Digital Ethics and Bias in Technology, with Niels Wouters

Hi #smartcommunity friends! In this episode I have a fascinating talk with Niels Wouters. Niels is a designer and researcher with a particular interest in identifying architectural qualities and engagement opportunities afforded by digital media in public space. Niels is currently Head of Research for Science Gallery Melbourne, and Research Fellow in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. Firstly Niels tells us about his varied background in computer science and architecture, his PHD focused on human computer interaction and his current work in the Smart Cities/Smart Digital ethics space. He tells us how he came to work in the space of ethics, technology and interaction in public spaces, the importance of quick and agile responses to ethical issues before sharing with us what a Smart Community is to him. Niels then tells us all about the Biometric Mirror project he has been working on and what is involved, we discuss the potential risk and biases associated with facial recognition systems, before Niels tells us about the project, Decolonising the Urban Screen, he has been working on. We finish our conversation discussing the emerging trends of less facial recognition systems being used in some countries and more use in other countries and the self governance of data. As always, we hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Niels via Twitter or LinkedIn Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital