1 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:19,999 [Music] 2 00:00:20,439 --> 00:00:25,359 and with us we have Jay Rosen bomb who's 3 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:27,599 a Melbourne based AI artist and 4 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:29,679 researcher working in 3D modeling 5 00:00:27,599 --> 00:00:32,960 artificial intelligence and extended 6 00:00:29,679 --> 00:00:35,719 real Technologies they have a PhD from 7 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:38,239 rmit University uh studying AI 8 00:00:35,719 --> 00:00:41,920 perception of genders and the nature of 9 00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:44,719 AI generated art and human gen uh human 10 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,879 hands behind the process that engender 11 00:00:44,719 --> 00:00:49,520 the bias uh and today they are going to 12 00:00:46,879 --> 00:00:51,840 give us a talk on AI perceptions of 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,770 gender I'll hand it over to you thank 14 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:57,879 you so 15 00:00:52,770 --> 00:01:01,039 [Applause] 16 00:00:57,879 --> 00:01:05,479 much yep just wait for the slides to pop 17 00:01:01,039 --> 00:01:08,080 but yeah so hi hi everyone um I'm so I'm 18 00:01:05,479 --> 00:01:10,240 so excited to be here today I love Pon 19 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:12,520 uh my name is Jay Rosen and I'm an AI 20 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:15,320 artist and researcher and I te and I'm a 21 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,520 lecturer in critical AI at rmit school 22 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:19,720 of 23 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:23,360 design the term AI artist has become a 24 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:25,280 really loaded term lately um when I 25 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:29,479 first started working with machine 26 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:31,799 learning art nearly a decade ago it was 27 00:01:29,479 --> 00:01:34,880 easier to to say AI artist The Machine 28 00:01:31,799 --> 00:01:36,840 learning artist um but nobody knew what 29 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:40,640 machine learning meant an AI artist was 30 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:43,799 sort of a Sci-Fi fancy fun marketing 31 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:46,840 term and now of course it's vokes ideas 32 00:01:43,799 --> 00:01:48,600 of shortcuts and plagiarism and creative 33 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,960 theft and I don't really like being 34 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:53,040 associated with that anymore but I do 35 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,880 still use the term after a lot of 36 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,360 internal wrangling I do still use the 37 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,439 term AI 38 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,840 artist sometimes with a little bit of 39 00:01:58,439 --> 00:02:04,840 irony and because my practice deeply 40 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:09,319 engages with AI systems not just as 41 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:11,599 tools but as objects of critique and 42 00:02:09,319 --> 00:02:13,560 study today I'm going to talk about my 43 00:02:11,599 --> 00:02:16,360 research uh and the art I created during 44 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:19,680 my PhD which explored AI perceptions of 45 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:22,280 gender my focus was on how AI interprets 46 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:24,080 and represents gender challenging the 47 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,080 binary Frameworks that dominate machine 48 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,840 learning and expanding them Beyond 49 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:31,400 biological 50 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:34,120 essentialism gender is fast it's deeply 51 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:37,519 personal it's so much more than just 52 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:39,959 Anatomy or a checkbox on a form through 53 00:02:37,519 --> 00:02:42,400 my work I've asked questions like why do 54 00:02:39,959 --> 00:02:44,319 AI systems perceive gender and how do 55 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:47,760 they qualify gender in the images that 56 00:02:44,319 --> 00:02:50,840 they generate if we create a biased data 57 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:53,360 set and slowly debias it by introducing 58 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,599 new data how will the generated images 59 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:58,319 be affected and what are the 60 00:02:55,599 --> 00:03:01,040 implications for visual representation 61 00:02:58,319 --> 00:03:02,959 present in generative images of people a 62 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:06,879 lot of these questions are still ongoing 63 00:03:02,959 --> 00:03:08,519 today like the PHD is finished but I'm 64 00:03:06,879 --> 00:03:11,599 still finding myself coming back to 65 00:03:08,519 --> 00:03:14,040 these questions over and over 66 00:03:11,599 --> 00:03:16,080 again I trained a bias neural network 67 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,720 and I sought to see if I could add data 68 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,120 to change its biases and what it looks 69 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:22,080 like if I did I examined existing 70 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,959 systems and looked at how they explore 71 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:27,640 gender and what they see when presented 72 00:03:24,959 --> 00:03:29,319 with gender beyond the binary and I 73 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,360 explored a new way of looking at gender 74 00:03:29,319 --> 00:03:33,480 classific 75 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:35,159 completely by assigning people a custom 76 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:38,120 mixed 77 00:03:35,159 --> 00:03:40,840 color if you were at Pon last year you 78 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,519 might have caught my talk on that one um 79 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,480 