggest subreddits on the site are connected.  The Responsible Technology Coalition (RTC) is an interdisciplinary organization of students who are committed to seeing that technology is ethical and accountable. Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to attend this event to meet fellow responsible tech enthusiasts and learn about the RTC.  Pizza and drinks will be provided.  SPEAKER: Virginia Partridge WHEN: October 25, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Learn more. 

A decade from now, will we still be browsing the internet by visiting multiple sites? Or will we encounter the internet via our own personal chatbot that is embedded in a smart speaker or cloud-connected screen? What will this mean for the diversity of voices that the Web has, so far, enabled? In order to understand this moment, Ford discusses the case of Wikipedia, one of the premier sources of data for third-party interfaces like ChatGPT, Amazon Alexa and Google Bard. Wikipedians have been generally optimistic in the face of what some see as an existential threat to their continued relevance. Are Wikipedians sleepwalking to their death? Or do they know something that other producers should know about the future of the Web? Dr. Heather Ford is an Associate Professor in the School of Communications,…

How can we enact meaningful change in competing to meet the urgent need for sustainability and justice? The deep entanglement of information technology within our societies has raised hope for a transition to more sustainable and just communities–those that phase out fossil fuels, distribute public goods fairly, allow free access to information, and waste less. In principle, computing should be able to help. But in practice, we live in a world in which opaque algorithms steer us toward misinformation and unsustainable consumerism. Insolvent shows why computing's dominant frame of thinking is conceptually insufficient to address our current challenges, and why computing continues to incur societal debts it cannot pay back. Christoph Becker shows how we can reorient design perspectives in computer science to better align with the values of sustainability and justice.  Becker positions the…