Conference Program
To see an overview of the schedule, open the “Program at a Glance” tab.
In addition, pre-conference programming related to “Technological Stewardship & Responsible Innovation” will take place throughout October as part of several ASSOCIATED EVENTS, which ISTAS21 attendees are welcome to attend!
All sessions are organized by track:
TRACK A Keynotes & Special Sessions SPONSOR |
TRACK B Special Sessions SPONSOR |
TRACK C Papers 1 SPONSOR |
TRACK D Papers 2 SPONSOR |
- To navigate between different days of the conference, use the horizontal tabs below. On mobile view, tabs will collapse into a single-column accordion view.
- Click on panel titles to reveal associated papers and author information.
- All times are posted in EDT/GMT-4
9am-5pm
Second International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Equity (AI4Eq)
Against Modern Indentured Servitude
AI4Eq is a separate event being held in partnership with ISTAS21. Sessions will take place on the ISTAS21 conference platform, and all ISTAS21 attendees are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The Workshop is divided into 4 sessions of panels, each focussing on AI and lived experience in respect of Modern Indentured Servitude:
9–10:30am (EDT)
Panel Session 1: AI & Senior Lived Experience
Roba Abbas, University of Wollongong
The Co-Design of Location-Based Services (LBS) for Individuals Living with Dementia: An Overview of Present and Future Modes of Operation
Jordan Miller, Arizona State University
Social Robots: The friend of the future or mechanical mistake
Todd Pittinsky, Stonybrook
Taking Care with Elder Care Robots
11am–12:30pm (EDT)
Panel Session 2: AI & Junior Lived Experience
Rys Farthing, Reset Tech
Out of the Coal Mines and into the Data Mines: Surveillance Capitalism and Children
Joseph Savirimuthu, University of Liverpool
AI in the Classroom: We Don’t Get No Education
Mina Vasalou, UCL
TBA
1:30–3:00pm (EDT)
Panel Session 3: AI & Everyone's Lived Experience
Thomas Dannhauser, Smart Start Minds
TBA
Christine Perakslis, Arizona State University
Converging Contexts leading to the Age of Allostatic Load (A-Load)
Agnieszka Rychwalska, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Shadow (profiles) in the Dark (patterns): who locked your Digital Self?
3:30–5:00pm (EDT)
Panel Session 4: AI & Community Lived Experience
Allison Gardner, University of Keele
TBA
Genevieve Lively, University of Bristol
AI Futures Literacy
Regine Paul, University of Bergen & Emma Carmel, University of Bath
Unravelling "digital common market" myths: the colonial political economy of AI governance in the European Union
This Workshop also features 2 distinguished invited speakers:
Josiah Ober, Stanford University
Human flourishing, servitude, and why they are incompatible
Katina Michael, Arizona State University
Technology’s Role in Modern Indentured Servitude in Business
For the latest information on program details, visit the AI4Eq website: https://rppc.github.io/ai4eq/
10am-11am
Conference Welcome Session
This session includes opening remarks from the heads of the hosting universities and an orientation to the conference themes and features of the conference platform.
Hosts: Rozita Dara, University of Guelph and Heather Love, University of Waterloo, ISTAS21 Conference Co-Chairs
Welcome Remarks
Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo
Charlotte Yates, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Guelph
Clint Andrews, President, IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology; Rutgers University
Joe Herkert, ETHICS-2021 Conference Program Chair; North Carolina State University
Featured Speaker
Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering, University of Waterloo
11am–12pm
KEYNOTE: Ron Deibert, "Investigating Targeted Espionage: Methods, Findings, Implications"
The Citizen Lab has been undertaking investigations into targeted espionage for well over a decade. This path-breaking research has uncovered widespread global harms and an alarming spread of authoritarian practices across borders connected to a burgeoning and widely abused commercial surveillance industry. In his keynote, Deibert explains the methods, findings and implications of the Citizen Lab's research for human rights and global security.Ron Deibert is Director of Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Moderator: N. Asokan, Director, Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, University of Waterloo
Meal Break/Networking Time
Student Networking Session | 12–12:30
Led by Seda Gürses, Associate Professor at the Department of Multi-Actor Systems, TU Delft
Area of expertise: Privacy engineering
1–2:30pm
Special Session: Critical By Design: Fostering Responsible Innovation with Critical Design Methods
Design theorist Matt Malpas suggests that critical design is “less about problem solving and more about problem finding.” Rather than offering solutions or efficiencies, critical designers develop projects that provide time and space to reflect on specific issues, most often problems related to technological progress. This creative practice can be integrated into the design workflow as a way of exploring and mitigating the potential social and environmental impacts of technological innovations. In this 90-minute workshop, participants will be introduced to critical design methods and apply them in small group projects to create speculative scenarios and objects-to-think-with that promote reflection on key topics in responsible innovation. The workshop will provide participants with skills that can be applied in their own research, design and innovation contexts.Presenters:
Marcel O'Gorman, Professor of English, Founding Director of the Critical Media Lab, Research Chair, University of Waterloo
Jason Lajoie, ISTAS21 Organizing Chair, University of Waterloo
Special Session: Guiding Responsible Neurotechnology Innovation
This session will feature representatives from the engineering, neuroethics, and end user communities of neurotechnologies who are contributing to different working groups of the IEEE Neuroethics Framework. The session aims to foster an interdisciplinary conversation with the audience on key ethical, legal, social and cultural issues around the use and development of neurotechnology for different domains of application. In the first part of the workshop, each panelist will present a quick overview of the main ethical, legal, social and cultural themes we have identified for different neurotechnology domains of application. The second part of the workshop will provide a moderated-discussion among the panelists to address three main questions: How do the identified issues overlap, or are they unique to a given domain of application? How might this IEEE neuroethics framework differ from other neuroethics frameworks which have been more oriented to neuroscientists? How can the engineering community improve stewardship and responsible innovation regarding neurotechnologies? The session will conclude with an open discussion with the audience to address questions and to engage with comments and suggestions.Facilitator:
Laura Y. Cabrera, Chair IEEE BRAIN Neuroethics Subcommittee
Presenters:
Jen French, Neurotech Network, user perspective of our work, and contributor to the Medical Working group.
Jack Judy, Director Nanoscience Institute for Medical & Engineering Technology, Tech Lead of several Working Groups, University of Florida
Peter Reiner, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, co-founder of the National Core for Neuroethics, Ethics lead Wellness Working group, University of British Columbia
Nicole Martinez-Martin, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Biomedical Ethics, Ethics Lead Legal Working Groups and other groups, Standford University
ETHICS-2021 Papers (1): Frameworks for Technology, Ethics, and CSR
Moderator:
Jason Borenstein, Georgia Institute of Technology
Steven Kelts
Princeton University Center for Human Values
Market Value(s): Is there room for social responsibility in the profitable tech company?