my first project set in stone began with 80 00:03:43,519 --> 00:03:48,280 exploring whether we can change these 81 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:50,360 biases in a biased system uh people 82 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,840 often talk about the way to fix a biased 83 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:55,560 system is to add more data so I went 84 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:58,760 okay let's start from that point let's 85 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,879 add more data let's change the narrative 86 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:03,599 so I worked with generative adversarial 87 00:04:00,879 --> 00:04:05,480 networks Gans um using techniques like 88 00:04:03,599 --> 00:04:07,120 transfer learning where you train 89 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:09,400 retrain a neural network after it's 90 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,760 already been trained and what I liked to 91 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,799 call disruption training where I would 92 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:17,199 just add in new data throughout the 93 00:04:14,799 --> 00:04:20,560 training process while while it was 94 00:04:17,199 --> 00:04:23,120 still training um and that approach 95 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,639 really allowed me to see whether a gan 96 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:29,520 could unlearn its original biases and 97 00:04:25,639 --> 00:04:29,520 adapt to new representation 98 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,600 sorry masks make you 99 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,080 [Laughter] 100 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:41,520 dry the light the title comes from a 101 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:44,440 metaphor that I kept coming back to the 102 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:47,120 way AI systems encode bias as if carving 103 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:49,240 it in stone so I started with DC Gan and 104 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,039 pran models which generate images by 105 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,320 learning patterns from a training data 106 00:04:51,039 --> 00:04:56,320 set my goal was to see if I could 107 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:59,960 reshape that stone by injecting data 108 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:02,080 that defied stereotypes I created 3D r 109 00:04:59,960 --> 00:05:04,800 faces for my data set representing 110 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:07,919 masculine feminine and non-binary traits 111 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:10,680 with classical marble Aesthetics leaning 112 00:05:07,919 --> 00:05:12,520 into that set in stone 113 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:15,000 metaphor I tried to make them as 114 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:18,800 racially diverse as possible I created 115 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:21,400 an animation with 3D rotation and used 116 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:24,800 all the Stills as the um training data 117 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:27,120 set um in this 3D rendered 118 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,240 environment so for this project I first 119 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,039 trained a series of DC gains or deep 120 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,479 convol IAL generative adversarial 121 00:05:31,039 --> 00:05:36,560 networks with my data set of masculine 122 00:05:33,479 --> 00:05:39,919 faces over time when once it was well 123 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:42,319 and truly biased I introduced feminine 124 00:05:39,919 --> 00:05:45,360 faces and then faces representing more 125 00:05:42,319 --> 00:05:48,160 non-binary Aesthetics images emphasizing 126 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:50,680 external markers of gender expression 127 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:52,400 like brightly colored hair and makeup 128 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,520 these elements were chosen to highlight 129 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:58,440 how gender minorities often communicate 130 00:05:54,520 --> 00:06:01,680 their uh their gender and highlight um 131 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:04,319 how how we see our identity visually 132 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:07,720 because non-binary people don't always 133 00:06:04,319 --> 00:06:11,479 you know look non-binary so how do you 134 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:13,479 tell that to a computer how do you so 135 00:06:11,479 --> 00:06:14,919 it's a little on the nose the colored 136 00:06:13,479 --> 00:06:17,319 hair and makeup it's a bit of a 137 00:06:14,919 --> 00:06:19,919 stereotype but sometimes you need to be 138 00:06:17,319 --> 00:06:22,800 a little literal um and it worked really 139 00:06:19,919 --> 00:06:25,720 well for that breaking of the stone 140 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:28,599 metaphor as new data entered the system 141 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:30,960 the generative outputs shifted initially 142 00:06:28,599 --> 00:06:33,000 the gans's output reflected the rigid 143 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:35,599 binary ideas of gender but as the 144 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:38,919 training progressed these boundaries 145 00:06:35,599 --> 00:06:41,479 softened vibrant colors emerge and take 146 00:06:38,919 --> 00:06:43,120 and The Works take on a more fluid and 147 00:06:41,479 --> 00:06:45,599 joyful take on 148 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:48,039 gender however even as the gain 149 00:06:45,599 --> 00:06:49,560 integrated the new data I noticed a 150 00:06:48,039 --> 00:06:52,120 tendency to revert to its original 151 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:54,240 masculine bias over time increasing the 152 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:57,520 volume of non-binary INF feminine coded 153 00:06:54,240 --> 00:07:00,039 data helped to counteract that reversion 154 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:02,479 but the model never truly forgot its 155 00:07:00,039 --> 00:07:02,479 initial 156 