About
Queer in AI’s demographic survey reveals that most queer scientists in our community do not feel completely welcome in conferences and their work environments, with the main reasons being a lack of queer community and role models. Over the past years, Queer in AI has worked towards these goals, yet we have observed that the voices of marginalized queer communities - especially transgender, non-binary folks and queer BIPOC folks - have been neglected. The purpose of this workshop is to highlight issues that these communities face by featuring talks and panel discussions on the inclusion of neuro-diverse people in our communities, the intersection of queer and animal rights, as well as worker rights issues around the world.
The main topics of the workshop will revolve around:
caste in institutions and tech
Despite various protests and social movements, caste-based discrimination continues to affect the lives of Dalits, Bahujans and Adivasis in India and the Indian diaspora. To bring these experiences to light, we will provide the NeurIPS community with a brief history of caste, followed by discussions on how caste is embedded in institutions, how caste and technology co-construct each other and the intersection of these experiences with queerness. Finally, we will outline implications for making workspaces and technologies more inclusive for marginalized caste groups.
animal-centric AI
Many AI justice movements fight dehumanization, which is absolutely necessary, but also reinforces the human-animal binary and bases human dignity in not being treated like non-human animals. To discuss the harms and benefits AI systems bring to non-human animals, we are bringing together folks in AI for conservation, animal-centered design, AI for farming, and Indigenous AI. We’ll be discussing how AI can benefit conservation and farming, how to better center animals in AI design, and ways to mitigate risks that AI systems can pose to animals.
the intersections of AI, queer identity and neurodiversity
We'll explore the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergence and what more can be done to address the topic with voices that identify as neurodivergent. Neurodivergence remains a taboo topic often clouded by stereotypes and prejudice, based upon past and current stigmatization.
queer identity, labor rights, and organization
The tech sphere has long been a place of little unionization and a strong focus on workers as individuals. But more and more companies such as Google and Amazon face pressure from budding labor organization from employees. In many, marginalized people are at the forefront of this development. In this panel, we explore three interlinked questions: what is the role of queer and marginalized people in labor movements in tech, what role should labor movements play in the era of big tech companies, and what impact does AI technology have on workers, especially marginalized workers.
a critical approach to algorithmic fairness
We'll discuss how to achieve justice with the current approaches of operationalizing fairness and how to apply social theoretical principles of conceptualizing multiple axes of oppression with the goal of algorithmic fairness.
Additionally, at Queer in AI’s socials at NeurIPS 2021, we will focus on creating a safe and inclusive casual networking and socializing space for LGBTQIA+ individuals involved with AI. Together, these components will create a community space where attendees can learn and grow from connecting with each other, bonding over shared experiences, and learning from each individual’s unique insights into AI, queerness, and beyond!
