Keynote

Dr. S. Shyam Sundar is the founder of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, a leading facility in the USA. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, an interdisciplinary consortium at Penn State University, USA dedicated to AI development with a strong emphasis on its social and ethical implications, aiming to enhance societal good and mitigate misuse.

The speech will kick off the workshop to discuss different aspects of building trust with machines, such as explainable AI, trust calibration, and specific considerations for conversational interfaces. This keynote will set a solid foundation for the upcoming breakout discussions.

Min-Sun Kim (PhD Communication) delves into diverse facets of intercultural communication, including the impact of technology on intercultural interactions. Kim’s talk will draw from her upcoming publication, “Intelligent Machines as Racialized Other,” soon to be released by Peter Lang. Presently, she holds the professor position within the School of Communication and Information at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

AI, Power, and Colonialism: Toward Authentic Encounters 

Our narratives surrounding intelligent machines, including conversational user interfaces, echo historical patterns of interaction with “other” human groups, particularly during the era of colonialism. Dominant narratives regarding AI are deeply rooted in historical and cultural contexts, often reflecting colonial discourse. These narratives often exhibit manifestations of anthropocentrism, which shares roots with ethnocentrism, as well as exoticism. In the framework of colonial memory, which is often shaped by ethnicity and gender, the emergence of machinic “Others” inevitably sparks desires to either exterminate or assimilate them. However, genuine encounters with intelligent machines would challenge the perpetuation of such “colonial” notions, dismantling the dichotomy between the human Self and the machinic Other. 

Guest Speaker

Dr. Katie Seaborn is an associate professor in the department of industrial engineering and economics at Tokyo Tech. She specializes in the multidisciplinary field of Interaction Design (IxD). Grounded in ergonomics and psychology, her research has focused on attitude and behavior change methods realized through interactive agents, interfaces, and experiences that embrace human sociality and diversity. In particular, she has explored playful design strategies, gamification, and serious games for these purposes, primarily contributing to three application fields: (1) supporting the elderly and ageing societies, (2) fostering societal well-being, and (3) promoting personal betterment.