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:11,639 biases switching to a PR a pran or 157 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:14,440 Progressive growing Gan yielded smoother 158 00:07:11,639 --> 00:07:16,960 transitions the technique used to debias 159 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,960 was the key observation here as I had to 160 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,840 create directories filled with the same 161 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:24,800 masculine data set uh initially it's a 162 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:27,759 labeled uh Gan so I needed to create the 163 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:30,639 label data sets filled all with the same 164 00:07:27,759 --> 00:07:34,120 data and then changed the them up uh 165 00:07:30,639 --> 00:07:37,000 over time and then I so I replaced the 166 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,800 data gradually with more diverse images 167 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,080 this was a fitting metaphor for how some 168 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:44,360 genders need to make room for the 169 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:46,240 representation of others by gradually 170 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:49,159 replacing older data sets with newer 171 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:51,759 images I observed more seamless 172 00:07:49,159 --> 00:07:54,319 debiasing the pran created fewer 173 00:07:51,759 --> 00:07:56,759 artifacts and seemed better uh 174 00:07:54,319 --> 00:07:59,199 integrating diverse representations 175 00:07:56,759 --> 00:08:01,080 without deting to its original biases 176 00:07:59,199 --> 00:08:04,560 the resulting visuals were presented as 177 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:06,440 mosaics wallpapers and looping videos 178 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:10,400 from afar they appear as cohesive 179 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:13,360 portraits but up close viewers could see 180 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,560 that the hundreds of and thousands 181 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:18,159 sometimes of smaller images that made up 182 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:20,120 each face these layers reflected the 183 00:08:18,159 --> 00:08:21,599 idea that gender is shaped by 184 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,319 accumulated experiences and 185 00:08:21,599 --> 00:08:26,520 self-expression over time through set in 186 00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:29,560 stone I learned that while debiasing 187 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:31,759 again is possible it's not always 188 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:35,399 straightforward the architecture of the 189 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:37,440 neural network has to play a part in how 190 00:08:35,399 --> 00:08:41,120 successfully it can adapt to the new 191 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:43,880 data and much like people AI systems can 192 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:47,200 carry their history with them even as 193 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:49,200 they evolve the large scale mosaics show 194 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,480 not only the AI Aesthetics and the 195 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:53,760 debiasing of the neural network but 196 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,959 created a dialogue about how we are the 197 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,800 sum of our experiences not just what you 198 00:08:55,959 --> 00:09:01,079 see on the 199 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:02,920 surface in the loop video this one the 200 00:09:01,079 --> 00:09:04,959 face continually zooms into to one 201 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:08,240 square of many in the Mosaic which then 202 00:09:04,959 --> 00:09:10,640 shifts and changes developing into a new 203 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,959 face which is zoomed into again each 204 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:15,640 face exists because of all the faces 205 00:09:12,959 --> 00:09:18,680 that surround it helping it 206 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:21,320 become I show here not only the shift 207 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:22,959 caused by debiasing and AI techniques 208 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,800 but also the experience of being 209 00:09:22,959 --> 00:09:29,839 transgender the exploration of gender as 210 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:31,760 observance as expression as experience 211 00:09:29,839 --> 00:09:34,200 this concept of gender as experience is 212 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:36,880 one I returned to in my gender tapestry 213 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,560 work discussing gender as a highly 214 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:42,320 personal lived experience that is unique 215 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,320 to every 216 00:09:46,079 --> 00:09:51,680 individual the second project in my PhD 217 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:54,360 was an analysis of existing systems in a 218 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:56,480 complex Loop of AI architectures if 219 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:58,519 you've ever played a game of telephone 220 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:01,680 you know how a message changes when it's 221 00:09:58,519 --> 00:10:02,760 passed along the chain or telestrations 222 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:05,279 the board 223 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:08,320 game I wanted to see what would happen 224 00:10:05,279 --> 00:10:11,240 if I turned that idea into an AI 225 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:14,720 experiment what happens when I link a 226 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:16,600 bunch of different AI systems together 227 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:19,680 and observe their output so 228 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:22,120 Frankenstein's telephone explored how AI 229 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:24,839 systems gender images revealing the 230 