Why we need to design feminist AI
Josie Young |
TEDxLondonWomen
• December 2018
How does a chatbot become sexist? According to Josie Young’s research, it’s usually incorporated into the chatbot's design and amplified through day-to-day conversations with humans. From only responding to commands from male voices to tolerating abusive language, tech companies are incorporating regressive ideas and unconscious bias into AI. Not only is this a sign of lazy design, says Josie, but attempting to replicate ourselves in AI is stifling innovation and the potential of this technology. An advocate for designing AI products and systems using ethical and feminist principles, Josie argues that we should be using this technology to heal society’s problems, instead of adding to them. With this in mind, she has created a practical tool for teams to use when building a bot, prompting developers to question their own bias and training them to address these issues themselves in the future.