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IAI A-to-Z Side B |
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2021-07-23 |
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Print this page on the back side of the Intersectional AI A-to-Z Glossary Side A and fold as [shown here()].
This glossary of terms for Intersectional AI A-to-Z is a great place to get started. By all means it's only one example of definitions for these complex ideas, and it is meant as an open invitation for conversations and amendments! These concepts show the complexity of the topic seen from multiple angles; yet it is so important to try to break down these concepts into plain language in order to offer more openings for folks to join these conversations. Please chime in, ask questions, help make these definitions better!
Colloquially, a vague assortment of anything folks want to credit or blame computational systems for doing, or when a machine appears to take on "human" properties like "understanding" or "seeing." But these can be achieved through many different systems that vary widely from simple calculation a programmer would not call AI to complex programs that search for patterns without being given directions in advance. No matter their context or complexity, AI are always socio-technical systems, meaning they are designed, operated, and influenced by humans, rather than entirely autonomous, neutral systems.
"The assumptions, stereotypes, and unintentional actions (positive or negative) we make towards others based on identity labels like race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or ability. [...] we may act on our biases without even realizing it. Often, our implicit biases contradict our values." (Love Has No Labels) They are embedded in and often amplified by digital tools, because computation replicates, speeds up, and compounds all-too-human decision-making.
Usually written together by a group, these guidelines outline expectations for behavior and procedures for when members of a community don't meet those expectations. While some argue for structureless, free-speech zones online, many counter that a lack of guidelines highlights power dynamics existing in broader culture (Dunbar-Hester 2020).
*[Dunbar-Hester]: Dunbar-Hester, C. 2020. Hacking Diversity. Princeton UP.