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:27,279 biases embedded in their data sets this 231 00:10:24,839 --> 00:10:29,959 project works like a game of telephone 232 00:10:27,279 --> 00:10:32,560 using a chain of AI systems that pass an 233 00:10:29,959 --> 00:10:33,399 image and its interpretation from one to 234 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:36,920 the 235 00:10:33,399 --> 00:10:39,279 next the process started with attn Gan 236 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,360 the very first text to image generator 237 00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:44,200 they created an image based on a user's 238 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:47,600 input prompt that image was segmented by 239 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:50,839 deeplab breaking it into labeled regions 240 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:53,920 like Sky person tree and the segmented 241 00:10:50,839 --> 00:10:55,720 image was then reimagined by Spade Coco 242 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:58,399 which reconstructed it as a new image 243 00:10:55,720 --> 00:11:00,720 and finally IM to text generated a 244 00:10:58,399 --> 00:11:03,120 caption for the fin image so that's 245 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,800 probably very unreadable but that's okay 246 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,480 cuz we've got a readable version coming 247 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,440 up 248 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:11,120 oh this chain highlighted how each 249 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,680 system introduced new layers of 250 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:17,040 interpretation Distortion and bias so 251 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:19,920 this this what the prompt a woman with a 252 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:23,639 dog on a leash it's now segmented the 253 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:26,000 dog as partly um partly a 254 00:11:23,639 --> 00:11:28,200 person and um it's been a bit 255 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,320 interesting which has then turned into 256 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:35,160 this version this further version which 257 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:38,240 um has a a these are very chaotic images 258 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:40,160 these are are very early um generative 259 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:43,920 AI systems they're not what we're used 260 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:45,519 to now but then image to text um 261 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,959 captioned it as a man writing a 262 00:11:45,519 --> 00:11:49,600 skateboard down a 263 00:11:47,959 --> 00:11:52,000 street 264 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,560 so this chain highlighted how each 265 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,920 system introduces new layers of 266 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:58,560 interpretation Distortion and bias for 267 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:01,000 example deep lab segmentation labeled 268 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:04,120 all human simply as person removing 269 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,959 gender entirely yet by the final stage 270 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:08,800 gendered language had appeared in the 271 00:12:05,959 --> 00:12:11,440 captions again binary words like man or 272 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:13,680 woman would emerge based on contextual 273 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:16,199 cluthes like clothing or background 274 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:18,160 elements I Trac this bias back to the 275 00:12:16,199 --> 00:12:20,560 human generated captions in the training 276 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:22,360 data sets these captions frequently 277 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:24,680 gendered people even when their faces 278 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,959 weren't visible or when the person in 279 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:29,160 question appeared abstracted or 280 00:12:26,959 --> 00:12:31,519 incomplete this pointed to the 281 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:33,959 assumptions of the data set's human 282 00:12:31,519 --> 00:12:36,000 annotators many of whom worked under 283 00:12:33,959 --> 00:12:39,040 vague instructions through Mass labor 284 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,920 platforms like Amazon Mechanical turque 285 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,760 there's little to no training in 286 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:45,639 situations like these just a short 287 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:47,600 series of instructions it strikes me 288 00:12:45,639 --> 00:12:50,399 that a specialist could be hired to 289 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,360 specify clearer instructions to avoid 290 00:12:50,399 --> 00:12:54,120 gendered 291 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,160 outcomes like I observed in the um in 292 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:58,440 the data set and especially the 293 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:01,920 occasional sexist or racist outcomes I 294 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:05,600 observed in the data set the um the data 295 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:08,440 set often would uh have like a value 296 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:10,240 judgments a very beautiful woman doing 297 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:14,079 this and then if it was a man it was a 298 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:16,199 man you know um whereas gender actually 299 00:13:14,079 --> 00:13:18,480 if one was just a hand and they went oh 300 00:13:16,199 --> 00:13:20,519 that's a woman's hand it's like it's a 301 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,839 black and white hand it's barely in 302 00:13:20,519 --> 00:13:25,760 Focus who knows whose hand that is come 303 00:13:22,839 --> 00:13:29,360 on we don't need to gender these things 304 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:32,160 but that gendering that bias that that 305 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:34,120 