Replicating Bias: What AI Sees — and What It Misses

Thu., Apr. 23, 2026, 12 – 1 p.m.



Join us for a conversation with Michelle Greene, assistant professor of neuroscience & behavior and psychology, as she shares insights from her recent research published in Nature Humanities & Social Sciences Communications on socioeconomic bias in artificial intelligence. Based on an analysis of nearly one million images from Airbnb listings across 200 countries and every U.S. county, Greene examines how AI systems used for scene recognition are less accurate in lower-income areas and more likely to assign harmful or stigmatizing labels. The event will explore what these patterns reveal about how AI “sees” the world, the real-world consequences of biased systems, and approaches to developing fairer, more representative AI that can also inform design practices in technology and the built environment.

Speaker: Michelle Greene, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior, Psychology at Barnard College and Columbia University.

Community Conversation is an initiative for the GSD to informally engage with each other around topics that advance discussions about perspective, difference, and commonality.

Online Location: harvard.zoom.us…
Gazette Classification: Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Ethics, Humanities, Information Technology, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
Organization/Sponsor: Harvard University Graduate School of Design Office of Community, Impact, and Opportunity
Speaker(s): Michelle Greene, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior, Psychology at Barnard College and Columbia University
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: harvard.zoom.us…