Title:
Addressing Computing's Discrimination Problem: A Framework for Anti-Discriminatory Computing
Addressing Computing's Discrimination Problem: A Framework for Anti-Discriminatory Computing
Author(s)
Schlesinger, Arielle Bea
Advisor(s)
Antón, Annie I.
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Abstract
Discrimination is a problem that impacts nearly every aspect of computing. Despite years and resources spent addressing diversity and inclusion, computing has not seen meaningful improvements. From the design and implementation of code to computer science classrooms to technology workplaces, computing's discrimination problem spans the entire tech industry. Decades of minimal progress addressing computing's discrimination problem requires new ways to approach discrimination throughout computing. To address computing's discrimination problem, we must be able to identify and understand the scope of the problem as well as its root causes.
Both of the leading professional organizations in computing, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), state that a central aim of their work is to support technical advances that are beneficial for people—ACM’s tagline includes "where computing helps solves tomorrow’s problems" and IEEE’s tagline is "Advancing Technology for Humanity". In this dissertation, I discuss how people working in computing can address the root causes of computing's discrimination problem by reversing the systemic tendency to abstract away the complexity of humanity. Specifically, in my dissertation, I identify and cultivate an understanding of the root causes of computing's discrimination problem across various sub-areas of computing. I explain the anti-discriminatory theoretical framework that guides my work so that others can apply and extend this framework. I also report on four research studies across four sub-areas in computing—computer science (broadly), HCI, AI, and programming languages. These studies advance progress towards the goal of identifying and understanding the root causes of computing's discrimination problems. I explore why computing’s discrimination problem has endured and uncover targeted directions for future work to reduce discrimination in computing.
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Date Issued
2023-07-28
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Text
Resource Subtype
Dissertation