came through those assumptions all came 306 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:36,160 through in the 307 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:38,440 work the visual outputs of 308 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:41,720 Frankenstein's telephone are surreal and 309 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:43,959 unsettling pale fleshy feature figures 310 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,639 with exaggerated alien features these 311 00:13:43,959 --> 00:13:48,920 dreamlike blobs reflect the data set's 312 00:13:46,639 --> 00:13:50,759 lack of grounding in real human anatomy 313 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,759 and raise questions about how machines 314 00:13:50,759 --> 00:13:55,800 create images and perceive images around 315 00:13:52,759 --> 00:13:57,920 gender for me the work became a metaphor 316 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,360 for how transgender and non-gender and 317 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,160 gender non-conforming people people are 318 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:03,040 often 319 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:04,440 perceived misunderstood distorted by 320 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,560 societal 321 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:08,759 expectations an interactive version of 322 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:10,800 this project let users upload their own 323 00:14:08,759 --> 00:14:13,120 images to see how the AI chain 324 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,600 reinterpreted them and that went about 325 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,680 as well as you could 326 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:23,079 expect many participants were surprised 327 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:25,040 and um some were quite vifly upset uh by 328 00:14:23,079 --> 00:14:26,959 the results particularly when the system 329 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,480 misgendered them uh the complaints I got 330 00:14:26,959 --> 00:14:33,040 were all from cisgender men white men I 331 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:35,399 should say what a 332 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:37,399 surprise uh this sparked conversations 333 00:14:35,399 --> 00:14:40,800 about how machines and people perceive 334 00:14:37,399 --> 00:14:43,440 identity and those those very real harms 335 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,519 caused by 336 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,639 assumptions this project unfortunately 337 00:14:45,519 --> 00:14:50,320 is no longer online because the systems 338 00:14:47,639 --> 00:14:52,880 that were being hosted um have been 339 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:55,480 taken offline in favor of generative AI 340 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:58,360 systems so I need to go back into the 341 00:14:55,480 --> 00:15:02,160 code rehost these um on a different 342 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:04,639 platform set them up and um re 343 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:07,600 reinitialize the project and I also want 344 00:15:04,639 --> 00:15:11,120 to take it into generative AI systems 345 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:13,199 and redevelop it to see have have these 346 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:18,320 systems evolved have they updated the 347 00:15:13,199 --> 00:15:20,680 images are better but are these biases 348 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:23,040 in the chain do they still come out do 349 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:26,120 the machines still misgender people do 350 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:28,319 the systems still observe a new gender 351 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:30,199 so that's what I'd love to contrast with 352 00:15:28,319 --> 00:15:32,360 the earlier versions see what 353 00:15:30,199 --> 00:15:34,519 developments if any have 354 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:36,199 happened I've also put spun this 355 00:15:34,519 --> 00:15:38,759 Research into a series of image 356 00:15:36,199 --> 00:15:41,199 Generations across multiple stages of 357 00:15:38,759 --> 00:15:43,560 generative AI systems to see how they 358 00:15:41,199 --> 00:15:45,199 all interpret the same prompt this 359 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:47,319 project is ongoing and may never really 360 00:15:45,199 --> 00:15:49,440 have an end date as new versions keep 361 00:15:47,319 --> 00:15:51,639 coming out but the viruses are very very 362 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:54,600 clear I I should explain that my 363 00:15:51,639 --> 00:15:57,639 methodology here was that it was the 364 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,079 middle of winter and I was very cold um 365 00:15:57,639 --> 00:16:01,480 and I think it was during lockdown as 366 00:15:59,079 --> 00:16:05,079 well so I wanted to be at the 367 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:07,279 beach this is this is a legitimate 368 00:16:05,079 --> 00:16:09,759 methodology so just in looking a 369 00:16:07,279 --> 00:16:12,240 generative images of non-binary people 370 00:16:09,759 --> 00:16:14,240 I've noticed the same Trends every 371 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:16,279 person is Young of course they're all 372 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:19,240 gorgeous almost all of them have the 373 00:16:16,279 --> 00:16:21,920 short fairy hair pale skin and most are 374 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:23,519 fem despite the many non-binary people I 375 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:26,279 know with beards I've actually never 376 00:16:23,519 --> 00:16:29,399 seen any on a generative on a generated 377 00:16:26,279 --> 00:16:32,639 non-binary person without specifically 378 00:16:29,399 --> 00:16:34,399 asking actually apart from the age they 379 00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:36,959 all tend to look very 380 00:16:34,399 --> 00:16:40,519 similar which is great for all of the 381 00:16:36,959 --> 00:16:42,519 people who fit in that box I guess um 382 00:16:40,519 --> 00:16:45,360 but what about non-binary people of 383 00:16:42,519 --> 00:16:47,880 color what about high fem or high mask 384 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:50,199 non-binary people it's so very