STEM Week: SEE YOURSELF IN STEM - SPEAKER SERIES
Technology, Seems Neutral, But Is It?
Assimilationism vs. Intersectional Antiracism in Technology Design
Speaker: Dr. Katlyn Turner, Research Scientist at Space Enabled, MIT Media Lab
Opening Remarks By: Massachusetts Secretary of Education, James Peyser, and President of Framingham State University, Dr. Javier Cevallos
Technology--like a cell phone, an app, or the MBTA public transportation system--seems neutral, but is it? Rather, human biases about things like race, gender, class, or sexuality are easily encoded into technology design. Biases about these factors are why facial recognition software only correctly identifies white male faces, why Uber and Lyft drivers from Black and brown ethnic backgrounds get lower average ratings from passengers, or why lower socioeconomic class neighborhoods with more people of color are less frequently served by public transit. Technology therefore isn't quite neutral: it takes our biased inputs and produces biased outputs. This has real consequences for real people: an incorrect facial ID could mean being targeted as a suspect for a crime that you didn't commit; a poor Uber or Lyft driver rating could mean that you're out of a job; less reliable and frequent public transportation could mean facing longer commutes and more physical, emotional, or financial stress. In order to design better technologies that are helpful and beneficial for all, we can consider principles of antiracism--the idea that all races are equal-- and intersectionality--the idea that our identities around factors like race, gender, and class influence how we experience the world. When we design technology with these principles in mind, we hope to create better outcomes for all.
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