Each year, Waag takes a look at the state of the internet. This year, on January 29th, we'll focus on Inclusive AI with a keynote by Sennay Ghebreab. In the run up to this event, you can already watch the documentary Coded Bias.

Coded Bias highlights the stories of people who have been impacted by harmful technology and shows pioneering women sounding the alarm about the threats posed by artificial intelligence to civil rights. Central to the documentary is the story of Joy Buolamwini, researcher at MIT, who discovered that most facial recognition technologies do not respond to her face due to the colour of her skin. Coded Bias premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020.

Waag is hosting a screening of Coded Bias, to be viewed from 15 to 29 January.

About Coded Bias

Synposis: 'Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: what does it mean when artificial intelligence increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against? When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.'

Biased algorithms are a concrete and alarming example of exclusion, facilitated by technology. The screening of Coded Bias allows us to continue the conversation about ethics in AI, and to reflect on the role of AI in our future. From 15 to 29 January, attendees will be able to view the Coded Bias documentary through the platform of Women Make Movies. The link to the screening will be sent to you after registration.

Language

The documentary is in English and comes with optional English subtitles.