hard to 385 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:53,560 get a non-white non-binary person that 386 00:16:50,199 --> 00:16:56,319 even if I explicitly State an ethnicity 387 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:58,360 it still struggles the eurocentric 388 00:16:56,319 --> 00:17:01,279 biases of these systems have always been 389 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:05,639 really wrong but for non-binary 390 00:17:01,279 --> 00:17:05,639 representation it's an almost impassible 391 00:17:05,799 --> 00:17:10,880 barrier I'm taking similar directions in 392 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:14,000 some of my new work to explore how image 393 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:17,039 toex systems view a pixelated image of a 394 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:19,039 person and reinterpret it as a new image 395 00:17:17,039 --> 00:17:22,319 this shows the biases of the system very 396 00:17:19,039 --> 00:17:24,520 clearly and by making it personal shows 397 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:27,079 how these systems average out features 398 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:29,600 and remove individuality through their 399 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:31,120 biased data actually really like this 400 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,799 image 401 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:38,559 though I for I didn't save the caption 402 00:17:33,799 --> 00:17:41,400 though um uh I wasn't wild the captions 403 00:17:38,559 --> 00:17:43,080 are quite horrible they're through clip 404 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,600 but I really actually quite liked that 405 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,160 result I felt very 406 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:49,520 validated 407 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:53,320 um sometimes these systems don't 408 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:53,320 suck no they do they all 409 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:59,240 suck the final project in my PhD gender 410 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:01,400 tapestry brought together the insights 411 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:04,039 from my earlier Works into a unified 412 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:07,120 piece this interactive project aimed to 413 00:18:04,039 --> 00:18:09,799 reframe G gender classification as a 414 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:12,440 spectrum rather than as a binary using a 415 00:18:09,799 --> 00:18:15,880 custom classifier that assigned each 416 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:18,159 participant a unique 417 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,360 color the data set for this work was 418 00:18:18,159 --> 00:18:22,799 mostly generated it felt less 419 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:25,440 problematic to use generated images of 420 00:18:22,799 --> 00:18:28,840 people and originally I had an even 421 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:30,919 spread across genders however I found 422 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,679 that the color results in that case were 423 00:18:30,919 --> 00:18:37,360 very very limited I actually needed to 424 00:18:33,679 --> 00:18:39,679 bias the results or bias the data set 425 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:42,880 which really surprised me that was a 426 00:18:39,679 --> 00:18:44,480 crazy thing um I've been fighting bias 427 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,559 my whole machine learning life and now 428 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:49,559 you're telling me I need to put in bias 429 00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:50,679 but the data didn't lie on that front so 430 00:18:49,559 --> 00:18:53,760 I 431 00:18:50,679 --> 00:18:56,640 actually biased the data set in line 432 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:59,440 with current representational data um I 433 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:05,559 still kept it as um diverse as I 434 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:11,080 possibly could but you know um and I I 435 00:19:05,559 --> 00:19:13,559 sorted them into six different pronoun 436 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,240 categories users upload an image of 437 00:19:13,559 --> 00:19:17,440 their face which is analyzed by a 438 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,799 multi-label classifier trained on these 439 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,960 pronoun based data sets instead of 440 00:19:19,799 --> 00:19:25,159 assigning a gender the classifier 441 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:30,360 outputs percentages that are then uh 442 00:19:25,159 --> 00:19:33,720 added together to create a an R GB 443 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:35,840 value these values were used to generate 444 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:38,200 a custom color which represented the 445 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:41,559 user's unique experience of gender what 446 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,679 I particularly enjoyed here was that um 447 00:19:41,559 --> 00:19:46,720 by taking six and turning it into three 448 00:19:44,679 --> 00:19:49,240 by adding those those disparate Parts 449 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:51,799 together I created some Randomness and 450 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:56,080 then if the number went over 451 00:19:51,799 --> 00:19:57,440 255 the modulo operator kicked in and um 452 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:59,600 brought it brought the number back 453 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:02,000 around which again increased that 454 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:03,600 Randomness so while these 455 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:08,039 classifications and these colors are 456 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:10,679 based on fact they're actually all still 457 00:20:08,039 --> 00:20:12,919 um they're based on on a scientific 458 00:20:10,679 --> 00:20:14,480 methodology and on on proper 459 00:20:12,919 --> 00:20:17,039 classification but there're still an 460 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:19,799 element of you know magic and weirdness 461 00:20:17,039 --> 00:20:21,520 and math that