Below is the archive of the event webpage.

Bias Out of the Box

Bias Out of the Box is a FREE/OPEN two day conversation series organized to unpack and discuss just how deeply algorithmic biases permeate our culture—and what we can do to bring light to this important issue.

Feb. 26-27, online (register for access)

The event is an opportunity to engage with the urgent themes covered in the award winning documentary Coded Bias.

“When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, AI is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.”

Schedule

View the Documentary

There are a few ways for folx to view the documentary. It's available to rent on Vimeo and arrangements have been made for students, staff, and faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago to watch for free.

General Access View the Film

SAIC Community View the Film

UChicago Community View the Film

Coded Bias Documentary Discussion

Join us for a conversation with Coded Bias director, Shalini Kantayya.

For access, please register ahead of time.

Coded Bias, directed and produced by Shalini Kantayya, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini´s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces and women accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Along with Coded Bias, Kantayya’s debut film, Catching the Sun, premiered at the LA Film Festival and was named a NY Times Critics’ Pick. It was released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016, and was nominated for the Environmental Media Association Award for Best Documentary. She also directed the season finale of the National Geographic television series Breakthrough, broadcast globally in 2017. Kantayya has received numerous awards and is an Associate Professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Learn more about her on her website: shalinikantayya.net

Algorithmic Activists Panel

Thanks to all who participated

Join us for a conversation with two individuals on the front lines—breaking algorithmic black boxes open and working with organizations to document algorithms and challenge their integrity.

For access, please register ahead of time.

Brandi Geurkink is Senior Campaigner at Mozilla Foundation where she leads Mozilla’s advocacy work on countering disinformation and tech platform accountability. Brandi’s work combines open research and investigative methods to examine how internet platforms shape our reality and push for changes in policy to create a healthier and more just internet. Her background is in campaigning and community organising on a variety of issues like poverty relief, tenants' rights, democratic dissent, money reform, and internet freedom.

Freddy Martinez is the Director of Lucy Parsons Labs, a collaboration between data scientists, transparency activists, artists, & technologists that operates in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. Freddy was previously a Ford-Mozilla Open Web Fellow hosted at Freedom of the Press Foundation. During his fellowship he worked on democratizing access to public records requests with a focus on police accountability and transparency. A long-time Chicagoan, his focus for the future includes issues around cell phone privacy, working with marginalized communities and the intersection of digital rights and activism. He and Lucy Parsons Labs just launched a primer on Police Surveillance in Chicago.