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Justin Hess, Brent Jesiek, Andrew Whitehead, Purdue University, Andrew Katz, Virginia Tech
and Donna Riley,Purdue University
Intersections between Ethics and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Engineering
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
John Coburn
University of Utah
Lessons learned from DuPont’s Role in PFOA Exposure
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Theodore Lechterman, University of Oxford, Ryan Jenkins, California Polytechnic University,
and Bradley Strawser, Naval Postgraduate School
#StopHateForProfit and the Ethics of Boycotting by Corporations
ISTAS21 Papers (1): Ensuring Privacy and Cybersecurity
Moderator:
Melanie McCaig, University of Guelph
Nastaran Bateni and Rozita Dara
University of Guelph
Automated Generation of Privacy Policy Using Deep Models
PRIVACY & SECURITY
Ashmita Rajkumar
Vanderbilt University
Assessing the Likelihood of a Phishing Attack Based on User Demographics
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGING TECH
Richard Wilson, Towson University, and Ion Iftimie, George Washington University
Virtual Assistants and Privacy: An Anticipatory Ethical Analysis
3–4:30pm
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Corporate Social Responsibility and Engineering Education
Corporate social responsibility has a chameleon-like character. It exists as part of a larger ecology of related concepts: sustainability, corporate citizenship, business accountability, social performance, sustainable development, creating shared value, and ESG (environmental, social and governance). Its definition shifts by industry, geographic context, and company invoking the term. Some academics dismiss CSR as greenwash, while others uncritically treat it as a silver bullet for reconciling ethics and economics, morality and the market. This roundtable session highlights current research and practice on training engineers to navigate CSR as a heterogeneous and ethically complex field of practice. The roundtable will feature brief presentations on each topic and then be opened to discussion. Topics range from findings from a five-year research project that infused ethnographic research on CSR into engineering curricula at four different universities, to theories of “relational CSR,” to assessments of the professional prospects for “engineers for good” in the corporate job market.Moderator:
Jessica Smith, Colorado School of Mines
Presenters:
Qin Zhu and Jessica M. Smith, "Relational CSR as an engaged communal approach to engineering ethics"
Stephanie Claussen, "Teaching opportunities for CSR in electrical engineering"
Larkin Martini, "A comparison of professor and student experiences of CSR teaching"
Carrie McClelland and Linda Battalora, "Stories from the Classroom: a Retrospective on integrating CSR into Petroleum Engineering Courses"
Jessica Smith, Greg Rulifson, and Stephanie Claussen, "Ethical pessimism and student views of engineers’ agency in corporations"
Marie Stettler Kleine, Rachel Geiger, Scott West, and Juan Lucena, "Engineering for good in/and the corporate job market"
Special Session: Designing Online/Offline Experiences with Children in Mind
Children need space to grow up, learn, evolve in a manner that allows them to develop through their stages of evolving capacities in a trustworthy environment. The exposure of children in cyberspace opens a wide spectrum of opportunities and risks. Educational apps, social networks, and connected toys open up possibilities to enhance inclusion, learning opportunities, and new experiences for children, but they also create serious risks relating to privacy, safety, security, and ultimately the mental and physical wellbeing of children. How can we design an online/offline environment that is made for children and keeps their best interests in mind?Organizer and Moderator:
Moira Patterson, Global Market Affairs & Community Engagement Director, IEEE Standards Association
Presenters:
Nishan Chelvachandran, Iron Lakes, Chair of IEEE IC Trustworthy Technology Implementations for Children's Online/Offline Experiences
Prof. Katina Michael, Arizona State University, Chair of IEEE P2089 Working Group on Age Appropriate Digital Services Framework
We will also conduct an active design exercise ("live class") around the P2089 draft standard on age appropriate digital services frameworks.
ISTAS21 Papers (2): Developing Trust and Affording Dignity in AI Systems
Moderator:
ANK Zaman, Conestoga College
Dylan Wittkower, Old Dominion University, Stephanie Blackmon, College of William & Mary
Krzysztof Rechowicz, Old Dominion University, and Hanna Herdegen, Virginia Tech
Developing IoT Systems and Devices for Trust by Users with Disabilities
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGING TECH
Monica Tsang
University of Waterloo
Building Trust for Data Sourcing with the Disabled Community to Build Robust AI Systems
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGING TECH
Sabrina Knappe
McGill University
Dignity or Degradation: The Risks and Realities of Carebots in Quebec
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Kiana Mokrian and Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech
University of Windsor
Ethical Decision-Making Responsibility in Canadian Autonomous Vehicle Policies
ISTAS21 Papers (3): Implications of Intelligent Health Systems
Moderator:
Jennifer Boger, University of Waterloo
Emma Delemere and Rebecca Maguire
Maynooth University
Technology usage, eHealth literacy and attitude towards Connected Health in caregivers of paediatric cancer
HEALTH SYSTEMS
Jordan Schoenherr
Carleton University
Trust, Responsibility, and Autonomy in A/IS-Mediated Health Information Seeking Behaviour
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGING TECH
Joseph O'Neill, College of Charleston, Jenario Johnson, Rutledge Detyens, The Citadel
Roberto Batista, Sorinel Oprisan, College of Charleston, Prosenjit Chatterjee, The Citadel, Jordan Gilmore, Clemson University, and Ryan Integlia The Citadel
Ethical Implications of Brain-Computer Interfaces with Emotion, Motor Imagery, and Subvocal Speech Classification
HEALTH SYSTEMS
Lauryn Remmers and Katina Michael
Arizona State University
Deep Brain Stimulation: At Your Own Risk
5–6pm
ETHICS-2021 KEYNOTE: Will Griffin, "Top of Mind Ethics (TOME)"
Top of Mind Ethics is a heuristic that helps engineers, designers, product managers — anyone involved in the solution process—integrate ethics into their workflows.Will Griffin is Chief Ethics Officer at Hypergiant and recipient of the 2020 IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices
Moderator: Greg Adamson, ETHICS-2021 Conference Chair, SSIT Technical Committees Chair, University of Melbourne
6–7:30pm Networking Time
9:15–10:45am
Special Session: Universal Access to Technology
Universal digital access to technology can be as seemingly straightforward as providing electricity access to a remote location or as overwhelmingly complicated as developing a healthcare system that provides immediate and secure access to medical experts, insurance companies, and all of their accompanying infrastructure. This session, featuring members of the SSIT Technical Committee on Universal Access to Technology, discusses how scholars, researchers, practitioners, and educators can actively reduce this digital divide which separates communities and individuals on the basis of ethnicity, religious conviction, sexuality, gender identity, income, age and in many other ways. Drawing on their professional experiences, panelists will discuss strategies for placing humanitarian concerns at the centre of all we do as we strive towards universal digital access; they will demonstrate how to carefully and ethically balance social, cultural and technological dimensions of society to the benefit of all people, particularly those living in rural and underserved areas; and they will elaborate on the role of education, encouragement, and empowerment in the pursuit of these goals.
