Nithya Sambasivan

Date: 1 Feb 2021

Time: 16:00 (CET)

Title: HCI for Responsible AI in the Global South

Abstract: AI systems are evaluated for model performance, but as they enter complex domains, other dimensions emerge through which systems impact humanity, including fairness, safety, and agency. At the same time, AI systems are designed primarily in the Silicon Valley and exported to the rest of the world. What works for the Global North may not work for contexts and communities of the Global South, and can even cause irrevocable harm. HCI has a unique role to play in designing equitable AI systems for the Global South by bridging human-centered methodologies with computing interventions. In this talk, I will present empirical research from three projects that aim to de-design and re-design various aspects of ML for marginalised communities in the Global South, focused on 1) data quality and labour, 2) ML fairness, and 3) privacy and counter-abuse, with the application of lenses from feminism, decoloniality, and emancipatory politics. I will conclude with implications for algorithms, policy and design in making AI systems work for non-Western communities.

Speaker Biography: Nithya Sambasivan is a Staff Researcher at PAIR and leads the HCI-AI group at Google Research India, Bangalore. Nithya's current research focuses on using HCI techniques in developing responsible AI in India, with a focus on marginalized communities. Specific sub-areas are data, fairness, privacy and abuse, and consent. She publishes in the fields of HCI, ICTD, and Privacy/Security. Nithya's long-standing research agenda has been on HCI and under-represented communities in the Global South. She has a PhD. in Informatics from UC Irvine and a Master's in HCI from Georgia Tech.

Homepage: https://nithyasambasivan.com/