Film screening / Documentary Coded Bias

There is no algorithm for truth

Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions. What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against?

When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.

producer: Shalini Kantayya p.g.a. / co-producer: Sabine Hoffman / director of photography: Steve Acevedo / editors: Alexandra Gilwit, Zachary Ludescher, Shalini Kantayya / visual effects: Zachary Ludescher, Alexandra Gilwit / original score: Katya Mihailova

Public discussion

The screening will be followed by a discussion with journalist Joël Adami and the audience.
(in English with French translation)

Algorithmic bias in Luxembourg and Europe
Artificial intelligence will make our lives easier and free us of mundane tasks. This promise sounds great, but are we really aware of all the consequences that will stem from putting our trust in the “logical” decisions of a computer – a machine that may not act so logically after all? After the screening of the movie Coded Bias, we’ll take a closer look at some examples of AI applications and at the potential risks posed by algorithmic bias in Luxembourg and Europe.

The filmmaker

Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya’s debut Catching the Sun (executive producer: Leonardo Di Caprio) premiered at the LA Film Festival and was named a NY Times Critic’s Pick. It released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 and was nominated for the Environmental Media Association Award of the Best Documentary.

Kantayya went on to direct for the National Geographic television series Breakthrough (executive producer: Ron Howard) broadcast globally in June 2017. Her latest documentary film, Coded Bias, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Shalini Kantayya is a TED Fellow, a William J. Fullbright Scholar, and an Associate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.