Organizer/Moderators:
Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, Chair, SSIT TC Universal Access to Technology; Member, SSIT BoG, University of Kansas, USA
Ramalatha Marimuthu, Secretary, CS and Member of CS BoG, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, India
Presenters:
Prof Iven Mareels, FIEEE, FTSE, FIFAC, FIEAust Director of the Center for Applied Research, IBM A/NZ
Larry Stapleton, Coordinating Committee (CC9) Chair for Social Effects of Automation and Control Systems International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)
Ramneek Kalra, IEEE Impact Creator, Cloud Support Associate at Amazon Web Services Inc., Lead, SLP Initiative at IEEE Computer Society SYP
Shally Gupta, IEEE Member, IEEE Impact Creator, IEEE SSIT TC UAT Member, Research Scholar, NSUT East Campus, Delhi-34, India
Huazhen Fang, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas
Tembine Hamidou, Learning & Game Theory Lab, Paris, France
Special Session: Life Science and its Implications for Society—(In addition to COVID-19)
This multidisciplinary panel of experts in medicine considers the applications and impacts of technological innovations like Artificial Intelligence, automation, and the Internet of Things, focusing especially on addressing global health challenges, particularly for the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, including in developing nations and underserved populations. Panelists will discuss the opportunities and challenges of telemedicine, cybercare, homecare, treating noncommunicable diseases and preventing communicable diseases, as well as the development of reliable policy and standards for privacy and security of digital innovations.Presenters:
Luis Kun, IEEE Society of Social Implications of Technology, Chair/Moderator
Sameer Antani, IEEE Computer Society
Carole Carey, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society/Standards
Nahum Gershon, IEEE LSTC/Consumer Technology Society
Mohamad Sawan, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, VP Publications
ETHICS-2021 Papers (2): Ethics and Technology
Moderator:
Yvette Pearson, Old Dominion University
Azalea Yunus and Stacy Doore
Colby College
Responsible use of agile robots in public spaces
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Shalaleh Rismani and Ajung Moon
McGill University
How do AI systems fail socially?: an engineering risk analysis approach
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Paul Siemers and Greg Adamson
University of Melbourne
Ontological Foundations of the Ethics of Technology
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Alexis Fabricius
University of Guelph
Privacy is a feminist issue: Reconsidering data sharing in menstrual self-tracking apps
ISTAS21 Papers (4): Mitigating bias and improving fairness in emerging technologies
Moderator:
Jin Sol Kim, University of Waterloo
Sandra Woolley, Keele University
Tim Collins, Manchester Metropolitan University
Peter Andras, Keele University
Allison Gardner, Keele University
Marco Ortolani, Keele University
Jeremy Pitt, Imperial College of London
Compounding Barriers to Fairness in the Digital Technology Ecosystem
OTHER
Emilly F. F. Lima and Rui de Moraes Júnior
University of Brasilia
Algorithmic Racism: Racial Perception and Socioeconomic Dimensions in Digital Image Banks
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Lia Chin-Purcell, University of California Berkeley
America Chambers, University of Puget Sound
Investigating Accuracy Disparities for Gender Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
11am–12pm
KEYNOTE: Shannon Vallor, "The Digital Basanos: AI and the Virtue and Violence of Truth-Telling"
In ancient Greece, the basanos or touchstone had multiple meanings: a literal stone that tests the authenticity of gold by revealing its characteristic mark upon striking it, or metaphorically, a moral test of the authenticity of a life or a ruler. It also referred to a method of extracting truthful testimony by means of torture; specifically, of non-Greek slaves. The basanos thus embodies the interweaving of truth-telling with virtue, violence, and power in Western moral, political, and technical thought. In this talk I explore how contemporary uses of AI and data science have retraced and reconstituted the basanos in myriad ways, while also revealing a critical opportunity for the invention of new, more just and more sustainable means of truth-telling.Shannon Vallor is Professor of Philosophy and Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh
Moderator: Sheila Ager, Dean of Arts, University of Waterloo
Meal Break/Networking Time
Student Networking Session | 12:30–1pm
Led by Shannon Vallor, Professor of Philosophy and Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh
Areas of expertise: Philosophy and ethics of emerging science and technologies
1–2:30pm
Special Session: Technology, Equity, and Social Justice Roundtable
This roundtable discussion, sponsored by a SSHRC Connection Grant, brings together four international faculty members from a range of academic and industry backgrounds in engineering and social sciences to discuss how they engage with equity and social justice issues in their work, focusing specifically on methodology and how students and young professionals can approach these issues. Ansari will describe his current efforts to decolonize design research in the university community, in particular through the _Decolonising Design_ platform. Gürses will discuss her ongoing work in the field of Privacy Engineering, which focuses on designing, implementing, adapting, and evaluating theories, methods, techniques, and tools to systematically capture and address privacy issues in the development of sociotechnical systems. Hoffman will focus on a novel and timely intervention into Data Ethics: Feminist Data Ethics, which engages with the ethical implications of data’s production, circulation, application, and storage. Sloane will highlight the critical importance of responsible AI design and governance, interdisciplinary opportunities for researchers to develop and implement tools to engage with responsible innovation, innovation in AI procurement, and AI auditing.Organizers:
Heather Love, ISTAS21 Co-Chair, Assistant Professor, English Language and Literature, University of Waterloo
Jason Lajoie, ISTAS21 Organizing Chair, University of Waterloo
Moderator:
Mark A. Vasquez, Senior Program Manager, IEEE TechEthics
Presenters:
Ahmed Ansari, Industry Assistant Professor, Founder of Decolonizing Design Collective and Architecture Design Research Lab, New York University
Anna Lauren Hoffman, Assistant Professor at Information School, University of Washington
Seda Gürses, Associate Professor at the Department of Multi-Actor Systems, TU Delft
Mona Sloane, Adjunct Professor, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University
Special Session: CARE AI Special Session on AI Ethics [3-hour session]
This special session organized by the Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI) consists of two 90-minute parts, focusing on two groups at the frontline of AI Ethics: students and startup founders. Part 1 is a student-led AI Ethics paper presentation and critique: two students from the Philosophy program will present original work, “Analyzing Distrust in Human Interactions with AI,” and “Enactivism and Modelling Human Behaviour in AI,” (20 min); each presentation will be followed by a prepared critique from a student in the Collaborative Specialization in AI (10 min) and a 15 minute general discussion with the audience. Part 2 is an AI Ethics startup showcase: 5 Canadian startup companies (whose products or services either present an AI Ethics dilemma or propose a solution) will present 5-minute pitches, which will each be followed by 5 minutes of expert commentary and 5 minutes of open discussion.Moderators:
Graham Taylor, Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning and Professor, School of Engineering, University of Guelph
Joshua August (Gus) Skorburg, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
Presenters:
Clair Baleshta, MA Student, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
Dylan White, PhD student, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
CSAI Critique:
Glen Reavie, MA Graduate, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Guelph
Alysha Cooper , PhD Student, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Guelph
Canadian Start-Ups:
Fairly AI keeps AI responsible and regulated. For organizations that have prioritized AI projects to create business value, Fairly is a tool that runs enterprise-scale, governance, risk, and compliance protocols. alongside your internal systems, at the model risk management level, making explainable AI possible for all stakeholders.
Future Fertility, an innovative Medical AI company focusing on reproductive medicine based in Toronto, Canada, is applying machine learning inside the IVF lab to improve diagnostics and optimize outcomes. Using its patented Artificial Intelligence machine, 'Violet', they are able to instantaneously analyze the quality of an egg based on a single image, a diagnostic and predictive tool that is essential for both women undergoing social egg freezing and IVF. With their proprietary image analysis technology, Future Fertility will evolve the IVF process from relying on human subjectiveness into an automated, objective and accurate procedure.
Pluto Ventures has developed an AI software that analyzes 2D pictures of a person’s body, generating precise and anatomically correct measurements of it. Pluto assists customers in the health, insurance and apparel industries to understand detailed anatomical information about their consumers, in order to personalize their products and offerings.
Private AI has developed software that uses AI to strip personal data from chat transcripts, call logs, emails, and email institutions. The venture allows businesses to preserve the personal data of users and therefore become GDPR compliant. Private AI’s anonymization suite is designed to run directly on the customer’s device as opposed to alternative solutions that require data to be sent to the cloud.
Acrylic is an art-tech start-up on a mission to build the fine art creation tools of the future and make art accessible through technology. We leverage robotics, computer vision and machine learning to enable visual artists to produce authenticated, textured artwork made with real paint on canvas — at scale.
ISTAS21 Papers (5): Automation and Modernization of Labour at the Margins
Moderator:
Ketra Schmitt, Concordia University
Sarah Collins, University of Western Australia
Ionat Zurr, University of Western Australia, Oron Catts, SymbioticA, and Elizabeth Stephens, University of Queensland
Neutralising Nature: Automation, Agricultural Technologies, and the Morality of Improvement
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Pablo Brescia, University of South Florida
Art and Technology at the Border: Anxiety of Progress and the Ethics of Connection
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Soraya Cardenas, Cascadia College
Unpacking Amazon through Meatpacking, Adam Smith, and Digital Colonialism
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Elke Brucker-Kley, Thomas Keller and Romina Stumpp, Zurich University of Applied Science
Experiencing Smart Farming: Effects of an Interactive Future Scenario
ISTAS21 Papers (6): Securing Cyberspace in the Age of Information Warfare
Moderator:
Carter Neal, University of Waterloo
Greg Adamson,
University of Melbourne
Cybersecurity as the protection of cyberspace
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
YuLin Bingle and Donna Schaeffer
Marymount University
Should the private sector conduct "hack back" operations against cyberattackers? An ethical dilemma: cyber self-defense or cyber vigilante?
