Talk by Ashwin Singh (UPF) on ‘Queer In AI: A Case Study in Community-Led Participatory AI’

On May 21, 2025 at 10:00 to 11:00, we are happy to host a talk by Ashwin Singh about Queer In AI: A Case Study in Community-Led Participatory AI. The talk will take place in Erzherzog-Johann-Platz 1, 1040 Wien, in Seminarraum FB 02 10 (second floor). You are most welcome to join us.

Title: Queer In AI: A Case Study in Community-Led Participatory AI

Speaker: Ashwin Singh, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract: AI systems have violated the core tenets of queerness by classifying and controlling queer identities, subjecting queer people to harms ranging from privacy violations and censorship to discrimination and incarceration. In response, the queer community in AI has organized through Queer In AI to build a more inclusive, just and equitable AI future. In this talk, I will critically examine the role of participatory design and intersectionality in shaping Queer In AI’s programs, and their impact on the representation and inclusion of queer people in the broader scientific community. I will then discuss how community-led spaces like Queer In AI uniquely empower their members to not only conduct research that strengthens audit mechanisms concerning AI harms but also challenge existing power dynamics between affected communities and the creators of AI systems. Finally, drawing from Queer In AI’s eight-year history, I will outline the lessons, opportunities and challenges of grassroots organizing and community-led participation within AI, with a focus on historically underrepresented and marginalized groups.

About: Ashwin is a student at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. Their work is on algorithmic fairness and theories of participation to make socio-technical systems equitable. Ashwin has won the ACM FAcct 2023 Best Paper Award.