CFR: Workshop & Spring School “Ethics of AI (un)explainability”, 19.-20.03.2024, University of Münster

Registration Deadline: 04.03.2024

On behalf of the Center for Nonlinear Science and the Zentrum für
Wissenschaftstheorie (University of Münster) Dr. Katrin Schmietendorf
and Dr. Paul Näger invite participation in a one-day Workshop and a
one-day Spring School.

Description
The unavailability of explanations in usual machine learning systems
becomes ethically relevant when  the results of the systems rather
directly concern humans as in many current or envisaged applications
from medical diagnosis over crime prediction to insurance premiums. In
such sensitive cases, affected persons and stakeholders understandably
and often legitimately demand an explanation in order to e.g. check the
reliability of the possibly far reaching results, especially ruling out
unfair biases, or to justify the outcomes to the persons concerned
(giving them a chance to complain about or sue against the results).

The challenges of such situations are at least twofold and this workshop
aims at bringing the two strands of current research into discussion. On
the one hand, there are conceptual-philosophical questions concerning
explanations, for instance:
– For which exact ends would one need explanations in such ethically
relevant cases?
– What kind of explanations are required or desirable in which
situations? Are there domain-specific needs? What are the required
features?
– What does the use of unexplainable AI mean for the so-called
epistemic condition of moral responsibility? Under what conditions can
individuals or stakeholders be held accountable for AI-based decisions?

On the other hand, advancements in the mathematical-technical
foundations of machine learning systems have enabled explanations and
promise to bring further types thereof, suggesting questions such as:
– What kind of explanations are currently available for which systems?
– Which of the desired features do these explanations have and which are
still missing?
– What are the expected developments?
– Are there principle limits to advancing explanations as indicated by
the well-discussed performance-explainability trade-off?

Along these lines, the present workshop is meant to provide a forum  for
the exchange between the two strands by renowned experts in the field.

Speakers at the Workshop (20.3.):
– Carlos Zednik, PhD (TU Eindhoven)
– Prof. Dr. Eva Schmidt (TU Dortmund)
– Dr. Astrid Schomäcker (University of Bayreuth)
– Prof. Dr. Kristian Kersting (TU Darmstadt)
– Prof. Dr. Florian Boge (TU Dortmund)
– Dr. Thomas Grote (University of Tübingen)

The preceding Spring School is designed to provide students and an
interdisciplinary audience with the required background knowledge to
follow the expert talks at the Workshop: basics of machine learning for
non-computer scientists as well as relevant philosophical and ethical
knowledge for non-philosophers.

Speakers at the Spring School (19.3.):
– Prof. Dr. Benjamin Risse (Geoinformatics, University of Münster)
– Dr. Stefan Roski (Philosophy, University of Münster)
– Dr. Paul Näger (Philosophy, University of Münster)
– Prof. Dr. Gitta Kutyniok (LMU München)

Details concerning schedule and registration:
https://www.uni-muenster.de/CeNoS/InterKIWWU/veranstaltungen/EoAIuE/index.html