Sylvia Riordan

Sylvia is the Head of Research at the Center for Gender Equitable AI, where she writes academic material to support CGEAI’s policy and advocacy work. She is passionate about working towards the ethical integration of artificial intelligence into society, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable social groups, such as children and those who may be harmed by algorithmic bias.

 

Sylvia has a BA in Computer Science from Barnard College, where she explored her interests in programming, accessible technology, and gender equity. She is currently working towards her MA in AI, Ethics and Society at Birkbeck, University of London. As a master’s student, she is studying the philosophical questions surrounding AI development as well as the societal impacts of its public use. She plans to write her thesis about children’s digital safety, particularly the ethical concerns surrounding the integration of artificial intelligence into K-12 education.

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She became interested in pursuing a master’s degree after working with an EdTech startup on their AI and Education Symposium. The experience allowed her to see firsthand the real-world impacts of the ethical questions she had about AI, and encouraged her to receive formal education on the subject. During her program, Sylvia has written papers on the moral agency of AI, the adverse effects of AI-backed recommendation algorithms, and the inherent immorality of creating non-consensual pornographic deepfakes.