Our weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes SRI Research Lead Beth Coleman, associate professor of data and cities at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and Faculty of Information. Working in the disciplines of science and technology studies, generative aesthetics, and Black poesis, her research focuses on smart technology & machine learning, urban data, and civic engagement, and generative arts.
In this talk, Coleman will explore the significance of trust in the interactions between humans and machine learning systems, including how trust influences user adoption, ethical considerations, and the societal impact of emerging technologies.
Talk title and abstract:
Coming soon.
About Beth Coleman
Beth Coleman is associate professor of data and cities at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. Working in the disciplines of science and technology studies, generative aesthetics, and Black poesis, her research focuses on smart technology & machine learning, urban data, and civic engagement, and generative arts. She is the author of Hello Avatar (MIT Press, 2011) and multiple articles, including “Race as Technology.”
Coleman is a senior visiting researcher with Google Brain and Responsible AI as well as a 2021 Google Artists and Machines Intelligence awardee. She is a founding member of the Trusted Data Sharing group, a research lead on AI policy and praxis at U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology & Society, and director of U of T’s Knowledge Media Design Institute. Her past research affiliations include the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University; Microsoft Research New England; Data & Society Institute, New York; and expert consultant for the European Commission Digital Futures. Coleman served as the founding director of U of T’s Black Research Network Institute Strategic Initiative.
Coleman’s most recent book and exhibition, Reality Was Whatever Happened: Octavia Butler AI and Other Possible Worlds, was published as a monograph by K Verlag, Berlin. She is currently working on a new monograph, AI in the World: Perils and Possibilities of a General Purpose Technology.
About the SRI Seminar Series
The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman community and beyond for a robust exchange of ideas that advance scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars are led by a leading or emerging scholar and feature extensive discussion.
Each week, a featured speaker will present for 45 minutes, followed by an open discussion. Registered attendees will be emailed a Zoom link before the event begins. The event will be recorded and posted online.
Beth Coleman