*Are machine learning algorithms or models neutral? Or do they reproduce the biases of the data on which they have been trained? *How can the protection of individual privacy and freedom be guaranteed in the digital world?

Many of our students and collaborators have had the opportunity to address the various topics of computer ethics in the course of their studies or research. Computer ethics covers all the moral standards governing the use of computers and IT tools. Problems of confidentiality, intellectual property rights and the effects on society are some of the most common issues in this field, which many researchers are trying to resolve, even on our campus.

To address these issues, CLIC, the IC Faculty's student association, and Polyquity, the AGEPoly committee whose role is to promote gender equality on campus, decided to join forces to offer a conference around the theme of computer ethics.

The event included 3 mini-conferences of around 10 to 15 minutes each, all three given by women in the IT field, followed by a 30-minute discussion and question-and-answer session. We were delighted to welcome :

• Carmela González Troncoso, assistant professor at EPFL and head of the SPRING (Security and Privacy Engineering Laboratory). Her work focuses on understanding and moderating the impact of technology on society. The presentation addressed the topic of "Computer ethics in an interconnected world - rethinking the limits and boundaries of systems".
• Anna Jobin, associate researcher at the STSLab (Sciences and Technologies Studies Laboratory) at the University of Lausanne. Her research lies at the intersection of science, technology and society, which is why her presentation revolved around the question "Can Artificial Intelligence be ethical?".
• Emma Lejal Glaude, IC alumna graduating in 2019. She is the first president of Polyquity and currently works at Swisscom where she specializes in the ethics and fairness of artificial intelligence. Emma introduced us to her background in ethics in Artificial Intelligence, bias and fairness in AI algorithms and how she came across this topic through her Master's thesis at Swisscom. As a result, she has made this subject her main research at Swisscom.

The event took place on Wednesday December 9 at 5:00 p.m. and, unsurprisingly, on Zoom. It was a great success, welcoming over 80 participants in a very busy study period. The event was partly recorded and is now available at this link.