As machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to be integrated into more or more facets of society, it is vital we examine how underrepresented groups are impacted by these rapid technology developments. AI advancements in facial recognition, voice recognition, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and big data processing have benefited some groups and aspects of society, while exacerbating existing biases or discriminatory conditions. For those who participate in the digital world, we routinely grant corporations broad access to personal data in exchange for the use of a mobile app or media platform. Most users click ‘agree’ without pausing to consider the social and ethical implications of everyday technology uses.
Recent ethnographic research and our independent evaluation with YR Media (formerly Youth Radio) suggests that while young people often believe that they cannot blindly “trust” AI, many are uncertain how it operates or how much control they actually have over its influence in their lives. Supported by an NSF AISL grant, YR Media is developing youth-led digital journalism and learning resources about AI and ML. Rockman et al Cooperative’s independent evaluation has explored changes in young people’s perceptions and understandings about AI, its role in society, and its relevance in their own lives.
In this article, “In the Black Mirror: Youth Investigations Into Artificial Intelligence,” Clifford Lee, Nimah Gobir, Alex Gurn, and Elisabeth Soep (2022) critically reflect on youth meaning making through ethics-centered pedagogy exploring AI, in which young people collaborate with adults to produce media with and about AI. Research findings demonstrated the value of a learning approach that centers the cultures and experiences of learners while drawing on cultural practices and artifacts familiar to youth. By giving young people opportunities to investigate issues and stories about AI that impact them, and to publish those stories for public audiences, they acquired social analytic tools to critique and creatively express their emerging perspectives.
Read more about the research and download the full article at: https://doi.org/10.1145/3484495
Young people 14-25 years old are also invited to participate in a survey to share their opinions and perspectives on AI. Find out more at: https://tinyurl.com/AI-and-you
Lee, C. H., Gobir, N., Gurn, A., & Soep, E. (2022). In the Black Mirror: Youth Investigations Into Artificial Intelligence: In the Black MirrorYouth Investigations Into Artificial Intelligence. ACM Transactions on Computing Education. https://doi.acm.org?doi=3484495