Department of Computational and Data Sciences
Department Seminar
Speaker : Prof. Aditya Vashistha, Assistant Professor, Cornell University, USA
Title : “AI for Online Safety of Marginalized Populations”
Date & Time: June 5th, 2025 (Thursday), 11:00 AM
Venue : # 102, CDS Seminar Hall
ABSTRACT
AI has the power to drive meaningful change, but its benefits have remained concentrated among privileged communities in the West, which account for only a small fraction of the global population. Even conversations about AI risks are rooted in Western contexts, despite AI’s widespread use across the world. Consequently, current AI technologies not only lack representation of diverse non-Western cultures and languages, but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes about people in these cultures.
This talk will examine these challenges through case studies of my work with people with disabilities, women, and emerging users of AI-infused technologies in the Global South. I will highlight both the promises and pitfalls of existing AI systems, illustrating how they often fail those who are most marginalized. By centering these overlooked perspectives, I will discuss pathways for designing AI technologies that are more inclusive, representative, and equitable on a global scale.
BIO: Aditya Vashistha is an Assistant Professor of Computing and Information Science at Cornell University and a Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Digital Life Initiative, the Cornell Center for Health Equity, the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. His research focuses on designing, building, and evaluating globally equitable AI technologies to improve socioeconomic outcomes for historically marginalized communities. Aditya has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications, earning multiple best paper awards at premier HCI and AI venues. His research has transitioned into products that are used by an estimated 300,000 people in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. His work has been recognized with prestigious accolades, including the Facebook Access Innovation Prize, the UW College of Engineering Award, the Meta Fellowship, the Google Faculty Award, the Microsoft Faculty Award, and President’s and Provost’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service at Cornell. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Washington, where his dissertation received the William Chan Memorial Dissertation Award and the WAGS/ProQuest Innovation in Technology Award.
Host Faculty: Dr. Danish Pruthi
ALL ARE WELCOME