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Richard Wilson, Towson University, and Michael Shifflett, United States Government
Twitter, Media Ecology, Information Warfare: Ethical and Anticipated ethical issues
OTHER
Keith McNamara Jr., Imani Sherman, Fatemeh Tavassoli,
Jean Louis and Juan Gilbert
University of Florida
On Media and Disinformation: Examining Viewer Judgment of Political Video Authenticity
3–4:30pm
Special Session: Artificial Intelligence (AI) For Literacy—A Cross-Disciplinary Exploration
Moderator:
Jason Lajoie, University of Waterloo
Facilitator:
..., ...
Presenters:
Kem-Laurin Lubin, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Waterloo
Joseph Shea-Carter, Ph.D. Student, Literary Studies, School of English and Theatre Studies, University of Guelph
Kathryn Harvey, Archivist, Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library; Senior Associate Editor, Archivaria
Asen O. Ivanov, Michael Ridley Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities, University of Guelph
Special Session: CARE AI Special Session on AI Ethics [Continued]
This special session organized by the Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI) consists of two 90-minute parts, focusing on two groups at the frontline of AI Ethics: students and startup founders. Part 1 is a student-led AI Ethics paper presentation and critique: two students from the Philosophy program will present original work, “Analyzing Distrust in Human Interactions with AI,” and “Enactivism and Modelling Human Behaviour in AI,” (20 min); each presentation will be followed by a prepared critique from a student in the Collaborative Specialization in AI (10 min) and a 15 minute general discussion with the audience. Part 2 is an AI Ethics startup showcase: 6 Canadian startup companies (whose products or services either present an AI Ethics dilemma or propose a solution) will present 5-minute pitches, which will each be followed by 5 minutes of expert commentary and 5 minutes of open discussion.Moderators:
Graham Taylor, Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning and Professor, School of Engineering, University of Guelph
Joshua August (Gus) Skorburg, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
Presenters:
Clair Baleshta, MA Student, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
Dylan White, PhD student, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
ETHICS-2021 Papers (3): Engineering Ethics, Responsibility, and Industry
Moderator:
Mary Jane Parmentier, Arizona State University
Cindy Rottmann, Emily Moore, Andrea Chan and Dimpho Radebe
Troost ILead, ISTEP, University of Toronto
Who can I turn to? Engineers Navigating Ethical Dilemmas at Work
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Jonathan Beever, Stephen Kuebler, Laurie A. Pinker and Lakelyn Taylor
University of Central Florida
Paula Mann, Western Colorado University
Faculty Perspectives on Frameworks of Responsibility in their Disciplines
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Raquel Diaz-Sprague and Alan Sprague
Towards an Ethics in Action: App Design Challenge as a Tool in STEM Ethics Education
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Jenifer Blacklock,University of Colorado - Boulder
Michael Vieregge, Western Colorado University
Jennifer DeBoer, Western Colorado University
Holly Brunkal, Western Colorado University
Creating and Integrating an Ethics Bootcamp for Engineering and Business Students
ISTAS21 Papers (7): Anticipating and Coordinating Emerging Cybersecurity Threats
Moderator:
Adam Molnar, University of Waterloo
Donna Schaeffer, Marymount University and Patrick Olson, National University
Cybersecurity Issues in Citizen Science
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Yuan Stevens and Stephanie Tran, Ryerson Leadership Lab and Ryan Atkinson, University of Western Ontario
See Something, Say Something? Coordinating the Disclosure of Security Vulnerabilities in Canada's Infrastructure
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
David Kolevski, University of Wollongong
Katina Michael, Arizona State University
Roba Abbas, University of Wollongong
Mark Freeman, University of Wollongong
Cloud Computing Data Breaches: A Review of U.S. Regulation and Data Breach Notification Literature
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Richard Wilson, Towson University
Ion Iftimie, George Washington University
Emerging Ransomeware Threats: An Anticipatory Ethical Anaylsis
5–6pm
KEYNOTE: Safiya Noble, "TBD"
Safiya Noble is the author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism and is frequently cited by news outlets such as the BBC and CNN for her expertise in algorithmic discrimination and technology bias.
Moderators: Lai-Tze Fan and Kem-Laurin Lubin, University of Waterloo
6–7:30pm Networking Time
Student Networking Session | 7-7:30pm
Led by Anna Lauren Hoffmann, University of Washington
Areas of expertise: Big data, surveillance, research ethics
9:15–10:45am
Special Session: One Health Informatics and the Stewardship of Complex Systems
This session explores how Complex Adaptive Systems provide a framework for analyzing important social, biological, and environmental systems in One Health. Anthropogenic disturbances, many of which are technological, pose a threat to key ecological and sociological processes. They lead us to consider questions such as: Is artificial intelligence a saviour or a demon? What are the political, ethical, and scientific implications for One Health? How might the Global Burden of Disease (human), the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) and other Global Burdens constitute a broader “One Health Burdens of Disease” and provide an evidence-base for One Health decisions? It will be necessary to address different data challenges in the developed and developing worlds, many of which are ethical and political, not just technical. Panelists will discuss the GBADs approach to data sharing, including how FAIR-principled metadata can be used to create trustworthy data systems and how the Data Governance Handbook provides important guidance for communicating data sharing principles to data contributors and users. Each panelist will provide a 5-10 minute “primer” talk which will introduce and link the key themes. This will be followed by a moderated panel discussion with opportunities for the audience to pose questions.Co-Moderators:
Rozita Dara, University of Guelph and Samira Yousefinaghani, University of Guelph
Presenters:
Graham Taylor, Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning and Professor, School of Engineering, Canada CIFAR AI Chair, Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, University of Guelph
Theresa Bernardo, IDEXX Chair in Emerging Technology and Preventive Healthcare and Professor, Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, Co-lead Global Burden of Animal Diseases Informatics Theme, University of Guelph
Deborah Stacey, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science, Co-lead Global Burden of Animal Diseases Informatics Theme, University of Guelph
Kassy Raymond, PhD Student (Computational Sciences Collaborative Specialization in One Health), School of Computer Science, Technical Manager Global Burden of Animal Diseases Informatics Theme, University of Guelph
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 The Role of Ethics Officers and Organizational Ethics Programs
Featuring four current or former Ethics Officers of international corporations or organizations, this panel will focus on the strengths and areas for improvement of organizational ethics programs.Moderator:
Greg Adamson, ETHICS-2021 General Chair
Presenters:
Edward C. Carr, Head of Compliance with Siemens Digital Industries Software, a Siemens AG business
Anne R. Harris, Owner and Principal of Ethics Works LLC
Chitra Barth-Radhakishun, expert in ethics with over 30 years of experience in the United Nations system
Gretchen A. Winter, Executive Director of the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society
ISTAS21 Papers (8): Sustainable Data-Driven Governance
Moderator:
Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech, University of Windsor
Zeynab Yousefzadeh and Shannon Lloyd, Concordia University
Prospective Life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for environmentally responsible innovation
AI & AUTOMATION
Faisal Shennib and Ketra Schmitt, Concordia University
Data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence in circular economy systems
PRIVACY & SECURITY
Adesola Anidu and Rozita Dara, University of Guelph
A Review of Data Governance Challenges in Smart Farming and Potential Solutions
ISTAS21 Papers (9): Designing Engineering Ethics Education
Moderator:
Jordan Schoenherr, Concordia University
Scott Campbell, University of Waterloo
From Historical Thinking to Critical Thinking about Technology
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Richard Wilson, Towson University
Anticipatory Engineering Ethics
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Jordan Schoenherr, Carleton University and Jeanine DeFalco, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Soldier Center
Ethically Aligned Design through Education: A Cross-Cultural Framework
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Conor Truax, Alexi Orchard and Heather Love, University of Waterloo
The Influence of Curriculum and Internship Culture on Developing Ethical Technologists: A Case Study of the University of Waterloo
11am–12pm
KEYNOTE: Adam Greenfield, "At the End of the World, Plant a Tree"
If the hellish events of 2020-2021 have left you feeling like the first stirrings of apocalypse are at long last come upon us, you clearly aren't alone. But just what do we do with ourselves, here at the end of all things? What happens to us — psychically, emotionally, socially, politically — when we accept and internalize that events capable of ending human civilization as we've known it have already taken place, and that all we're doing now is waiting for them to unfold in their fullest consequence?We'll be touring some of the most common responses to this understanding — including the turn toward reactionary blood-and-soil nativism, the false comfort of left accelerationism, and the newly hegemonic rhetoric of "resilience" — before exploring what qualities might actually serve us best, as individuals and collectivities, as the epoch on which we've predicated our entire sense of being draws to its inevitable close.
