Speakers

Eelco Herder

Eelco Herder works as an associate professor in the Interaction Group at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His research focuses on the fine balance between the benefits of personalization and perceived and actual risks associated with privacy matters. Particularly, he investigate how users and current (commercial) recommender systems respond to one another, and which mechanisms help to encourage users to actively choose what they want instead of passively following suggestions.

About lecture:

In personalized interaction between humans and computers, not only algorithms learn about the users: the users also learn about the system's behavior and adapt their expectations accordingly. Particularly, as users expect systems to support their daily activities, this feedback loop may result in long-term changes in these daily activities and user decisions themselves. This can be observed in activities as different as autonomous driving and social media consumption. In this presentation, I will discuss theoretical underpinnings as well as empirical studies on this mutual reinforcement.

Shahryar Ershad Sarabi

Dr. Shahryar Sarabi is an environmental planner whose research interests focus on applications of AI in sustainability transitions, systems thinking for sustainability, human-nature interactions, environmental justice, and promoting pro-environmental behavior. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology of Utrecht University, studying the psychological consequences of coordination in pro-environmental actions.

About lecture:

AI is pivotal in advancing urban sustainability by offering innovative solutions to complex urban challenges. By harnessing the power of machine learning and data analytics, AI systems can analyze vast amounts of data from various sources, enabling cities to make informed decisions. AI can play a crucial role in urban climate adaptation by providing valuable insights, enhancing decision-making processes, and facilitating proactive measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change. I will discuss how AI can facilitate urban climate adaptation and present some of the tools I have designed for this purpose.

Mariet de Boer

Mariet de Boer (1994) works as an advisor for the staff of the Raad voor het Openbaar Bestuur (ROB), a strategic council that advises the government and parliament on matters pertaining (good) governance and public administration. She studied Philosophy at Utrecht University (2018) and obtained a Masters degree in Public Administration at Leiden University (2020). In her work she focusses on the normative dimension of policy, authority, legitimacy and public value.

About lecture:

In her talk Mariet will explore the advice Sturen of gestuurd worden? Over de legitimiteit van sturen met data (2021). The ROB advises different methods government organizations can use in order to use data and AI in a accountable and legitimate way.