Session Type: Breakaway Sessions
Date and Time: 12 November 11:20-12:20
Organisers: Alex Comninos & Deborah Brown
Rapporteurs: Alex Comninos, Deborah Brown & Joonas Mäkinen, as well as delegated members of the breakaway groups.
List of speakers and their institutional affiliations (Indicate male/female/ transgender male/
transgender female/gender variant/prefer not to answer):
Chinmayi Arun, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Academia
Lorena Jaume-Palasi, Ethical Tech Society, Civil Society
Joy Liddicoat, University of Otago, Academia
Malavika Jayaram, Digital Hub Asia, Civil Society
Jelena Jovanovic, Independent, Business Technical Community
Vidushi Marda, Article 19, Civil Society
Karen Reilly, Independent, Business and Technical Community
Theme: Cybersecurity, Trust and Privacy
Subtheme: Algorithms
Three key messages:
This session seeks to explore,
1) Unpacking and conceptualising AI and its effects of our lives
2) Investigating how systems using artificial intellgence and automated decision-making can be understood and explained
3) Investigating the effects of AI on human rights, including on the right to privacy
SHORT REPORT:
- Session Type (Workshop, Open Forum, etc.): The session was meant to consist of breakaway sessions, but there were too many attendees, so we had an open discussion with the audience instead.
- Title: Algorithmic transparency and the right to explanation
- Date & Time: 12th November 11:20-12:20
Theme: Cybersecurity, Trust and Privacy
Subtheme: Algorithms
- Organizer(s): Alex Comninos (VOUS.AI) & Deborah Brown (APC)
- Chair/Moderator: Deborah Brown & Alex Comninos
- Rapporteur/Notetaker: Alex Comninos & Joonas Mäkinen
- List of speakers and their institutional affiliations (Indicate male/female/ transgender male/ transgender female/gender variant/prefer not to answer):
Imane Bello, Lecturer and Researcher, Sciences Po, Academia, She/Her
Lorena Jaume-Palasi, Ethical Tech Society, Civil Society, She/Her
Chinmayi Arun, Assistant Professor of Law at National Law University Delhi, Academia, She/Her
Joy Liddicoat, University of Otago, Academia, She/Her
Karen Reilly, Independent, Business and Technical Community, She/Her
- Please state no more than three (3) key messages of the discussion. [150 words or less]
- The terms really need to be unpacked. We mean many things by AI, there are many concepts contained within. The explainability of systems involves a lot of unpacking and addressing algorithm, codes and systems (technological and human)
– AI contains a social component, the human systems that manage AI are very important looking forward.
- Code is made by people, it might copy social bias from humans –– either training data is skewed or it was unsuccessful coding
- Please elaborate on the discussion held, specifically on areas of agreement and divergence.
There was broad support for the importance of protecting personal data and of meaningfully unpacking the right to explanation. There was consensus that the right to explanation is important, there was however less consensus as to how it would be achieved in practice, and whether it is achievable. Some participants focused on the importance of transparency institutions. Some focused on the challenges posed by the explainability of automated systems, which even with open code, and without complex AI, is hard to explain without a deep understanding of the development process, and documentation of this process. It was suggested that transparency was a more achievable goal.
- Please describe any policy recommendations or suggestions regarding the way forward/potential next steps. [100 words]
There needs to be more incentive to make the development process open, so that automated decisions are explainable. We need to extend explainability beyond narrow technical and mathematical explanations towards meaningful explanations understandable by lay people.
- What ideas surfaced in the discussion with respect to how the IGF ecosystem might make progress on this issue? [75 words]
We need more stakeholder discussion on AI, and more focus next year on algorithmic transparency and the intersection of AI and data protection.
- Please estimate the total number of participants.
350
- Please estimate the total number of women and gender-variant individuals present.
All women panel
- To what extent did the session discuss gender issues, and if to any extent, what was the discussion? [100 words]
Gender issues were raised by panelists and participants and were linked to bias and issues of justice in decision-making.