Queer AI: Bias in the Binary

Will tech define the future of LGBTQIA+ advocacy? It’s time to keep a queer eye on AI. On February 27th, Pride in Tech is joining forces with ustwo to bring you a panel discussion on what’s next for queer inclusivity in AI.
With the help of our expert speakers, we’ll explore:

• The impact of inclusive AI design
• Ethics in AI
• Representation in data
• Tech and Community Enablement
• The dynamics of a diverse workforce

AI, as Daniel Pillis writes, ‘has always been queer.’ From the inimitable Alan Turing to OpenAI’s Sam Altman, AI and Machine Learning have been defined by LGBTQIA+ contributions.
Now, as conversations on ethics in AI heat up, we must move beyond
the binary to prevent obscuring those contributions. Bias systems will only perpetuate the stereotypes that whitewash and undermine the LGBTQIA+ community – combatting this takes intentional design and diverse representation (among others).
Whether you’re working on the latest systems, part of the community, an ally, a tech aficionado, or all the above and so much more, our events are safe and supportive spaces to share ideas and see tech from fresh perspectives, wherever you are on your journey.
Meet our speakers:

Alasdair Blackwell

Alasdair (he/him) is a full-stack designer and developer, passionate about the web, and thrilled to be a Tech Lead at ustwo focused on delivering experiences that are accessible and respectful of our users’ privacy and security.

Throughout his career Alasdair has worked at the cutting edge of technology: as cofounder of edtech Decoded he taught millions of people to code and helped get Computing onto the national curriculum; at web3 pioneer Everledger he secured the first bottle of wine on the blockchain (for his sins); and at lots of less successful startups since he has attempted to harness technology for social good (perhaps not including his lockdown side project KeyPaws that used AI to detect your cat on your keyboard...).

An amateur celebrant in his spare time, Alasdair is a warm and enthusiastic person who will bring a unique perspective on AI and its impact on Queer and other underrepresented people.

Anthony Lam

Anthony Lam (he/him) is a technology leader whose products have reached over one billion users. As Head of Product at iProov, a London-based AI biometric technology company, he drives innovation in identity verification, expanding access and enhancing accuracy worldwide. Since 2020, Anthony has led iProov’s biometric advancements, including launching the world’s first WCAG-compliant facial verification product and the most security-tested biometrics used by governments globally.
His experience spans diverse technology fields, from big data roles at SAP to shaping public policy at Microsoft, always at the intersection of innovation, security, and accessibility.

Anna Wawrzonkowska

Anna Wawrzonkowska (she/her) is a Product leader, social scientist, and writer. Her key research interests are the large-scale frameworks around data privacy: how surveillance powers the digital economy, how the emergent forms of AI supercharge this trend to affect citizens' rights, lives, bodies, and futures, and how to protect them all via policy and tech solutions.Industry experience underpins Anna's expertise. Since, 2021 she has worked on decision engines automating complex business processes - or AI before it was cool. After getting her double Oxford degrees in Linguistics and Sociology of Technology, she has built identity verification solutions, processing sensitive data of millions and grappling with the practical ethics of implementation. She has worked for the European Parliament, Groupon, Globality AI, and the UK IDV platform Thirdfort.Anna is a Polish Kurpie woman and an ally to all Indigenous and First Nations people everywhere.

Karl Perry

Karl is the Global Community Lead for Pride in Tech and a Principal Consultant at Trust in SODA, where he provides diversity-focused talent solutions for the most exciting brands in the tech sector. Karl has worked on scaling teams for early-stage startups and large-scale multinationals across the UK, Ireland, and Germany.
A self-professed geek, when he's not connecting people with inclusive, high-growth opportunities in software engineering, you can catch Karl gaming or going to live gigs and music festivals (Glastonbury is his favourite).
Karl is passionate about making an impact, building communities, and creating a kinder working future for historically underrepresented candidates in technology.

Linda Hong Cheng

Linda Hong Cheng (any pronouns) is an award-winning entrepreneur, researcher, and public speaker working at the intersections of impact-driven art and tech. Linda is a Computational Sociology PhD researcher & Clarendon Scholar @ Oxford, WEAI-FLAS Fellow @ Columbia University, Co-Founding CEO @ Mung!—like the bean—the world's first AI-driven AgeTech startup making digital platforms accessible for non-digital natives, and Founding Director @ Girlpane—uplifting cutting-edge women artists and revolutionizing creative spaces. You can find her on [instagram.com/lindahongcheng](https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_oNjCVvKPikDE9XCyiyTEhzqg "https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_oNjCVvKPikDE9XCyiyTEhzqg") + [linkedin.com/in/lindahongcheng](https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lQ5VCWPX7SXAQGxTnsRToKdRy "https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lQ5VCWPX7SXAQGxTnsRToKdRy"), and her research on [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PlDEYQ8AAAAJ&hl=zh-TW&oi=sra](https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/VsdwCQkB0hl5Kr9FxfnTGvGwQ "https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/VsdwCQkB0hl5Kr9FxfnTGvGwQ").

At Oxford, Linda's research explores global digital gaps, gender disparities, social inequalities, and contentious politics using advanced computational methods (e.g., machine learning, agent-based modelling, Natural Language Processing (NLP)). Her Gates Foundation-supported dissertation introduces the concept of digital gender circularity, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between digital gender equality, offline gender equality, and global sustainable development.

As the youngest scholar invited to contribute to the Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Machine Learning, Linda applies a critical decolonial lens to NLP, challenging its Eurocentric and Anglocentric biases. She pioneers 'Chinese computational sociology', a new framework integrating non-European languages, particularly Chinese, into NLP.

Previously, Linda was awarded the prestigious WEAI-FLAS Fellowship at Columbia University. Her thesis, published in Mobilization: An International Quarterly, established the gender-media-protest triad, using big Weibo data and computational methods to analyze gender bias in government and media responses to protest events in Mainland China.

When Linda isn’t working on art, tech, feminist research, and everything in between, she loves long-distance running, freelance modelling (instagram.com/rui.vogue), Beijing-Opera singing (tiktok.com/@rui.the.songbird), and connecting with like-minded friends in the impact and inclusion space!

Want to join the conversation? RSVP to save your space today.

Check out the amazing work from the team at ustwo: https://ustwo.com/.

***By registering for this event, you consent to be photographed and/or recorded for purposes subject to the event organisers. If you would like a professional headshot, please request one from our on-site photographer. Your data will be held by Trinnovo Group Ltd trading as Pride in Tech in accordance with our privacy policy available at the following link: https://www.trinnovogroup.com/legal_documents/privacy_policy ***