OpenITU: Recommended for You - Can AI Give Us What We Want?
All over the internet, artificial intelligence is being used to predict user preferences and recommend products, apps, news, or even a new boyfriend. But how do these recommender systems work, and should we be worried about what they know about us? Join us for a public debate and a Friday afternoon beer.
If you have ever purchased a book on Amazon, browsed for a movie on Netflix or discovered a new great song on Spotify, you are probably familiar with so-called recommender systems – software that suggests new products based on previous behavior.
Based on vast amounts of data, these recommender systems use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict user preferences in order to optimize sales or provide better service.
But how do these systems actually work, and what are they good for? Should we be worried about what they know about us?
In this OpenITU event, three researchers from ITU will discuss the possibilities as well as the worries that these recommender systems entail.
See a video recording of the full event on Facebook
Oliver Müller, Associate Professor in Business IT, will discuss the motivation for using recommender systems from both a consumer and a business perspective.
Jes Frellsen, Associate Professor in Computer Science, will de-mystify how artificial intelligence software uses information on users to generate recommendations.
And Irina Shklovski, Associate Professor in Technology in Practice, will discuss what it means for us as a society that these systems presumably attempt to give us what we want, before we even know we want it.
Following the talks, there will be a panel debate with the three speakers. We welcome questions and input from the audience.
The event is hosted by Anders Høeg Nissen.
NB. There is only room for 100 people, so make sure to arrive early if you want to secure a seat. The seats will be "first come, first served".