Discussion about "The Equality Machine" hosted by Orly Lobel in a literary gathering
Orly Lobel, author of the new book The Equality Machine, will be joining a conversation hosted by the Center for Data Innovation on November 8, 2022, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (EST). Daniel Castro, the Director of the Center for Data Innovation, will moderate the event.
In her book, Lobel proposes that society can use digital technology to address global issues such as climate change, poverty, literacy, health, safety, and accessibility. She argues for developing technologies that promote fairness, inclusivity, and scalability, while also rethinking existing structures of injustice and bias embedded in algorithmic systems.
Lobel emphasizes moving beyond passive consumption of technology to active engagement, where users and developers consciously apply algorithms to generate equitable outcomes across diverse social groups.
Key ways technology can be harnessed, according to Lobel, include:
- Health: Algorithms can automate diabetes care and AI-driven diagnostics for diseases like breast cancer, allowing lower costs and scalable access to care worldwide, especially in areas with scarce medical resources.
- Fair and Inclusive Algorithms: Lobel advocates for creating algorithms that do not simply optimize for accuracy but also “care” equally about fair outcomes across groups, addressing disparities and avoiding reinforcement of social injustices through technical measures such as balancing false positive/negative rates and improving model accuracy for disadvantaged groups.
- Broader Social Challenges: Initiatives like the AI for Good Global Summit, which align AI innovation with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, climate, gender equity, and sustainable development, can help identify practical AI applications and scale solutions that tangibly improve global conditions.
Lobel’s approach entails combining technical advancements with a legal and ethical framework to promote transparency, accountability, and distributive fairness in digital technologies. This integrated approach aims to transform digital tools into "equality machines" that advance a more just and inclusive future, rather than perpetuate existing inequalities or create new forms of exclusion.
During the conversation, Lobel and Castro will discuss how technology can be used to correct historical exclusions and subvert long-standing stereotypes. Attendees can register to attend the event and ask questions online during the event.
References: 1. Lobel, Orly. The Equality Machine. Harvard University Press, 2022. 2. Lobel, Orly. "The Equality Machine: Using Technology to Advance Equality and Inclusion." Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, 2022. 3. AI for Good Global Summit. United Nations. https://www.un.org/ai/ai-for-good-summit 4. Lobel, Orly. "The Equality Machine: Using Technology to Advance Equality and Inclusion." Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, 2022.
- Orly Lobel, in her book The Equality Machine, proposes that technology can be used to address global issues like climate change and poverty, advocating for the development of fair, inclusive, and scalable technologies.
- In Lobel's book, she emphasizes the need to move beyond passive technology consumption and instead actively engage with algorithms to generate equitable outcomes across diverse social groups.
- To combat disparities and prevent the reinforcement of social injustices through technical measures, Lobel suggests creating algorithms that not only optimize for accuracy but also aim for fair outcomes across groups.
- Initiatives like the AI for Good Global Summit, as mentioned by Lobel, can help identify practical AI applications that align with UN Sustainable Development Goals, improving global conditions related to health, climate, gender equity, and sustainable development.
- Lobel's approach to digital technology combines technical advancements with a legal and ethical framework, focusing on transparency, accountability, and distributive fairness to transform digital tools into "equality machines" and advance a more just and inclusive future.
