Coded Bias (Science on Screen!)

When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that many facial recognition technologies misclassify women and darker-skinned faces, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. Join us for a discussion: Confronting an Automating Society,  before the screening hosted by Noelle Chesley, Ph.D., MPA Associate Professor and Department Chair, Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Confronting an Automating Society

Virtual Reality. Algorithms. Robots. Artificial Intelligence. What do average citizens need to understand about the current round of technological tools shaping our social world? This brief talk will highlight both the positive potential and the possible headwinds coming our way as complex technological systems employing algorithms and artificial intelligence continue to make their way into society.

Noelle Chesley is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a public, open-access research university. Her scholarship engages questions regarding the role of technological innovation in shaping the experiences and outcomes of workers and their families. Her current research, The Job Seeker Experiences Study, examines connections between job seeking and automated hiring practices.

Dr. Chesley earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her Master’s in Public Administration from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, and her PhD from Cornell University. She also completed post-doctoral training at the University of Minnesota. While at Cornell she was affiliated with the Cornell Careers Institute, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation sponsored research center for the study of working families.

As a scholar, educator, and speaker, Dr. Chesley is passionate about demonstrating the relevance of social research to aid understanding of the issues and problems faced by real people in their daily lives.

Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.