Speaker:

Professor Andrew McStay, Bangor University, UK

Title:

Hybrid Ethics 

Location:

Owheo G34 - 1:00 pm, Friday 17th May

Abstract:

The goal of this session is to consider emotional Al in relation to what McStay terms 'hybrid ethics'. This is an approach that places modern human behaviour and symbiosis with data-intensive technologies at the centre of its ethical method. Drawing on McStay's primary research into citizen perspectives of emotional Al, the session will consider the nature of creepiness, legal factors and tensions between data protection and privacy. 

Biography:

Andrew McStay is Professor of Digital Life at Bangor University, Wales, UK. He is a leading authority on multiple issues central to the digital economy: namely, privacy, advertising and the social consequences of emotional Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is evidenced by 7 field-defining books; 10 international peer-reviewed journal papers; 8 book chapters in prestigious editions; recognition as an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Research Leadership Fellow; multiple UK parliamentary written and oral submissions; 14+ invited presentations on ethics and emotional AI for different academic disciplines, the legal community, and industry in Europe and Silicon Valley; participation in a United Nations expert workshop on the right to privacy in the digital age; status as aWorking Group voting member of the governance and global policy body for technology standards (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE)); and status as a Working Group member for the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (Policy Delivery) and NGO Open Rights Group; and Board membership of Sensing-Feeling, a retail consortia exploring use of emotional AI. 

His current book, Emotional AI: The Rise of Empathic Media, examines the current and likely impact of technologies that make use of data about emotional life. The book draws on workshops and 100+ interviews with a variety of leading stakeholders connected with emotional AI (mostly from industry, but also regulators, security agencies, IT lawyers and data protection NGOs). It also encompasses national survey work exploring what 2000+ UK citizens of all ages and backgrounds think about the potential for emotion capture in technologies, devices and environments they’re already familiar with (such as voice assistants, out-of-home ads, social media, gaming and other interactive entertainment).