ADSA to Keep Humans in the Loop at Annual Meeting

Some of the predictions around AI are pretty gloomy these days, particularly when it comes to unleashing biased AI models upon the world to make poor decisions that hurt people, not to mention replacing human workers on the job. But at the Academic Data Science Alliance’s annual meeting scheduled for October 29 to 31, researchers and practitioners will hear about and learn various ways of keeping humanity fully immersed in AI processes–from conception and development to deployment and production.

The ADSA formally was founded by Executive Director Michela Parker in 2019 to expand data science curricula in academia. The non-profit group, which has more than 60 universities and other institutions as members, promotes data science and AI best practices through a variety of projects, leadership summits, and annual meetings.

The 2024 ADSA Annual Meeting is being hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society, and takes place at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The theme of this year’s meeting, “Data Science and AI – Keeping Humans in the Loop,” reflects the growing fears of the impacts that AI is having in our society.

Two keynote addresses will touch on the subject. The first will take place the morning of October 29 and be given by Janet Haven, the executive director of Data & Society, who has more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of technology policy, governance, and accountability at tech startups, philanthropic institutions, non-profits, and the government. As a member of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), which advises the president, Haven has a unique view into AI’s impact at the federal level.

Janet Haven, the executive director of Data & Society, will deliver a keynote at ASDA ’24

The other keynote will be delivered on October 31 by Maggie Levenstein, who is the director of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), as well as a professor in the School of Information and an adjunct professor in the University of Michigan’s business school. Levenstein works with a multitude of academic and government data programs, including the National Science Foundation’s Research Data Ecosystem, and many more.

There will also be a pair of student keynotes delivered October 30, including one titled “Strengthening AI Models for Spoofed Audio Detection: An Interdisciplinary Approach Incorporating Linguistic Knowledge” by Zahra Khanjani, University of Maryland Baltimore County; and another titled “ Considerations of Children and Adolescents in Data and Artificial Intelligence (The Kids are AI-ght?)” by Alexandra Veremeychik, Montgomery College.

In a nod to the importance of women in data science, the ADSA is working with Reboot Representation to provide registration support and travel awards for 20 women undergrads at the University of Michigan. The program–which is aimed at supporting underrepresented students, addressing financial barriers, and bringing diverse voices–is open to women who submit a proposal to present a poster at the ADSA Annual Meeting. The applicants must identify as a woman and be black, Latina, native Hawaiian/Pacific islander, native American, native Alaskan, or a mixed race that includes at least one of those races/ethnicities.

In addition to the keynotes, there will be around 30 other sessions, lightning talks, and fireside chats highlighting various aspects of AI, including data science education, the social impact of data science, and research and applications of data science. An optional day of workshop is available on October 28, giving attendees hands-on experience in areas like exploring ICPSR data, designing Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) modules, and implementing project-based data science education. And on the last day of the event, users are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes during a closing party.

Registration for ADSA is open through October 21. For more information or to register, click here.

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