helps create those 462 00:20:19,799 --> 00:20:23,880 beautiful random 463 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,840 effects you can actually uh it's 464 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:28,440 probably um still up at gender 465 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,720 tapestry.com uh the Gan won't be running 466 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:32,679 but the rest is the users color and 467 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,840 portrait were then added to a growing 468 00:20:32,679 --> 00:20:38,720 data set which was used to generate a 469 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:41,159 mosaic of can created faces over time 470 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:43,520 the Mosaic became increasingly complex 471 00:20:41,159 --> 00:20:47,200 as more colors and images were added 472 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:50,720 illustrating that diversity of gender 473 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:53,640 experience the concept of a of assigning 474 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:56,080 a color to gender stem from the idea 475 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:58,240 that like color perception gender is 476 00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:00,440 subjective and deeply personal my 477 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:03,720 research revealed that we all actually 478 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:05,320 see color differently the blue sky that 479 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,480 I see is very different from the Blue 480 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:10,320 Sky you 481 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:13,279 see so we it's actually all a very very 482 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:15,840 subjective experience and gender is a 483 00:21:13,279 --> 00:21:17,440 subjective experience and it's all 484 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,679 deeply personal so while two people 485 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:22,320 might have similar experiences no two 486 00:21:19,679 --> 00:21:24,159 are exactly alike this approach 487 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:27,080 challenge the feasibility of gender 488 00:21:24,159 --> 00:21:29,520 classification by AI emphasizing that 489 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:32,279 gender isn't something that can or 490 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,880 should be reduced to a 491 00:21:32,279 --> 00:21:37,720 binary across these projects I explored 492 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:39,760 the ways AI reflects human biases and 493 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:42,600 the potential for Creative interventions 494 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:46,360 to challenge those biases some of my 495 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:49,440 findings include shocker a bias is 496 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:51,480 deeply embedded in data sets who knew 497 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,960 even when AI systems are trained on 498 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:56,120 neutral data the assumptions of their 499 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:58,840 creators can shape their outputs in the 500 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:01,320 paper biased data sets are not enough 501 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:04,159 results like uh a classifiers would 502 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:07,200 classify an image uh as a woman if a 503 00:22:04,159 --> 00:22:09,960 person appeared in a kitchen because 504 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:12,240 photographs of women were more common in 505 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:15,200 kitchens than photographs of men in 506 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:19,240 kitchens just a small example there of 507 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:22,840 some yeah systemic bias there AI can 508 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:25,279 evolve but not perfectly while new data 509 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:27,559 can shift a model's perspective it often 510 00:22:25,279 --> 00:22:29,840 retains traces of its original biases 511 00:22:27,559 --> 00:22:32,919 much like humans do 512 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:34,880 representation matters expanding data 513 00:22:32,919 --> 00:22:37,520 sets to include more diverse identities 514 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:40,360 is crucial for creating more Equitable 515 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:44,000 systems but it's only part of the 516 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:46,520 solution e through my practice I hope to 517 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,679 highlight not only the limitations of AI 518 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:52,120 but also its potential as a medium for 519 00:22:48,679 --> 00:22:54,440 reflection critique and growth AI 520 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,360 systems may never fully compute what 521 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,520 gender 522 00:22:55,360 --> 00:23:01,640 means but by questioning their outputs 523 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:04,880 and our own biases we can move toward a 524 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:09,000 more inclusive future the best time to 525 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:13,400 start is yesterday we know that but the 526 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:16,880 next best time is now today so initially 527 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:18,480 humans are told how to perceive gender 528 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:21,440 they learn what gender is from their 529 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:23,559 parents teachers and peers they grow and 530 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:25,679 learn they learn to perceive gender how 531 00:23:23,559 --> 00:23:28,559 they want to perceive it they research 532 00:23:25,679 --> 00:23:30,400 or they don't they learn and listen and 533 00:23:28,559 --> 00:23:31,360 their understanding of the concept of 534 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,440 gender 