By developing the notion that there are capacities to which we have permanent recourse, no matter what else happens, this conversation will hopefully leave you feeling able to face the gathering darkness with grace and equanimity. And, hey, if the apocalypse fails to arrive on time, at least you'll have a bunch of clever new things to say at parties.
Adam Greenfield is an American writer and urbanist living in London, UK since 2013.
Moderator: Marcel O’Gorman, Director, Critical Media Lab, University of Waterloo
Meal Break/Networking Time
1–2:30pm
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Author Meets the Critics—Extracting Accountability: Engineers and Corporate Social Responsibility by Jessica Smith
The growing movement toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) urges corporations to promote the well-being of people and the planet rather than the sole pursuit of profit. Extracting Accountability investigates how the public accountability of corporations emerges from the everyday practices of the engineers who work for them. Focusing on engineers who view social responsibility as central to their profession, Smith finds that the corporate context of their work prompts them to attempt to reconcile competing domains of accountability — to formal guidelines, standards, and policies; to professional ideals; to the public; and to themselves. Their efforts are complicated by the distributed agency they experience as corporate actors —they are not always authors of their actions and frequently act through others. Drawing on extensive interviews, archival research, and fieldwork, Smith traces the ways that engineers practicing in the mining and oil and gas industries accounted for their actions to multiple publics— from critics of their industry to their own friends and families.Presenter:
Jessica Smith, Associate Professor, Engineering, Design, and Society Division; Director, Humanitarian Engineering Graduate Programs, Colorado School of Mines
Critics:
Sean Field, University of St. Andrews
Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder
Elaine Englehardt, Utah Valley University
Moderator:
John Impagliazzo, Hofstra University
Special Session: Water and Cities: Get in the Game! [3-hour session]
Flooding is the most frequent and costly disaster threatening the sustainability of cities in Canada and also around the globe. Technical approaches alone are not effective in addressing the problem because flooding issues require discussions and agreements among stakeholders. This workshop will begin with a “5×5” speaker session: five presenters speak for five minutes each offering a different viewpoint on the topic “Water in our Cities”; together, they cover the following perspectives: public, private, global, academic, and artistic. Attendees will then participate in the online Flood Resilience Challenge, an interactive “serious game.” Serious gaming is an approach to learning about complex socio-environmental problems that creates safe spaces for stakeholders to interact and explore innovative ideas for addressing these problems and imagine unknown futures. The game involves role-playing, which offers an effective means of gaining insight into different perspectives, developing communication and conflict resolution skills, and facilitating collective decision-making.Moderator:
Nadine Ibrahim, University of Waterloo
5x5 Panel
Public sector: Erin Mahoney, Commissioner of Environmental Services, York Region; Engineer-in-Residence, University of Waterloo
Entrepreneurship: Vinay Patel, Founder, Phosphosens
Academic: Clinton Andrews, Rutgers University
Visual expression: Mariko Uda, Independent Eco Author
Global: Sherif Kinawy, Infrastructure Advisory
Flood Resilience Challenge Game
Evalyna Bogdan, University of Calgary
Sina Golchi, University of Waterloo
AC Atienza, Game Designer & Graphic Designer
Shaieree Cottar, University of Waterloo
Chaz Garraway, Engineer
Ajar Sharma, University of Waterloo
Ashley Roszko, Consultant
Gloria Michalchuk, Consultant
Attendees are invited to CLICK HERE to sign up ahead of time for the role they would like to play in the game!
ISTAS21 Papers (10): Coordinating Resources to Build Sustainable Communities
Moderator:
Donna Schaeffer, Marymount University
Nic Durish, University of Guelph
Rekkab Gill, University of Guelph
Patrick Houlding, University of Guelph
Charlie Flowers, Rigolet Community Research Lead
Inez Shiwak, Rigolet Community Research Lead
Rigolet Inuit Community Government
Jason Ernst, Rapid Robotics, Inc.
Daniel Gillis, University of Guelph
Co-designing a Community-led Internet Assessment Tool in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada
OTHER
Justin Colyar, Katina Michael, Ross Maciejewski and Luke Tate, Arizona State University
Constructing a Visualization Dashboard to Improve Educational Standards in Arizona Legislative Districts
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Cristina Dreifuss-Serrano, Universidad de Lima
José Antonio Cepero-Saravia, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
Addressing resources to minimize COVID-19 impact in vulnerable neighborhoods using geo referencing
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Juan Sebastian Rubiano Chona, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Entrepreneurship with a Design for Social Justice Mindset: A Case for Hello Tractor
ISTAS21 Papers (11): Growing Ethical Engineering Education
Moderator:
Lucas da Silva Maciel
Stephen Rea, Qin Zhu, Dean Niesuma, Kylee Shiekh and Tom Williams, Colorado School of Mines
Cultivating Ethical Engineers in the Age of AI and Robotics: An Educational Cultures Perspective
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Susan LeFrancois, Florida Polytechnic University
Kingsley Reeves, University of South Florida
Grisselle Centeno, Florida Polytechnic University
Ethics Training: Cultivating an Ethical Engineer Identity
There is limited research regarding the impact of current engineering ethics programs on the development of engineers. Most of the literature on this topic does not discuss ethics insofar as it functions as a part of how engineers regard their identity as engineers. Realizing that both academia and industry play an important role in the professional formation of engineers, we are developing an approach that merges engineering ethics training in an academic setting with internships in an industrial setting.
OTHER
Jason Lajoie, Jin Sol Kim and Heather Love, University of Waterloo
The Importance of Grant Funding for Growing Engagement in Ethical Engineering Education
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Jia Seow, Erick Ramirez, Jocelyn Tan, Cynthia Thomas and Brett Ashton
Sisu VR
A Proposal to Combat Unconscious Bias Using VR
3–4:30pm
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Ethical and Responsible Research Program (ER2) at the US National Science Foundation
The session will have 5 presentations. The first will introduce the ER2’s goals and funding priorities. The second presentation will introduce the Online Ethics Center originally funded by NSF to support training and research of ethics in STEM. The presentation will focus on its new initiative for building communities of practice that support social responsibility through ethical research. The final three presentations will be from Principal Investigators who received funding from the ER2 program that addresses engineering and social responsibility. The project by Centeno and Reeves seeks to create a novel pedagogical approach that merges engineering ethics training in an academic setting with engineering internships in an industry setting to: 1) promote the development of strong ethical sensitivity and reasoning skills within students (i.e. ethical competence), and 2) promote the establishment of ethical competence as a core competence associated with the engineer identity. The fourth presentation by Jesiek, Claussen and Zoltowski will give an overview of a longitudinal study investigating how engineering professionals’ views of ethics and social responsibility evolve over time, from when they first begin their engineering studies to when they graduate and enter the workforce. The project by Qin and Scott approaches social responsibility from a global and (cross-)cultural perspective by examining how national cultures and educational experiences affect the ways in which engineering students from three countries (the United States, Netherlands, and China) make sense of their social responsibilities and develop their professional ethical identities.Introduction:
Katherine Duncan, President IEEE-USA
Moderator:
Wenda Bauchspies, NSF Program Director for Ethical and Responsible Research
Presenters:
Wenda Bauchspies, NSF Program Director for Ethical and Responsible Research, “The Ethics and Responsible Research Program at NSF: Future Directions”
Julie Simpson, University of New Hampshire, “OEC’s Community of Practice for Scholars, Educators and Administrators Fostering Research Integrity”
Grisselle Centeno, Florida Polytechnic University and Kingsley A. Reeves, Jr., University of South Florida, “Collaborative Research: Enhancing Internships with Professional Ethics Training: Cultivating an Ethical Engineer Identity”
Brent Jesiek, Purdue University, Stephanie Claussen, San Francisco State University, and Carla Zoltowski, Purdue University, “Collaborative Research: Early Career Engineers’ Views of Ethics and Social Responsibility: Trends, Influences, and Contexts”
Qin Zhu, Colorado School of Mines and Scott Streiner, University of Pittsburgh, "Collaborative Research: Responsible Engineering across Cultures: Investigating the Effects of Culture and Education on Ethical Reasoning and Dispositions of Engineering Students"
Special Session: Water and Cities: Get in the Game! [Continued]
Flooding is the most frequent and costly disaster threatening the sustainability of cities in Canada and also around the globe. Technical approaches alone are not effective in addressing the problem because flooding issues require discussions and agreements among stakeholders. This workshop will begin with a “5×5” speaker session: five presenters speak for five minutes each offering a different viewpoint on the topic “Water in our Cities”; together, they cover the following perspectives: public, private, global, academic, and artistic. Attendees will then participate in the online Flood Resilience Challenge, an interactive “serious game.” Serious gaming is an approach to learning about complex socio-environmental problems that creates safe spaces for stakeholders to interact and explore innovative ideas for addressing these problems and imagine unknown futures. The game involves role-playing, which offers an effective means of gaining insight into different perspectives, developing communication and conflict resolution skills, and facilitating collective decision-making.Moderator:
Nadine Ibrahim, University of Waterloo
5x5 Panel
Public sector: Erin Mahoney, Commissioner of Environmental Services, York Region; Engineer-in-Residence, University of Waterloo
Entrepreneurship: Vinay Patel, Founder, Phosphosens
Academic: Clinton Andrews, Rutgers University
Visual expression: Mariko Uda, Independent Eco Author
Global: Sherif Kinawy, Infrastructure Advisory
Flood Resilience Challenge Game
Evalyna Bogdan, University of Calgary
Sina Golchi, University of Waterloo
AC Atienza, Game Designer & Graphic Designer
Shaieree Cottar, University of Waterloo
Chaz Garraway, Engineer
Ajar Sharma, University of Waterloo
Ashley Roszko, Consultant
Gloria Michalchuk, Consultant
Attendees are invited to CLICK HERE to sign up ahead of time for the role they would like to play in the game!
ISTAS21 Papers (12): Regulating and Protecting Online Spaces
Moderator:
Brandiff Caron, Concordia University
Jaigris Hodson, Royal Roads University
Victoria O'Meara, University of Western Ontario
Andrea Galizia, University of Toronto
Chandell Gosse, Royal Roads University
Quietly Coping: A Scoping Review of Online Abuse in Research and Public Education Work
AI & AUTOMATION
Farshid Faal, Ketra Schmitt and Jia Yuan Yu Concordia University
Protecting Marginalized Communities by Mitigating Discrimination in Toxic Language Detection
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Kathleen Leslie, Athabasca University
Tracey L. Adams, Western University
Sophia Myles, Athabasca University
Maggie Szu Nin Lin, Athabasca University
Aleah McCormick, Athabasca University
Catharine Schiller, University of Northern British Columbia
Jacob Shelley, Western University
Sioban Nelson, University of Toronto
Regulating Professionals in Virtual Practice: Protecting the Public Interest in Rapidly Changing Digital Workplaces
OTHER
Michelle Alexopoulos, Kelly Lyons, Keli Chiu and Kaushar Mahetaji, University of Toronto
Evaluating the Disruption of COVID-19 on Artificial Intelligence Innovation using Patent Filings
ISTAS21 Papers (13): Building Transparent Civic Infrastructure and Governance
Moderator:
Rozita Dara, University of Guelph
Jordyn Dennis, Caitlin Grady and Sarah Rajtmajer, Pennsylvania State University
Comparative Assessment of Cyber-Physical Threats to Megacities
SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES
Rebecca Dziedzic, Luis Amador, Chunjiang An, Zhi Chen, Ursula Eicker,
Amin Hammad, Fuzhan Nasiri, Mazdak Nik-Bakht, Mohamed Ouf and Osama Moselhi,
Concordia University
A Framework for Asset Management Planning in Sustainable and Resilient Cities
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Samay Nathani, Ryan Jenkins, Foaad Khosmood, California Polytechnic State University and Christine Robertson, IATPP
Exploring Gaps in California Proposition 54 (2016)
5–6pm
KEYNOTE: Carolyn McGregor, "Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Ethical and Social Implications of Neonatology"
High-speed physiological data are proving to be one of the most untapped resources in healthcare today. Many medical devices produce data streams at frequencies of a reading a second or faster making the effective use of that data a Big Data challenge. A growing body of research studies are demonstrating common physiological patterns for a range of medical conditions at earlier stages in the condition progression paving the way for new artificial intelligence and machine learning based approaches that could also be more reliable. There is great potential for real-time assessment of this physiological data to improve patient outcomes and to do so on an individualized personalized level. Systemic use of Big Data and AI in Healthcare present many ethics and social implicationsThis keynote will demonstrate how Big Data and AI can be used systemically for new approaches in research and clinical care for differential diagnosis and condition management. Ethical and social implications will be considered within the context of the application of these approaches in neonatology.
Carolyn McGregor is Research Chair of Artificial Intelligence for Health and Wellness and two-time Research Chair of Health Informatics at Ontario Tech University.
