In this week’s episode, Remoy takes us to another side of AI. Grad computer science researcher Maria Teleki lends her findings to shed light on how AI feeds our existing patriarchal notions and structures What is a large language model? We’re sure you’ve heard about this term, also known as an LLM, that’s becoming more and more relevant to our everyday lives.Remoy gives us the definition. Maria follows up with how this technology learns about us and how we speak. Are there speech differences between genders? Maria’s research searches for answers to that question in…podcasts. A particular word tends to emerge in women’s speech patterns.  But it’s not just that one word. Maria and her team’s research uncover different common words and patterns in the ways people speak to their own gender. So what does that mean for LLMs? Maria explains.LLMs learn these gendered speech patterns and their programming informs their response. If the programming stems from patriarchy, the response will be patriarchal. The bias thrives. Maria continues, breaking down how when LLMs recognize speech to be men’s, users get better results, especially in more profitable sectors.   The bias doesn’t stop at gender. Race and sexuality bias in LLMs also creates gaps and inequalities in technology usage. There is hope! Maria gives us a silver lining. Referenced on this episode: That paper that Maria and her colleagues wrote that was the basis for this episode? You can go more into those technomasculine AI weeds here: Masculine Defaults via Gendered Discourse in Podcasts and Large Language Models And you can see, at scale, the work Maria has as is continuing to dig into on her Github page COMPANION PIECES: Other folks are uncovering AI bias in topics other than speech at the Algorithmic Justice League More on how AI biases impact folks’ bottom line based on gender The UN has more to say about this about AI, gender bias and development

Watch Breaking the cycle of ‘toxic masculinity’ Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

It’s our hundredth episode, and in the spirit of us being around so long, Remoy takes us back to when the US did unMASK American leadership: with its first woman VP in the White House. Kamala Harris didn’t become president, but let’s not forget what it meant for her to come so close… Her photographer, Azza Cohen, helps us pull back the curtain on what it meant to have Harris’s leadership and the difference she made for men and women everywhere. Remoy loves a guessing game! He takes Samantha on a windy road figuring out how he got to meet this week’s guest, Azza Cohen. After a fun windy game, he taps in Azza Cohen, Kamala Harris’s photographer, to describe what it was like to document the first woman vice president.She describes how Kamala’s leadership made more people feel seen than we realize, with a simple description of herself. Azza describes how some news outlets used her nod toward a marginalized community to diminish her leadership, but it was just conservative ones… Our illustrious guest points out how portrayals of women in the media are directly tied to the public’s perception of them as leaders. Kamala was a perfect example of this. And then a little context about white balance. Azza shares how photography and camera technology principles have racist roots.  She reflects on her experience as adapting previous knowledge to different skin tones. Azza shares how Kamala’s leadership impacted her.Azza reflects on the difficulty taking space and having confidence in the workplace, and how Kamala inspired her to do just that in an on-the-job moment. She points out the inherent gender bias that we sometimes have when dealing with kids.Samantha admits having to confront her biases in her own life. Azza shares an anecdote showing how Kamala challenged gender biases in her leadership and the difference it made. What about the fact that Kamala was too centrist for some? Samantha plays devil’s advocate. Azza gives an insightful response about our political system. Azza shares symbolic moments during the transition of power in 2024.How did the former VP handle it? What were those last moments like? Samantha and Remoy reflect on how important it was for Kamala Harris to be in the position she was in.  Azza ends with a powerful word on the images we consume, particularly as it concerns the current administration.She wants to remember how women’s leadership is captured in this country and what the impact on our society may be because of it. COMPANION PIECES: Our episode How American Politics REALLY Sees Men & MASKulinity does include Americans’ thoughts about women’s leadership traits No, having a woman president would not turn our country into a matriarchy (I think we wish it did kind of?!), but some examples of what women’s leadership could be like would still be helpful. We had talked about matriarchy, It didn’t work out, but some men were still about that Kamala as President life Referenced on this episode : That original Slate piece Azza wrote that caught Remoy’s interest? You can read it here You can follow Azza on Substack @azzacohen The image in our episode art is an Official White House photograph by Lawrence Jackson