B’AI Global Forum 5th Anniversary Symposium “AI and DEI: The Future of Digital Humanitarianism” (November 18, 2024)

Founded in 2020, B’AI Global Forum has dedicated itself to exploring the intersection of AI and social justice. To commemorate its 5th anniversary, we are hosting a symposium featuring experts at the forefront of AI ethics, policy, and technology development.

We will explore how to harness AI creatively to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion by highlighting not only the potential of AI but also its impact on our rights and daily lives, as well as socioeconomic injustices on a global scale.

◇Date & Venue

・Date: November 18, 2024 (Mon), 13:00-17:30 (JST) (Doors open at 12:30)
・Venue: Fukutake Learning Theater (Hongo Campus) and Zoom webinar
・Language: English (Simultaneous interpretation in Japanese available)
・How to register: Whether attending in person or online, pre-registration is required. Please sign up using the link below. (Pre-registration deadline: Sunday, November 10)
https://forms.gle/zRcq29odcj2UNTWi7

◇Program

Moderator: Ai Hisano (University of Tokyo)

13:00-13:15 Opening Remarks, Atsushi Tsuda (University of Tokyo)

13:15-13:55 Reflections on the first 5 years of the B’AI Global Forum, Yuko Itatsu (University of Tokyo)

14:00-14:45 Keynote Speech 1 Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change)
“Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in the Epoch of AI: Lessons from Southern Feminism”

15:00-15:45 Keynote Speech 2 Steph Wright (Scottish AI Alliance)
“Reframing the narrative of our AI future”

16:00-17:20 Panel discussion
Moderator: Grant Jun Otsuki (University of Tokyo)
Panelists: Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change)
Steph Wright (Scottish AI Alliance)
Yasuko Kosaihira (SoftBank Corp.)
Yee Kuang Heng (University of Tokyo)

17:20-17:30 Closing Remarks, Kaori Hayashi (University of Tokyo)

◇Biographies

Anita Gurumurthy

Executive Director and Founding Member, IT for Change. Gurumurthy leads research and advocacy on data and AI governance, platform regulation, and feminist digital justice. She co-chairs the T20’s digital transformation working group in the G20 Brazil 2024 and serves on international committees including the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism.

Steph Wright

Head, Scottish AI Alliance. Wright led Data Lab’s support for Scotland’s AI Strategy and now leads its implementation, aiming for Scotland to be a leader in the development of trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI. She co-founded Diverse AI and was recognized as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics and Top 10 Women in Tech in Scotland in 2023. Wright has also recently been awarded the DataIQ 2024 Award for Data and AI for Good Champion.

Yasuko Kosaihira

Deputy Director, AI Strategy Office, SoftBank Corp. After working at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting and Fast Retailing, Kosaihira joined SoftBank. By spearheading investments in and promotions of new business ventures such as RPA (Robotic Process Automation), shared office spaces, and machine learning AI, she is advancing the innovation of business models and user experiences.

Yee Kuang Heng

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo. Heng specializes in international security, foreign policy, and the strategic impact of advanced technology in the Asia-Pacific. He earned a PhD in International Relations from London School of Economics in 2004, and taught at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Trinity College Dublin before joining the University of Tokyo in 2016.

Grant Jun Otsuki

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. Otsuki specializes in the anthropology of science and technology, as well as Science and Technology Studies. Before joining the University of Tokyo in April 2024, he earned a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Toronto (2015) and served as a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington. He received the STS Infrastructure Award in 2024.

Atsushi Tsuda

Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo. Specializing in biological oceanography (zooplankton ecology), Tsuda served as Director of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute from 2015, was appointed Vice President in 2019, became Executive Vice President in 2021, and assumed his current position in 2023.

Yuko Itatsu

Principal Investigator of the B’AI Global Forum; Professor, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo.
Itatsu specializes in social and cultural history of the 20th century and beyond.

Ai Hisano

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo; 2020-2021 University of Tokyo Excellent Young Researcher. Hisano’s expertise lies in the history of technology, capitalism, and the senses.

Kaori Hayashi

Executive Vice President for Globalization, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Professor, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo. Hayashi specializes in media and journalism studies.

◇Organizer
B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo

◇Supported by
The Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo

◇Inquiry
B’AI Global Forum Office
bai.global.forum[at]gmail.com（Please change [at] to @）