In this talk, Xerxes brings together some of their recent research on "predictive" policing and public engagement with technology in order to question what relationships are being built with AI systems across the U.S. criminal-legal system. Diagnosing the problem of "tech-washing," Xerxes will illustrate how communities engage with systems that harm them by reframing, reconstructing, and enacting other refusals. The talk closes by considering what it may look like to craft convivial AI at UB.

Dr. Xerxes Minocher was most recently the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Technology and Justice, and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace, Justice, and Human Rights at Haverford College where they taught and conducted research within Philadelphia's restorative justice and carceral ecosystems. Working within critical studies of technology, Xerxes' current work blends qualitative methods with power-sensitive analysis in order to identify and elevate the tactics that communities use to engage with AI systems in their social worlds. With co-authors, they have also published works on the ethical concerns of AI, gamification, and content moderation. Some of their most recent works appear in the Journal of Digital Social Research, Information Systems Frontiers, and Social Text (forthcoming).