Wednesday, October 21, 2020
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Recommended for: Grades 9-12, College Students, Educators and Other Adults
Duration: 60 minutes

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.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.

Dr. Katlyn Turner is a Research Scientist within the Space Enabled research group at MIT.

Download the See Yourself in STEM speaker series flyer.

This online program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You may register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_su1M0COuSriMHrWl3RqfYA