INTERFACE Boot Camp: Workshops in Tech Ethics (Part 1 of 2)

This is Part 1 of a double workshop that meets on two days. When you register for this event, you will automatically be registered for Part 2 on January 20th from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

Modern-day computing technology has advanced to the point that it encompasses nearly all aspects of everyday life. Furthermore, with each new computing innovation, software update, and tech product, comes a whole slew of new, complicated opportunities and issues that society needs to grapple with. These manifest in news articles about Apple’s child safety photo-scanning program, bias in machine learning, AI-based art, and so on. We at INTERFACE want to talk about it.
Discussions of tech ethics are interesting in themselves. They are also existentially crucial. In the real world, responsibility for regulating and making judgements on new technologies is widely dispersed. Government representatives often lag behind the activities in tech hubs like Silicon Valley. Committees and engineers at tech companies are put into powerful decision-making positions. Private individuals leave their mark on a collective tech-based consciousness through their activities both on and off the Internet, from making a Wikipedia post, to taking a selfie, to clicking on an ad.
INTERFACE exists to help us bridge this murky gap in understanding between technology and social impact. Our vision for this boot camp is that INTERFACE officers will give 2 presentations and run roundtable discussions on topics of our choosing, both as a model and a starting point. Afterwards, we will guide participants through researching and making a presentation of their own. At the end, we will have a mini-presentation symposium with boba!

What to expect:
Double workshop (meets twice a week for 2-hour sessions, 4 total hours of meeting time)

Meet the facilitator:
Sabrina: A senior majoring in ECE and minoring in German studies. Really interested in surveillance, sci-fi, VR, and online communities. Last minute presentation maker for INTERFACE. Hien: A junior majoring in COS and minoring in Technology & Society. Boba queen of INTERFACE. INTERFACE: A tech ethics group sponsored by the COS department that meets weekly during the school year and hosts student-run presentations and roundtable discussions. As students and as engineers, we seek to study what technology is doing, how it can be used for good and for bad, and what positive impacts we can have. Examples of the kinds of things INTERFACE has studied before include COVID contact-tracing apps, open-source intelligence in journalism, encrypted messaging and society, and AI-generated art. We are always excited to hear from new people from other disciplines about their take on tech and society!

To request accommodations for this event, please contact the workshop or event facilitator at least 3 working days prior to the event.

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