Oct 13, Friday 12:30 – 2pm

Event Registration and Access:

• In person participants please register here.
• Online access on Teams – Join here. Meeting ID: 249 895 505 059 

Confirmed Talks:

• Title: “Tech Hubs and the AI Industry in Africa: What Drives?”

Speaker: Caroline Wesson, Ph.D. Candidate Political Science, GMU

Abstract: Research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is resource intensive and requires significant processing power, data to train algorithms, and human ingenuity and know-how to design algorithms and systems. The AI industry is incredibly resource intensive, which motivates firms locate nearby one another and bring resources to centralized locations for easy access. Since innovation in the modern age is a social process, one way to encourage collaboration and interaction between researchers and innovators is through the construction of tech hubs and greater economic clusters. This is especially important for the AI industry. Tech hubs are physical spaces that build an entrepreneurial ecosystem through supporting entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers with workspace, networking events, access to financing, and training programs. This paper identifies a set of puzzles which exist when working to comprehend the existence of several tech hubs within the African region. For reference, in 2018 GSMA found that there were 442 African tech hubs, and this number increased to 643 by the second half of 2019. Given this incredible growth and the relationship between number of tech hubs and number of startups within a nation it appears that tech hubs play an important role in African innovation systems and the growth of key technology industries – with AI being one of the most important and emphasized. This paper seeks to explain what factors lead to greater numbers of tech hubs within African nations. Understanding these factors will hopefully lead to a greater knowledge of what political, social, and economic environments result in innovation and growth in the AI industry within the region.

• Title: Same, Same but Digital? Working with (Artificial) Colleagues

Speaker: Eileen Roesler, Dr. rer. nat., Assistant Professor for Psychology, Human-Agent Collaboration (HAC) Lab, Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program, GMU

Abstract: Recent technological advancements are rapidly integrating into our professional and daily lives, offering opportunities for a symbiotic relationship between humans and decision support systems. However, they also bring forth new challenges. These developments reshape not only how we collaborate but also how we are evaluated through automated decision-making processes. Furthermore, their impact extends across various domains, from finance, where they influence loan allocation, to medicine, where they influence tasks like x-ray interpretation. In all of these domains, fundamental questions arise regarding trust, perceived responsibility, reliability, and the influence of these technologies on our decision-making behavior.

In this presentation, we will delve into recent research aimed at addressing these critical questions. I will present compelling evidence illustrating differences in trust and perceived responsibility between human and technological support agents. Moreover, the relevance of perspective will be addressed, demonstrating that a shift in perspective – from being an advice-taker to being assessed by technology – results in notable differences in outcomes. Additionally, I will shortly explore how features such as explainability in these systems can facilitate and hinder aspects of successful human-AI collaboration.

• Title: Celebrating Diversity: Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Classrooms

Speaker: Jung Yeon (Ellie) Park, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Quantitative Research Methods, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), GMU

Abstract: K-12 schools have redoubled their efforts to bridge performance and engagement gaps between English Learners (ELs) and their mainstream peers in content-rich classrooms. The presence of linguistic and cultural barriers poses a significant challenge when it comes to accurately assessing the knowledge of EL students in their intended cognitive domains. This challenge results in diminished comprehension, reduced participation, and heightened cognitive strain for this minority group. With the advent of digitally based assessments, a wealth of data resources has become available, enabling the investigation of fine-grained test-taking behaviors to gain a deeper understanding of students. This approach allows for the differentiation between the language and content proficiency levels of EL students separately. To further achieve adaptive teaching that prioritizes the well-being of EL students, innovative technological solutions capable of dynamically assessing both cognitive and emotional states within classroom contexts are required. To address this challenge, we propose the use of a wearable smart system that not only tracks physiological measures but does so in a non-invasive and pioneering manner.