Last June I led the workshop “COLOUR – algorithmic thinking with photography” at the Netherlands School of Public Administration (in Dutch: Nederlandse School voor Openbaar Bestuur – NSOB). The group consisted of researchers and educational managers at NSOB. The workshop was a great succes.

The workshop starts with a sensitiser “What labels would you use to describe a human?”

Introduction to the different rounds of labelling

The first round of labelling: labelling with a set of 24 premade labels

The labels are printed on stickers. In this way you can work fast, but the time pressure to label the images is high, just 45 seconds per image

The next round is one without time pressure, participants get all the time they need to come up with their own labels

Labelling round three: assigning a whole new set of images to labels on the tables

A participant asigns an image to the label “IN A RELATIONSHIP”

Different images get assigned to the same labels and the other way around

“The label “fun” is not at all applicable here. “Interesting”, “meaningful” and “important”
are more accurate labels.

– participant of the workshop

 

“Johan’s workshop made me realize that we all are unconsciously biased when categorizing. How we see the world (and therefore pictures as well) is by definition coloured.
The workshop is a great way to reflect on this, as well as on the power and possibilities of AI.

For everyone working with AI or planning to, it would be good to realise the consequences of the way we categorise.
This workshop is a great way to reflect on that!”

– participant of the workshop

A few of the 15 labels on the tables: NON CONFORMIST, CONFORMIST, POOR, RICH

The conversation in the end of the workshop covers different themes: how did you experience the first round of labelling compared to the second and the third one? How did your identity, or the way you labelled yourself, influence the way you were labelling? What does it mean to have a bias and is it possible to surpass it? How can this bias be of influence on AI and its output?

In previous workshops participants told me the workshop was not only interesting, but also fun. This group instantly understood the implications of the workshop and said the label “fun” is not at all applicable here. “Interesting”, “meaningful” and “important” are more accurate labels. I couldn’t agree more.

Are you interested in hosting this workshop? Please contact me at johan@johanieuwenhuize.nl