THE HIDDEN MIND
HOW ALGORITHMS IMPACT OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
My goal with this project was to shed light on the impacts of this new form of technology that currently remain largely hidden and obscure in the mainstream media, where these algorithms and artificially intelligent programs are labeled as 'black boxes'.
The Story
In this mini documentary project I illuminate how artificial intelligence works behind the scenes in our lives, secretly helping us make choices. I begin by focusing specifically on the impact these algorithms have on our social media, and consequently our lives.
I interview experts, activists, and victims of algorithmic bias and artificial intelligence to gain a deeper understanding of these algorithms and their impact on society. These interviews will be used to create a series on algorithms in social media. My goal with this project is to shed light on the impacts of this new form of technology that currently remain largely hidden and obscure in the mainstream media, where these algorithms and artificially intelligent programs are labeled as “black boxes”.
The Hidden Mind (trailer)
The Cast
THE EXPERTS
Dr. Laura Edelson
Dr. Laura Edelson received her PhD in Computer Science from NYU's Tandon School of Engineering. She is now an assistant professor at Northeastern University.
THE STUDENTS
Hui Wen Goh
Hui Wen was a student at New York University studying Mathematics with minors in Computer Science and Data Science. She is now a Machine Learning Engineer at CleanLab.
The Mood Board
Where the vision comes to life.
The Sizzle Reel
Made with found footage from research and moodboards.
Have you ever been in awe of Iron Man’s intelligent creation, J.A.R.V.I.S. or been mesmerized by the humanity in Star Wars’ robots? The science fiction in movies may be closer to reality than we realize. However, unlike the movies, today these machines are hidden agents in determining many of our successes and failures.
Artificial Intelligence is defined as the design and creation of computer systems to solve problems that require human intelligence and expertise. This discipline was born during the 1950s and first used as a harmless way to beat humans at strategic games such as chess. Today artificial intelligence has been implemented in more places than we realize.
From determining who shows up on your For You page of Instagram to determining who is qualified for a job, and even who is most likely to commit a crime. Artificial intelligence has been given a seat at the decision table for it all… and yet who is this machine we have so willingly submitted our trust, power, and agency to? A black box of complex mathematical algorithms, owned and operated by companies with vested interests, not us. Have you ever wondered what occurs behind our screens?
How do we know these algorithms are trustworthy and fair? On the contrary, we know that they are not. As time passes, more evidence surfaces -- from mysterious gender disparities in the Apple Card and Amazon hiring algorithms to racial disparities in housing loans and electronic soap dispensers, to name a few -- artificial intelligence is plagued with bias. Who is to be held accountable for this bias when artificial intelligence simply mirrors back and perpetuates society’s flaws?
The Audience
The Public
My intended audience is largely the public and more specifically, users of social media. I want to be able to highlight how these platforms are affecting users’ lives. Social media itself is very fast-paced and visual. I intend to make my videos fit this format by keeping to a shorter-video docu-series format. The multimedia format will also resemble social media.
As someone who is part of social media sites, although not a huge content creator on these sites, I do understand this community to an extent. This will help me in being able to reach them.
The Process
The Grant Proposal
I wrote a grant proposal to acquire funding for the documentary. I successfully received funding with the Dean's Undergraduate Research Fund for this project.
The Interviews
I reached out to experts and students to interview for the making of this documentary. Once I found the proper cast, I set up video individual interviews with each of them to gain their perspectives on the subject matter.
The Scripting
I worked on a script for this documentary. This is a preproduction document that storyboards exactly how the documentary will be put together, with an audio and visual section. I shot b-roll to include in this film.
The Editing
I edited together all of the clips into a succinct film using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.