AI in Hollywood / Future Narratives

Hollywood has brought to life humanity's long dream of building machines that resemble us. Through a century of stories they help us dream, get inspired and progress the field of artificial intelligence by bringing it from obscurity into the public domain. But it has also contributed to entrenching gender inequality in the Al industry.

A recent study from Cambridge analyzed 142 AI Hollywood movies:

• none of them was solely direct by women (2 co-directors were female)
• only 8% of AI scientists are female in AI Hollywood movies. (This is significantly less than we find in our current workforce!)
• the first female AI creator was displayed at 1997
• inclusive perspective is (again) fully missing

How has Hollywood sharpened the public perception of AI?

How can the movie industry influence the future narrative of AI?

These and more questions will be addressed "A New Narrative for AI"

AI Regulation - is there a sweet-spot?

In 2020, the High-Level Expert Group defined seven core values to safeguard humanity, forming the foundation of the EU AI Act. But how have these values evolved during the policy development process, leading up to the final draft of the EU AI Act in April 2024? In her latest publication, Alexandra and her team analyze the essence of humanity within Europe’s upcoming AI regulation and advise organizations and governments on how to learn from this. She uses engaging elements to explain the complexity of the topic, drawing on her experience consulting the German Parliament and policymakers on the EU AI Act over the past three years.

Beyond Ethical AI

In the current discourse on ethical artificial intelligence (AI), transparency, fairness and accountability are at the forefront. These principles are intended to ensure that AI systems do not make discriminatory decisions. Feminist AI goes beyond this and looks at AI development through the lens of gender justice. It calls for active consideration of diversity and inclusion in data collection and algorithm design. Feminist AI is necessary to reduce existing inequalities rather than reinforcing them. It offers a positive narrative by integrating humanity and empathy into technological development. For individuals, this means that AI systems are designed to be fairer and more inclusive, which contributes to a fairer society.

In this talk, Alexandra Wudel addresses the following questions and topics:

• What is feminist AI?
• Why do we need it?
• Positive narratives
• What does this mean for me?

The Rise of Deepfakes: A Challenge for Society and Corporate Responsibility

The total number of deepfake videos online in 2023 is 95,820, representing a 550% increase over 2019. Deepfakes—AI-manipulated videos and images—pose a significant threat to society by blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Originally created for entertainment, they now play a role in misinformation and erode public trust.

While deepfakes are rapidly increasing, policy solutions are lagging. Major regulations like the EU AI Act largely overlook the deepfake issue, creating a gap that allows these harmful technologies to spread unchecked.

Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are frequently criticized for their inadequate response to deepfakes, as their platforms often allow these videos to surface easily. Stronger content moderation and proactive measures from the private sector are essential to curb the growing threat.

In her keynote, Alexandra explains the need for user-facing technical solutions, increased cross-sector collaboration (Policy, Research, Civil Society, Business) to a low- barrier step-guide on how to respond if targeted by a deepfake.