24.10.2023

IZEW at the ACM CSCW Conference

SIKID and KITQAR projects present at the conference

Current and former IZEW colleagues co-presented a panel and special interest group on “Platform (In)Justice” at the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing in Minneapolis, USA, on October 17-18, and presented their work on the ethics of digitization, the data economy, and artificial intelligence at numerous workshops.

Panel and Special Interest Group on “Platform Injustice”

“Platform (in)justice” encompasses a wide range of justice-related aspects in the platform world, including ethical concerns, algorithmic harms, societal oppression, and concepts of platform justice. It recognizes that injustice extends beyond intentional design to encompass broader power dynamics that emerge from platform operations. Regions within the Majority World, where most of the world’s population resides, often face disproportionate harm from platforms, yet have limited representation in the scholarship on platform (in)justice and solutions for design and governance. The panel aimed at shedding light on the experiences of populations in the Majority World and provide alternative solutions which are rarely considered in platform development discussions. Our panelists presented five case studies of technology use and platform effects involving Afghanistan, India, Korea, South Africa, and the broader Latin American context. By addressing these diverse contexts and political landscapes within the Majority World, we challenge the oversimplified Western perspectives that have shaped conventional understandings of platform (in)justice. The panelists included: HEESOO JANG, Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, UNC-Chapel Hill, USA, NANDITHA NARAYANAMOORTHY, Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, UNC-Chapel Hill, USA, LAURA SCHELENZ, IZEW, LOU THERESE BRANDNER, IZEW, ANNE BURKHARDT, RHET AI, SIMON DAVID HIRSBRUNNER, IZEW, SCOTT TIMCKE, Research ICT Africa, South Africa.

SIKID Project @ CSCW
The SIKID project was represented by Laura Schelenz at the workshop „AI through the Eyes of Gen Z: Setting a Research Agenda for Emerging Technologies that Empower Our Future Generations”. A position paper of SIKID for the workshop can be retrieved at: zenodo.org/records/8410325

KITQAR Project @ CSCW
The KITQAR project was represented by Dr. Simon Hirsbrunner and Dr. Lou Brandner at two workshops: “Supporting User Engagement in Testing, Auditing, and Contesting AI” and “Understanding Cognitive Biases in Human-AI Collaboration”.

RHET AI
Former IZEW colleague Dr. Anne Burkhardt also attended the ACM CSCW and represented the RHET AI Center of the University of Tübingen. The IZEW is pleased about the close cooperation with the RHET AI Center and Dr. Burkhardt's participation in the panel.