535 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:37,360 grows similarly machines are taught how 536 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:40,120 to perceive gender by humans they are 537 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:43,200 shown images and told that these images 538 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:45,679 correspond to genders an AI will not 539 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:48,559 update its definitions on gender unless 540 00:23:45,679 --> 00:23:51,360 instructed to it will not change its 541 00:23:48,559 --> 00:23:54,480 perspective or enhance its understanding 542 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:57,360 unless it is specifically retrained it 543 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:59,080 can only do as its instructions permit 544 00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:02,159 it then falls to the people training the 545 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:05,240 AI to and constructing the data sets to 546 00:24:02,159 --> 00:24:07,440 ensure that it's trained without bias a 547 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:09,760 computer itself has no inherent biases 548 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,840 it's only taught bias as it learns and 549 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:14,080 incorporates bias data and 550 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:16,559 algorithms the people working with the 551 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:18,559 AI therefore need to understand the 552 00:24:16,559 --> 00:24:21,520 potential for bias and the inherent 553 00:24:18,559 --> 00:24:23,400 issues in facial classification tasks 554 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:25,559 including gender classification 555 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,919 especially gender 556 00:24:25,559 --> 00:24:31,080 classification people are naturally 557 00:24:27,919 --> 00:24:34,919 consciously or unconsciously biased and 558 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:37,679 their inherent biases creep into their 559 00:24:34,919 --> 00:24:40,000 work we can help subvert bias by being 560 00:24:37,679 --> 00:24:42,760 self-aware of our own biases and our own 561 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,480 issues gender is an Ever evolving social 562 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:48,039 construct informed by experience and 563 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,760 upbringing similarly AI is an Ever 564 00:24:48,039 --> 00:24:51,760 evolving machine construct with human 565 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:54,440 supplied inputs that could be kind of 566 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:57,039 equated to a form of experience and 567 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,960 upbringing raising an equitable AI 568 00:24:57,039 --> 00:25:01,720 requires the voices of many 569 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:04,159 and the intention to listen when issues 570 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:07,640 are exposed as we are currently in the 571 00:25:04,159 --> 00:25:10,080 nent stages of understanding AI now is 572 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:12,960 the best time to explore how they 573 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:15,120 interrelate untangling the convergence 574 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:18,840 of machine learning and social change is 575 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:22,200 a key requirement right now especially 576 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:24,279 as AI development is so rapid the time 577 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,840 is Rip to merge these developments and 578 00:25:24,279 --> 00:25:30,480 to realize we cannot train AI in the 579 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:32,880 outdated social Moray of the past but 580 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,799 rather think ahead to a new stage of 581 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:38,000 development and understanding of 582 00:25:34,799 --> 00:25:40,240 ourselves and our AI we need to be aware 583 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,520 and critical of our biases examining the 584 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:45,399 data sets we create and the methods we 585 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:47,960 use to train AI this vigilance isn't 586 00:25:45,399 --> 00:25:50,039 just about fairness it's about creating 587 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:53,240 systems that reflect our Humanity in its 588 00:25:50,039 --> 00:25:55,520 fullness not just a narrow biased sliver 589 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:57,840 of it and that brings me to why this 590 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,840 work matters it's not just about Ai and 591 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:01,440 data 592 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,520 it's about us it's about how we Define 593 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,360 ourselves and each other it's about how 594 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:07,640 we interact with technology and how 595 00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:10,520 those interactions shape our future if 596 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:13,360 we allow AI to have learned from our 597 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:15,399 worst habits our biases prejudices and 598 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:17,600 assumptions it will replicate and 599 00:26:15,399 --> 00:26:19,880 reinforce them in ways we might not even 600 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:23,039 notice until it's too 601 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:26,039 late but if we teach AI to recognize the 602 00:26:23,039 --> 00:26:28,320 diversity and fluidity of human identity 603 00:26:26,039 --> 00:26:30,679 if we build systems that acknowledge and 604 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:33,200 celebrate the complexity of gender we're 605 00:26:30,679 --> 00:26:36,039 not just making better AI we're creating 606 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:39,200 a better reflection of a better world 607 00:26:36,039 --> 00:26:42,200 one that sees and values everyone thank 608 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,200 you