I invent workshops that encourage people to approach cutting-edge technology through a creative lens, gain knowledge of its inner workings by playing and tinkering with it.

I am particularly interested in starting a discussion about societal implications of certain technology, especially the technologies that fall under the term "A.I."

Everybody talks about Artificial Intelligence. However, there are many myths and misconceptions about AI that need to be replaced with more realistic assessments.

I studied Artificial Intelligence - before it became hype (Read more here) - and can explain the basic concepts in a way that even laymen can understand.

Recurring questions in my workshops are:

What are the core themes of contemporary AI research and development?
How does contemporary AI differ from the depictions in science fiction?
Is AI really trying to imitate human intelligence?
How does AI reproduce injustice of the real world in the digital world?

"MY NAME IS ALEXA AND I'M NOT YOUR PERSONAL ASSISTANT"

Workshop held in London, October 2019 during Mozfest, Mozilla's annual event.

My first name is Alexa and Alexa is also the name of the Amazon voice assistant, an artificial intelligence enabled device. I live with an Alexa and soon realised that this system is insufficient on many levels: 1. The female gendering reinforces old stereotypes of women being non-assertive and subservient. 2. The intentional personification and pseudo-humanity of it hinders us in establishing an AI literacy - a realistic understanding of what today’s AI is capable of.

In this workshop we're going to

1. demystify the technical inner workings of voice assistants,

2. critically look at how they are intentionally personified (and gendered!) by their designers and

3. explore alternative designs & re-imagine these tools together in a hands-on exercise!

Can we get rid of the reflex of associating (voice) assistants with a female gender? Can we approach AI in a non-anthropomorphing way? I believe that there is a huge potential for creative exploration beyond a human-like persona.

Focus of this workshop:

AI LITERACY

GENDER

SPECULATIVE DESIGN

MACHINE LEARNING FOR THE CREATIVE & CURIOUS

What is machine learning and what do I need to get started? What are potential creative uses of this technology?

DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR AMAZON ALEXA

How to program a voice assistant and add your own functionalities to it? I will show you how to do this for Amazon Alexa.

INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

What is the current state of AI research, what is AI capable of and what not quite yet? How is artificial intelligence different to human intelligence? What is a machine learning model? We will go through the 10 most important terms and concepts in AI.

Q: What's the duration of a workshop?

A: The minimum duration is 90 minutes. The more in-depth variants are programmed to cover a half-day or full-day schedule.

Q: What knowledge level is required for the participants?

A: Every workshop can be adapted to various levels of knowledge or particular interests.

Q: Do participants have to know programming?

A: In the case of the workshop "Developing skills for Alexa Amazon" basic programming knowledge in Python or Javascript is a big plus. If participants have no prior programming experience I can offer an additional "basics of programming" section, which takes about 1-2 hours.

Q: Where do you offer these workshops? Are you available outside of Germany?

A: I am based in Leipzig (Germany) and can travel to your location within Europe. Please contact me for more details.