Algorithms and Social Harm

With the extensive use of social media platforms, most if not all of our online activity/content is subject to algorithms managed by a few key players.  Algorithms are shaped based on our search results and browsing history.  It has been found that online content has caused offline harm in many occasions, from the Myanmar coup to the riot at the US Capitol.  Aside from political controversies, Frances Haugen’s testimony has made it evident that ‘amplification algorithms’ and ‘engagement based ranking’ affects human behavior and encourages destructive content.

Another example of such impact has been the increase in ‘tic-like’ behavior in Tik Tok users. Are these harms outweighed by the benefits we gain from them? Is it really algorithms that are the problem, or is it the way they are being used or something else? What should we be doing about this? Is the answer regulation? Join us to find answers to these questions.

NISTH Fellows, Prof Boh Wai Fong (Nanyang Business School) and Assoc Prof Andres Carlos Luco (School of Humanities) will be discussing the impact of algorithms directly or indirectly that affect human behavior and society at large. The session will be moderated by Assoc Prof Hallam Stevens and Prof Vanessa Evers, from NISTH.

Speaker Biography

Dr Boh Wai Fong is Professor of Information Systems at the Nanyang Business School (NBS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. She received her PhD from the Tepper School of Business at the Carnegie Mellon University. She is also Head of the Division of Information Technology and Operations Management at NBS and Director of the Information Management Research Center (IMRC) at NTU.

Her research interests are in the areas of knowledge and innovation management and social media. She has published more than 20 articles in journals, including Management Science, MIS Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Association Information Systems, OBHDP, Research Policy, and Information & Organization. She has also won multiple awards, including an award for the Top Five IS Publications of the Year 2007, the 2009 Management Science Distinguished Service Award for Reviewers, the 2005 Academy of Management Best Dissertation Award for the Organizational Communication and Information Systems Division. She is currently a Senior Editor for MIS Quarterly, and is/has been on the editorial boards of Management Science, Information Systems Research, Organization Science, Journal of Management Information Systems, Information & Organization and Journal of Database Management. She has spoken in multiple industry conferences, and specializes in research and conducting training for entrepreneurs, managers and employees in areas related to innovation and entrepreneurship. Prof Boh is also frequently quoted and interviewed in the media, and has published several commentaries in local newspapers.

Professor Boh is a seasoned and versatile instructor who teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She has spoken in multiple industry conferences, and specializes in research and conducting training for entrepreneurs, managers and employees in areas related to innovation and entrepreneurship. Professor Boh is also sought after by private organizations as well as government agencies to conduct training programs.

Dr Andres Carlos Luco is an Associate Professor at the School of Humanities at NTU. He received his PhD in Philosophy from Duke University (USA). He publishes in ethics, moral psychology, and social and political philosophy. His research focuses on the evolution of moral judgment, impartiality, moral progress, and our reasons to be moral. His forte lies in questions that lie at the intersection of ethics, the Darwinian human sciences, and the mind sciences: e.g., what is morality, how did the human capacity for moral judgment evolve, and what (if anything) do moral judgments represent? He also thinks about how to maintain respect for human rights in an era of radical technological innovation. Recently, he collaborated on a project exploring the limitations and challenges of using AI to block online speech.

Photo Gallery

Video Recording

Event Details
Date and Time
9 Nov 2021 (Tue)
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Venue
Online)
Event Format
Debate & Dialogue
Series
NISTH Think Out Debate Series