Dr Christian Schulz gives lecture on social context sensitivity in AI development at the University of North Carolina
On 13 September, Dr Christian Schulz, associate junior research group leader at the TRR, will take part in an interdisciplinary workshop at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (USA). The workshop, entitled ‘Sociotechnical Consequences of AI: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Ethical, Organizational, Social, and Computational Dimensions’, will bring together international experts to discuss the multi-layered effects of artificial intelligence (AI).
In his presentation entitled ‘The mental models dilemma or how to build social context-sensitive AI’, Dr Schulz will address the so-called ‘Mental Models Dilemma’. Mental models play a central role in the development of AI systems and are based on the concept of how people understand and react to their environment. Dr Christian Schulz will trace the historical development of the mental model concept, which has its origins in philosophy and cognitive science and was shaped in computer science primarily by the work of Donald Norman.
The talk addresses the challenge that previous approaches to modeling users in AI development often adopt universal or at least standardized perspectives that do not reflect the diversity and heterogeneity of real users. Schulz argues that it is precisely the symbolic approaches traditionally used in AI that can complement the currently prevailing connectionist methods to promote social context sensitivity and justice.
Dr Schulz's talk is part of a program that includes other renowned speakers, including Catherine D'Ignazio from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The workshop will provide a platform for exchange on innovative approaches to AI development that are not only technologically advanced, but also ethically responsible and socially just.
