Policy Lab: AI and Implicit Bias (de Silva de Alwis)
Faculty
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| Rangita de Silva de Alwis Senior Adjunct Professor of Global Leadership rdesilva@law.upenn.edu |
Additional Information
Experiential CourseYes
No
Class meets in person.
Course Continuity
Students are encouraged to stay home if you are ill or experience flu-like symptoms. If you miss a class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to make up the work missed.
I offer the following to students who miss class due to illness:
- If you are absent, due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance, email me and I can ask for volunteers among your classmates to share their notes with you.
Meeting Times/Location
M 1:00PM - 2:50PM
Silverman Hall 245A
Category
Upper-Level
Credits
2.0
Primarily through a series of multi-disciplinary conversations with some of the leading global thought leaders in the field, including leaders in technology, CEOs, founders, investors, technologists, lawyers, writers, philosophers, artists, and designers, the lab will engage with new ideas and critiques at the cutting edge of public discourse on systemic bias. This semester, we will critically examine the through a human rights perspective, the new UN Convention on Cyber Crimes adopted in December 2024. We will also analyze the Draft UN Resolution on AI- Driven Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and the positions of different governments, including the US, on LAWS and the efforts to comply with International Humanitarian Laws.
Now more than ever, we need those in the digital humanities and in public policy to engage in dialogue with engineers and information technologists. We will seek to understand whether and how gender and intersectional bias, including implicit and unconscious biases are being baked into technological design and algorithms, and whether and how these biases are being reproduced in new technologies. Currently, there is gender and intersectional asymmetry in the AI workforce. Those designing, coding, engineering and programming AI technologies do not represent a diverse demographic. Our theoretical explorations will include the human rights framework, gender equality theory, post- colonial theory, critical information theory, implicit bias, in group favoritism, and affinity bias to explore subtle barriers to equality that bleed into the design of AI technologies. This two-credit experiential lab will engage with tech leaders, policy makers, and governments in their efforts to embed pluralism and inclusion into AI systems and the future of work.
The Lab is designed as a space for you to incubate ideas and engage in debate and discursive thought with leaders doing cutting-edge work from around the world. Working with leaders from Harvard Law School's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and Oxford' s OII, we will examine ideas at the intersection of humanities, technology, and public policy.
Intellectual Property and Technology Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of intellectual property law; Perform legal analysis in the context of intellectual property law; Communicate effectively on topics related to intellectual property; Demonstrate an understanding of the interconnection between technology and intellectual property, and how they affect other areas of law and society.
Perspectives on the Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of how the law affects, and is affected by, the individual course topic; Perform legal analysis in the context of the individual course topic; Communicate effectively on the legal and other aspects of the individual course topic; Demonstrate the ability to use other disciplines to analyze legal issues relevant to the individual course topic, including economics, philosophy, and sociology, as appropriate.
Equity and Inclusion Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Perform legal analysis in the context of topics related to equity and inclusion; Communicate effectively on the legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Demonstrate an understanding of how equity and inclusion are connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.