6–7:30pm Networking Time
9:15–10:45am
Special Session: Digital and Societal Transformations
As a kickoff teaser for next year’s ISTAS 2022 conference, “Digital and Societal Transformations,” this interdisciplinary panel considers the social impact of digital innovations like 5G in the contexts of privacy, security, socio-economic prosperity and cybercrime. The panelists, who are international leaders and experts in privacy, cybersecurity, and technology policy and governance, will discuss and share their concerns on the socio-cultural and economic benefits and challenges of the ongoing digital transformation.Presenters:
Laurie Lau, APATAS, ISTAS2022 Chair, Organizing Committee
Luis Kun, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Center for Hemispheric, USA. Chairman IEEE- SSIT Distinguished Lecturer Program, Defense Studies at the National Defense University
T V Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum
Lennon Chang, ISTAS2022 Finance Chair, Monash University
T V Gopal, ISTAS 2022 Chair, Technical Programme Committee, Anna University
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Author Meets the Critics—Engineering Ethics: Contemporary and Enduring Debates by Deborah Johnson
Engineering Ethics, Contemporary and Enduring Debates by Deborah G. Johnson (Yale University Press, 2020) is the first engineering ethics textbook to use debates as the framework for presenting engineering ethics topics. The book addresses foundational issues in engineering ethics, such as whether engineering needs a code of ethics; employment relationships, especially those with clients and employers; and contemporary, societal issues, including whether autonomous cars will ever be safe enough and whether engineers are responsible for social justice. The debate format exposes the underlying rationales for many commonly held beliefs about engineering and technology, and encourages the development of reflective and critical thinking. Johnson approaches engineering ethics with the premise that engineering is both a technical and a social endeavour, and ethical issues arise in the social practices of the profession that are often intertwined with technical decision making.Presenter:
Deborah G. Johnson, Philosopher, STS scholar whose research interests focus on computer ethics and engineering ethics
Critics:
Keith Miller, University of Missouri – St. Louis
Dayoung Kim, Purdue University
Lambèr Royakkers, Eindhoven University of Technology
Moderator:
Brent Jesiek, National Institute of Engineering Ethics, Purdue University
ISTAS21 Papers (14): Using Emerging Technologies to Overcome Online Disinformation Campaigns and Conspiracy Theories
Moderator:
Neha Chugh, Concordia University
Richard Wilson, Towson University and Michael Shifflett, United States Government
QAnon, Conspiracy Theories and Social Media Warfare: An Ethical and Anticipatory Ethical Analysis
AI & AUTOMATION
Benjamin Lange and Theodore Lechterman, University of Oxford
The Ethics of AI-supported Disinformation Inoculation
AI & AUTOMATION
Pierre Watine, Ketra A. Schmitt and Arezo Bodaghi, Concordia University
Can the Hawkes Process Be Used to Evaluate The Spread of Online Information?
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Joe Masoodi and Sam Andrey, Ryerson Leadership Lab
Disinformation and Online Harms: Understanding the Links to Private Messaging Apps in Canada
ISTAS21 Papers (15): (Re)defining Frameworks and Systems in Emerging Technologies
Moderator:
Brandiff Caron, Concordia University
Sarah Spiekermann, Vienna University of Economics and Business
From Value-lists to Value-based Ethical Engineering with IEEE 7000
TECH POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Kevin LaGrandeur, New York Institute of Technology
Why and how to regulate emerging technology
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Zhen-Rong Gan, National Tsing Hua University
A Normative Framework of Artificial Moral Agents
11am–12:30pm
Special Session: Workshop on Open-Access Educational Materials
This workshop is targeted at anyone interested in teaching ethics to engineering students. It aims to introduce the participants to the 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology method of building up Case-Based Exercises by having them apply it to create a Case-Based Exercise of their own. Participants will work in small groups (break-out rooms), where each group will be asked to start building a Case-Based Exercise intended to be taught in an ethics/philosophy of technology course for engineering students using the toolkit.Presenters:
Lavinia Marin, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, TU Delft
Tijn Borghuis, Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology
Roel Veraart, Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Wellbeing & Ethically Aligned Design
While avoidance of harm is critical for engineering and systems design, the recent focus on risk classification regarding Artificial Intelligence from the European Union has the policy and corporate worlds primarily focused on what shouldn’t happen for society, versus what needs to happen to create our most purpose-driven, positive future.Session Organizer & Moderator:
John Havens, Director, Emerging Technologies & Strategic Development, IEEE Standards Association
Presenters:
Bogdana Rakova, Data Scientist, Responsible AI, Accenture
Prof. Dr. Sarah Spiekermann, Chair of the WU Institute for IS & Society, IEEE 7000 Vice-chair (2016-2021), Vienna University of Economics and Business
Prof. Melodena Stephens, Professor of Innovation Management, Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
Deborah Hagar, MBA, President – The Foundation for Sustainable Communities, Sr. Adjunct Professor, University of LaVerne
ISTAS21 Papers (16): STEM Communities of Justice and Care
Moderator:
Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, University of Kansas
Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen, Katelin Hynes, Sarah Habibi, Sanya Cardoza and Jennifer Muchmaker, Ontario Tech University
Towards a Community of Care: Counterspaces for Women in sTem Education
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Ann-Louise Davidson and Nathalie Duponsel, Concordia University
Building a Makerspace in a Youth Center and Imagining Futures
OTHER
Rania Al-Hammoud and Andrea Jonahs, University of Waterloo
Building science identity in first-year engineering students
ISTAS21 Papers (17): Defining Ethics and Implications of AI Technologies
Moderator:
Emma Carmel, University of Bath
Florian Richter, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Ethics of AI as Practical Ethics
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Bianca Helena Ximenes and Geber Ramalho, Centro de Informática da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Concrete Ethical Guidelines and Best Practices in Machine Learning Development
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Joao Pontual de Arruda Falcao, Geber Lisboa Ramalho and Silvio Romero de Lemos Meira, Centro de Informática da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Algorithmic Pragmatics
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Isabel Pedersen, Ontario Tech University
Ann Hill Duin, University of Minnesota
Defining a classification system for augmentation technology in socio-technical terms
Meal Break/Networking Time
1–2:30pm
Special Session: More than Tech for Good: PeaceTech at Waterloo and Beyond
This session will feature engineers and peacebuilders, including C-Suite level experts, with connections to the University of Waterloo who are contributing to the growing global movement for PeaceTech by using technology to augment efforts to advance peace globally, or leveraging peacebuilding to generate critical insights on technology. Presenters will address topics such as the role of research and advocacy in the context of peace and security issues related to technology.Facilitator:
Paul Heidebrecht, Director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement
Moderator:
Emily Charron, Coordinator of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement
Presenters:
Hannah Bernstein, UWaterloo student & PeaceTech Living Learning Community Peer Leader
Branka Marijan, Senior Researcher, Project Ploughshares
Cassie Myers, CEO and Founder, Lunaria Solutions
Jonathan Smith, Machine Learning Scientist, Layer 6 AI
Richard Yim, CEO and Founder, Demine Robotics
Special Session: Smart Cities through the Lens of Human Rights: Technological and Ethical Dilemmas [3-hour session]
Smart Cities can be described as a smart system comprising numerous integrated smart systems that fuse and share data, including personal and potentially sensitive private information. Such circumstances could intrude on the rights to privacy, and human dignity, with disclosures potentially harmful to the individual, families, friends, associates, and communities. This workshop will examine ways to promote the best outcomes for the residents and visitors of smart cities through the lens of human rights. Affective rights will also be discussed as requisite to formulating the optimal smart city. Moreover, this workshop will foster discussion around the still relatively nascent technology of Affective Computing, which is the application of AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning), biometric measurement, sentiment analysis, and psychological factor assessment in determining and interacting with the affective states of the individual. This workshop is open to all stakeholders in Smart City development and management, including computer scientists, engineers, Smart City integrators, application developers, third party vendors, ethicists, city managers and administrators. It should be especially informative for oversight and governance organizations providing auditing and performance evaluations.Keynote Presenters:
Professor Bryant Walker Smith, School of Law, University of South Carolina and Affiliate Scholar, The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School
Cordel Green, MBA; LL.M (Dist.); LL. B (Hons); BA (Hons), Executive Director, Broadcasting Commission—Jamaica, Vice-Chairman, International Bureau—Information for All Programme (IFAP), UNESCO, and Chairman, UNESCO IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility
Tyler L. Jaynes, Bioethicist, Standards Developer, AI Governance
Lubna Dajani, Digital Innovation OG; Allternet, Ltd.
