Event Blog - LASER: Decolonizing AI

 

 

My confirmation email for the event. 

Last week, I attended the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) talk on Decolonizing AI. We got to hear from Amir Baradaran, Mashinka Hakopian, Satinder Gill, and Karamjit Gill.

As someone who is on the internet possibly too much, the conversation about AI generative art is something I see every day. One big trend I've seen a lot recently is people using AI filters on Tiktok to see themselves in another artstyle, and a lot of non-white people are being not only lightened but also having their physical features that don't fit a narrow standard of European beauty being erased.

A screenshot from Mashinka Hakopian's presentation. 

In the talk, Hakopian discussed how a lot of training data for AI generative art is primarily white and also significantly men, which means that the things it produces are trending towards that as well. When creating new art with AI, they are just creating the same kind of art that's been bought and sold by museums for decades. I find it telling that they are creating art that aligns with what is most profitable, rather than just trying to make something really new.

 

 My first comment from the event. 

The talk also discussed what it means to decolonize AI. There were two main ways this was discussed. There was the idea of creating generative AI based on training data that is diverse for generalized use, or specific to certain projects being done about communities of color. The other way was in making AI accessible to more than just the more wealthy classes. 

 

My second comment from the event.

 Overall, I found the talk very informative and the perspectives shared cool. I think critique of AI is important to make sure it is developed and used ethically. It is definitely the future and can't be stopped, but we can make sure it is as forward thinking as possible and used as a tool for good.