CoRL 2021 Queer in AI Socials 🤖

November 9

Queer in AI is hosting two socials at CoRL 2021. There will be an in-person lunch as well as a mixed in-person / virtual evening social with speaker which will be open to everyone. People of all identities (including allies) are invited to attend. Please see below as well as the CoRL 2021 website for further information including how to register.

Registration

Please sign up to join the lunch and / or evening social!

Lunch social

Time: 12:30 PM UTC (8:30 PM China, 5:30 PM Pakistan, 8:30 AM Punta Cana, convert to local timezone)

Location: Camino King's Cross

Details: Please join us for an in-person lunch sponsored by CoRL! We will meet up at 12:15 PM in front of the conference venue (Friends House) and go over to the restaurant together. Please don't forget to sign up using the link above.

Evening social

Time: 6:15 PM UTC (2:15 AM next day China, 11:15 PM Pakistan, 2:15 PM Punta Cana, convert to local timezone)

Location: Friends House + online (register here for Zoom and Gather.Town links)

Details: We are happy to announce that our evening social will be open to everyone! After an exciting talk (see details below) via Zoom, there will be a social in Gather.Town. There will also be a space at the conference venue for CoRL attendees to join in person. Please register using the link above to get the event links.

Speaker: Damien Patrick Williams

Title: "I’m Not Afraid of Robot Overlords — I’m Afraid of Whoever’s Training Them To Behave That Way."

Abstract: This talk discusses how robotics, algorithms, and so-called artificial intelligence are embedded within society and human lives, and the implications for the future of study and research into these fields. These implications concern both human lives and technological systems. Using multiple case studies to highlight places of tension where these technologies as they currently exist fail to account for the needs, experiences, and material conditions of multiple modes of human life, I make the case for an interdisciplinary program which foregrounds the lived experiential knowledge of marginalized people. This work entails formulating what a good implementation looks like, drawing from the perspectives of women, disabled people, neurdivergent communities, trans communities, Black people, Indigenous people, queer folx, and other marginalized identities. I argue that we must ensure that the perspectives of marginalized people are centered and heeded in Robotics, AI, and Technology in general. Putting these communities at the forefront of our conversations requires us to radically rethink founding assumptions about what AI and automation are for. This forms one part of a larger sphere of work which seeks to mitigate real material harms.

Bio: Damien Patrick Williams is a PhD candidate in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, at Virginia Tech in the United States. Damien researches how technologies such as algorithms, machine intelligence, and biotechnological interventions are impacted by the values, knowledge systems, philosophical explorations, social structures, and even religious beliefs of human beings. He is especially concerned with how the consideration and treatment of marginalized peoples will affect the creation of so-called artificially intelligent systems and other technosocial structures within human societies. More on Damien's research can be found at AFutureWorthThinkingAbout.com/?page_id=5038

Organizers

Michael Noseworthy (he/him): Michael is a PhD student at MIT. He is interested in robotic manipulation and data efficiency for self-supervised learning. When he's not in lab, you can probably find him going for a run or playing board games.

Steven Bohez (he/him): He is a Research Scientist at DeepMind working on robotics and embodied agents, and particularly interested in anything legged robots. Outside of the lab he spends his time playing video games and taking care of his indoor jungle of houseplants he collected over lockdown.

Contact Us

Please reach out to either Michael (mnosew [at] mit [dot] edu) and / or Steven (stevenbohez [at] deepmind [dot] com) with any questions or concerns.

Code of Conduct

Please read Queer in AI code of conduct which will be strictly followed in the social. Recording (screen recording or screenshots) is prohibited. All participants are expected to maintain the confidentiality of the members.

CoRL 2021 adheres to the CoRL Code of Conduct and Queer in AI adheres to Queer in AI Anti-harassment policy. Any participant who experiences harassment or hostile behavior may contact the CoRL team via corl21hotline@robot-learning.org or contact Queer in AI Safety Team. Please be assured that if you approach us, your concerns will be kept in strict confidence, and we will consult with you on any actions taken.