Organizers and Panelists:
Angelo Ferraro, (large system architecture, smart grids, massive communication failures, affective computing, IoT instrumentation, civil and electrical systems, standards, contract, and financial negotiations)
Larissa Paredes Muse, (energy & street lighting sector specialist, with focus in stakeholder engagement (finance / contracts, private sector, urban planners, academia, public sector agencies, legislation & regulation bodies) & standard development)
Rosaldo Rossetti, (behavioral modelling, social simulation for urban mobility)
Sara Paiva, (smart and inclusive mobility, social inclusion)
ETHICS-2021 Papers (4): Innovative Methods for Engineering Ethics Education
Moderator:
Jonathan Beever, University of Central Florida
Diana Adela Martin and Gunter Bombaerts, Eindhoven University of Technology
Exploring ethical decision-making in group settings with real-life case studies
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Alexandra Morrison and Charles Wallace, Michigan Technological University
Iteration and inquiry: Toward a meaningful model of ethical engagement for engineering and computing students
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Rebecca Bates, Robert Sleezer and Lin Chase, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Infusion of Ethics in Undergraduate Engineering Education through Industry-Sponsored Projects
ENGINEERING & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Luke Fernandez, Weber State University
The Role of the Emotions in Teaching Engineering Ethics
ISTAS21 Papers (18): Innovations in Design
Moderator:
Zach Pearl, University of Waterloo
Richard Wilson, Towson University
3D Printing, Nanotechnology and Organ Printing: An Ethical and Anticipatory Ethical Analysis
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Dan Weijers and H. Joseph Turton, University of Waikato
Environmentally Smart Contracts for Artists Using Non-Fungible Tokens
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Dylan Cawthorne and Nicolai Iversen, University of Southern Denmark
Exploring high-performance wooden drone structures through speculative design
AI & AUTOMATION
Kari Zacharias and Ketra Schmitt, Concordia University
Canada's Policy Approach to 'Killer Robots' and the Ethics of Autonomous Weapons Systems
3–4:30pm
Special Session: ETHICS-2021 Integrating Virtue Ethics into STEM Courses
The objectives of this workshop are (1) Introduce participants to a virtue ethics framework; (2) Describe modular integration of the framework in a robotics course through 9 weekly “Ethical Considerations in AI” assignments; (3) Assist participants in the development or planning of a virtue ethics module in the context of their own course. Character is “the collection of stable, deep, and enduring dispositions that define who we are and shape how we characteristically think, feel, and act”. Virtue ethics is the theoretical foundation of character education. Virtues of character are thus stable and enduring dispositions that enable us to think, feel, and act in morally good ways for morally good ends. Importantly, though character virtues represent enduring dispositions, like other personality traits, they can be intentionally taught and developed by well-designed pedagogies. The complexities and needs of the future STEM workforce requires knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that extend beyond STEM disciplinary silos. This includes fostering an internationally collaborative approach to research and development that is entrepreneurial, socially responsible, and engages the workforce in life-long learning. An approach our department has taken to develop engineering students to meet these demands is to integrate character education into the curriculum. Current work by our department-wide character project uses an established taxonomy within professional education, the Jubilee Centre Framework. This framework identifies four types of virtues: intellectual, moral, civic, and performance. A recent review on engineering ethics education found that current practices lead to shortcomings in emerging professionals (not just engineers) such as the rigid interpretation of ethics and in considering the broader societal impacts of their decision-making. We have implemented a modular approach to engineering ethics, infusing character education comprehensively into our curricula. Thus, discussions of ethics are not isolated to a single course, but may develop over 4 years. While ethics education may focus on student decision making during specific times of ethical dilemmas, character education focuses on the habitual actions, motivations, and virtues that prepare students for those difficult decisions while also influencing their daily behaviors. This, we believe, offers a more aspirational framework for ethics education, allowing the student to reflect on- and develop their own character while engaging in ethical discussions and decision- making. Further, this seeks to bring utility to ethics education beyond decision-making in the face of ethical dilemma, but in the formation of STEM professionals and their role in society.Moderator:
Mark A. Vasquez, Senior Program Manager, IEEE TechEthics
Presenters:
Dr. Erin Henslee, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering, Wake Forest University
Dr. Adetoun Yeaman, Engineering Education Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Engineering, Wake Forest University
Dr. Joseph Wiinikka-Lydon, Department of Engineering, Wake Forest University
Special Session: Smart Cities through the Lens of Human Rights: Technological and Ethical Dilemmas [Continued]
Smart Cities can be described as a smart system comprising numerous integrated smart systems that fuse and share data, including personal and potentially sensitive private information. Such circumstances could intrude on the rights to privacy, and human dignity, with disclosures potentially harmful to the individual, families, friends, associates, and communities. This workshop will examine ways to promote the best outcomes for the residents and visitors of smart cities through the lens of human rights. Affective rights will also be discussed as requisite to formulating the optimal smart city. Moreover, this workshop will foster discussion around the still relatively nascent technology of Affective Computing, which is the application of AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning), biometric measurement, sentiment analysis, and psychological factor assessment in determining and interacting with the affective states of the individual. This workshop is open to all stakeholders in Smart City development and management, including computer scientists, engineers, Smart City integrators, application developers, third party vendors, ethicists, city managers and administrators. It should be especially informative for oversight and governance organizations providing auditing and performance evaluations.Keynote Presenters:
Professor Bryant Walker Smith, School of Law, University of South Carolina and Affiliate Scholar, The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School
Cordel Green, MBA; LL.M (Dist.); LL. B (Hons); BA (Hons), Executive Director, Broadcasting Commission—Jamaica, Vice-Chairman, International Bureau—Information for All Programme (IFAP), UNESCO, and Chairman, UNESCO IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility
Tyler L. Jaynes, Bioethicist, Standards Developer, AI Governance
Lubna Dajani, Digital Innovation OG; Allternet, Ltd.
Organizers and Panelists:
Angelo Ferraro, (large system architecture, smart grids, massive communication failures, affective computing, IoT instrumentation, civil and electrical systems, standards, contract, and financial negotiations)
Larissa Paredes Muse, (energy & street lighting sector specialist, with focus in stakeholder engagement (finance / contracts, private sector, urban planners, academia, public sector agencies, legislation & regulation bodies) & standard development)
Rosaldo Rossetti, (behavioral modelling, social simulation for urban mobility)
Sara Paiva, (smart and inclusive mobility, social inclusion)
ISTAS21 Papers (19): What's at Risk in the Adoption of AI?
Moderator:
Asen Ivanov, University of Guelph
Anne Gerdes, University of Southern Denmark
AI can turn the clock back before we know it
AI & AUTOMATION
Emma Carmel, University of Bath and Regine Paul, Bergen University
The Government of Risk in the Age of Big Data: Varieties in Regulating Artificial Intelligence Technologies
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Neha Chugh, Concordia University
Risk Assessments Tools on Trial: Lessons Learned for 'Ethical AI' in the Criminal Justice System
ETHICAL & HUMAN VALUES IN EMERGENT TECH
Cameron Shelley, University of Waterloo
Fairness in AI applications: More than a matter of calculation
4:30–5:30pm
Conference Closing Session
Reflections on the ISTAS21 conference and its significance within the IEEE and broader engineering and tech communities, plus invitations to all conference attendees to continue engaging with Technological Stewardship principles and stay involved with the IEEE SSIT.
Featured Speakers
Paul Cunningham, IEEE Division VI Director, Former IEEE SSIT President, IST-Africa
Mark Abbott, Executive Director, Engineering Change Lab (Canada)
IEEE SSIT Speakers
Anasuya Devi, SSIT Membership Chair
Ali Muzaffar, SSIT Young Professionals Chair
Saiteja Goud Karingu, SSIT Student Activities Committee Chair
Greg Adamson, SSIT Chair of Technical Activities and ETHICS-2021 Conference Chair, University of Melbourne
Closing Remarks
Jason Lajoie, ISTAS21 Organizing Chair