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Beyond the Algorithm: Empowering AI Practitioners through Liberal Education

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

AI and Tools for Transdisciplinary Work

Tagged Division

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/46648

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Paper Authors

biography

Tammy Mackenzie The Aula Fellowship Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0009-0007-6508-2966

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Director of the Aula Fellowship for AI Science, Tech, and Policy, a think tank in responsible AI. Tammy is also a Mom, a Tech CEO, an MBA, an ecological and human rights activist, a strategist, and a researcher of power and institutional change through strategic management, institutions, and systems theories. She is currently a guest researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s Interdisciplinary STS research group on the digitization of culture (DigiKULT@NTNU), an occasional contributor to consultations, policy papers and op-eds on AI and Society, and a consultant on AI application assessments and sustainable industrial processes. She volunteers with Women in AI. She’s an alumna of McGill University, Université de Laval, and MILA, the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms’s program for Human Rights and Responsible AI. Her principal methodology is participatory research for impact.

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Leslie Salgado University of Calgary

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Leslie Salgado is a PhD Candidate and Sessional Instructor at the University of Calgary. She is an experienced professional with a strong background in science communication and in working with international organizations, including UNESCO, OXFAM and PAHO. As a doctoral student, she focuses on the intersection of Responsible AI, public narratives, policy, and ethics. Her research interests revolve around public trust in AI systems, technology co-design practices with end-users and interdisciplinary approaches to AI literacy. Critical and feminist approaches to science and technology studies inspire her investigative stance.
Leslie holds certifications in AI Ethics (LSE), Responsible AI and Human Rights (University of Montreal-MILA), and AI Policy (CADIP). As a consultant for a Global Partnership in AI project, Leslie contributed to research on equality and inclusion within the AI ecosystem. As an educator, she is interested in encouraging critical conversations on technology and society. Leslie is a founding member of the Aula Fellowship for AI Science, Technology, and Policy.

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Sreyoshi Bhaduri ThatStatsGirl

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Dr. Sreyoshi Bhaduri is an Engineering Educator and People Research Scientist. She employs innovative and ethical mixed-methods research approaches to uncover insights about the 21st century workforce. Sreyoshi has a doctorate in Engineering Education, and Masters degrees in Applied Statistics (M.A.) and Mechanical Engineering (M.S.), from Virginia Tech. She earned her Bachelors degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Manipal University in India. Sreyoshi has been recognized as a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence (VTGrATE) Fellow, a Global Perspectives Program (GPP) Fellow, a Diversity scholar, and was inducted in the Bouchet Honor Society in 2017.
Sreyoshi is passionate about improving belonging among women in Engineering. She serves as Senator at SWE (Society of Women Engineers) - the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology with over 42,000 global members. She also champions and serves as advisor at Sisters in STEM - a not-for-profit led by school students, aimed at increasing interest, engagement, and allyship in STEM. Learn more about her work at - www.ThatStatsGirl.com. This work was carried out independent of author's current employment at Amazon. Views expressed in this paper are the author's own and do not represent those of the organization she works at.

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Victoria Kuketz Catalyst

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Victoria is a public policy and engagement leader with a focus on social impact. Her mission is to drive innovation, inclusion, and protect democracy. She currently serves as the Director of Corporate Engagement at Catalyst, where she advises C-Suite leaders on inclusion and co-hosts a global podcast on intersectional feminism and the future of work. Victoria is also a fellow of the Public Policy Forum, specializing in Digital Democracy, where she led the "Far and Widening: The Rise of Polarization in Canada" study. She hosts the Democracy Dialogues at Toronto Metropolitan University's Democratic Engagement Exchange, a national web series on key issues surrounding democracy. Victoria was also a 2022 Civic Action Diverse City fellow.

In the past year, Victoria has concentrated on Responsible AI, acting as a thought partner within the AI ecosystem. She was selected to attend Mila Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute's inaugural global Summer School in Responsible AI, and invited to be an ambassador for Women in AI at the 2024 World Summit in AI. Victoria leads dialogues on digitization, ethics, employee upskilling, AI adoption, and public policy on emerging technologies. She designs workshops to bridge the digital divide and promote public education. She is a current Aula Fellow for AI Science, Technology, and Policy. She advises on digital governance, democracy, and inclusive city building for Democracy XChange, Canadian Vote Summit, The Canadian Internet Registration Authority's Internet Governance conference, and Maple Leaf Sports Foundation's Community Granting Circle, among others. A proud Humanities graduate, Victoria holds an HBA and MA in English Literature from the University of Toronto.

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Solenne Savoia Mila-Quebec AI Institute

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Solenne Savoia has been immersed in the intersection of technology and SDG’s for over six years.
Deeply interested in the impact of technology on our societies, she designed and launched the first French summit dedicated to inclusive and sustainable tech back in 2018.
Since then, she has launched numerous programs aimed at fostering inclusivity in the tech industry, especially for underrepresented groups with a focus on initiatives empowering women in tech.
Transitioning from collaborating with impact-driven entrepreneurs, Solenne joined Mila in January 2023, where she now manages a portfolio of talent and learning programs in the ever-evolving landscape of responsible artificial intelligence.
Those programs cater to a diverse audience, including machine learning researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers, ensuring they build the necessary capacity to navigate and shape a socially beneficial AI landscape.
Solenne Savoia holds a degree in English, American and French law, as well as a Master of Science in business management.

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Lilianny Virguez University of Florida

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Lilianny Virguez is a Instructional Associate Professor at the Engineering Education Department at University of Florida. She has work experience in the telecommunications industry. Dr. Virgüez holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and a Masters’ degree in Management Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the National Experimental University of the Armed Forces in Venezuela.

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Abstract

As AI technology continues to transform society, there is a growing need for engineers and technologists to develop interdisciplinary skills to address complex, society-wide problems. However, there is a gap in understanding how to effectively design and deliver inter-disciplinary education programs for AI-related training. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on a successful summer school program that brought together specialists from around the world to engage in deliberations on responsible AI, as part of a Summer School in Responsible AI led by Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute. Through deep dive auto-ethnographic reflections from five individuals, who were either organizers or participants, augmented with end-of-program feedback, we provide a rich description of the program's planning, activities, and impact. Specifically, our study draws from engineering education research, bridging the gap between research and practice to answer three research questions related to the program: (1) How did the program design enable a more effective understanding of interdisciplinary problem-sets? (2) How did participants experience the interdisciplinary work of the program? (3) Did the program affect participants' impact on interdisciplinary problem-sets after the program? Our findings highlight the benefits of interdisciplinary, holistic, and hands-on approaches to AI education and provide insights for fellow engineering education researchers on how to design effective programs in this field.

Mackenzie, T., & Salgado, L., & Bhaduri, S., & Kuketz, V., & Savoia, S., & Virguez, L. (2024, June), Beyond the Algorithm: Empowering AI Practitioners through Liberal Education Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46648

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