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Controversial professor Jordan Peterson retires from tenured position at U of T – Varsity

Content warning: This article discusses transphobia and misogyny.

Controversial U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson has announced that he is no longer a tenured professor at U of T. By 2017, he had stopped teaching courses at U of T, but retained a tenured position.

In an article in the National Post, Peterson explained the reasons for his retirement. He claimed that equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives at the university created career barriers for supremely trained heterosexual white male graduate students and made faculty positions less of a meritocracy.

Since 2016, Peterson has become a major media figure famous for his conservative political views. He has made a number of high-profile appearances on television and podcasts. He has also published a number of books, a podcast, and some online courses. He has often said that contemporary university departments and society at large are overly influenced by identity politics. This stance has attracted a large number of both supporters and critics.

In a statement to The Varsity, U of T confirmed that Professor Jordan Peterson retired in the fall and now holds the rank of Professor, Emeritus.

Timeline of events

Peterson has long been a controversial figure. In 2016, he posted a series of YouTube videos where he spoke against political correctness and Bill C-16, an amendment to both the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and the Criminal Code, which introduced gender expression and gender identity as protected under the CHRA. The videos were initially reported on by The Varsity in 2016 and drew attention from the media and the world at large, with many students and academics at U of T speaking against Peterson.

Peterson alleged that the bill curbed free speech because it forced people to use certain pronouns for others against their will for example, using the gender-neutral pronoun they for transgender and nonbinary people who prefer it over gendered pronouns like he and she. He continued to publicly denounce the bill for months in television appearances and YouTube videos, which gained significant media attention.

A number of faculty and student groups spoke against Peterson, with hundreds signing an open letter calling on U of T to fire him. Members of the university administration sent a letter to Peterson asking that he respect students pronouns and urged him to stop speaking on the topic on the grounds that using someones incorrect pronouns is a form of discrimination. At the time, Peterson was critical of the letter, describing it as an attempt to silence him.

Protests were held at the university both in support of and against Peterson, including an event called UofT Rally for Free Speech at which Peterson spoke. Reports of multiple threats against trans and nonbinary students on campus followed the protests.

Cassandra Williams vice-president, university affairs of the University Toronto Students Union at the time, and a vocal critic of Peterson said the anti-Peterson protests aimed to call out the university for supporting and enabling people who are causing harm to trans people. Debates were also held on campus discussing the subject of free speech and trans rights.

Since 2016, Petersons profile has extended far beyond the university. His media appearances, debates, and bestselling book, 12 Rules for Life, have created his reputation as a right-leaning public figure and have drawn supporters worldwide. Some of his supporters have harassed and doxxed his critics. He has made vigorous attacks on identity politics, which he often calls postmodern neo-Marxism. Critics have described his various beliefs as transphobic, misogynistic, conspiracy theories, and a dangerous influence on others.

Retirement

In his National Post article, Peterson explained the reason for his retirement. He wrote that he had hoped to be an academic forever but, among other reasons, he was unable to reconcile his beliefs with the appalling ideology of diversity, inclusion and equity at U of T. These facts rendered my job morally untenable, wrote Peterson.

Peterson further claimed that heterosexual, white graduate students who are men face a negligible chance of getting research positions due to the existence of EDI initiatives, and that there arent a sufficient number of qualified candidates that belong to minoritized groups for universities to be able to fill diversity targets.

He also railed against other equity initiatives in higher education, such as mandatory equity training for teaching faculty, which he claimed is ineffective.

In response to Petersons article, a spokesperson for the university pointed to the universitys employment equity reports, which found that between 2019 and 2020, the proportion of appointed faculty who identified as men remained constant.

The spokesperson also highlighted the universitys Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence, which asserts that An equitable and inclusive working and learning environment creates the conditions for our diverse staff and student body to maximize their creativity and their contributions, thereby supporting excellence in all dimensions of the institution.

Criticisms of Petersons claims

In an email to The Varsity, U of T Professor A.W. Peet, who has frequently criticized Peterson and has debated him in a widely seen television appearance in 2016, responded to his claims. They wrote that Peterson was a poisonous presence on campus, pointing to research that has identified Petersons rhetoric as a radicalization pathway for social media users, which has harmed U of Ts reputation.

I am tremendously relieved that he is no longer a professor at UofT. He harmed a lot of members of our community in recent years, including me, wrote Peet.

In an email to The Varsity, U of T Professor Emeritus Ronald de Sousa, who criticized Petersons original comments about Bill C-16 in 2017, also criticized Petersons article, writing that he wrongly portrayed people who are women, racialized, or LGBTQ+ as utterly unqualified.

Over half a century ago, when I was myself appointed to the University of Toronto, heterosexual, white male graduate students such as myself faced virtually no competition, wrote de Sousa. Pointing out that historically, academia has largely been dominated by white, heterosexual men, he mentioned that his graduate universitys policies dictated that no women were to be enrolled. If there simply is not enough qualified BIPOC people in the pipeline, shouldnt we support efforts to change that? wrote de Sousa.

I think [Peterson] should have had the decency to resign sooner, Peet added.

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In the belly of Jordan Peterson: Ambivalence in question with the ersatz journalist – Cherwell Online

I am sitting on the front bench in the Oxford Union chamber. Next to me, laptops are open.

Who do you write for?, asks the boy on my left. This boy is my friend for the next hour. We shake our heads at the same things, he thinks my notes about lobsters are funny (he was looking at my laptop screen. Thank God I never broke character).

Im independent, I say.

Okay.

I certainly am independent independent from the world of amateur journalism entirely. The boy on my right is in on the whole thing he saw me come in late and sneak onto the front bench.

Just open your laptop and do an essay or something, says boy-on-the-right.

I oblige, and title a document: Professor Jordan Peterson Oxford Union 25th November 2021. There is excitement in the room, and I am in the world of journalists now. It feels great.

The front rows of the benches ahead of me are for Petersons guests. This is what friend-on-the left and I infer, anyway, since theyre dressed much better than anyone else. Lots of shirts and brogues. I spy a fur hat. I spy

Jordan Peterson. There he is outside the glass door. We have all stood in the cold, in a line, for some considerable time to see this man. But why? A happy boy outside told me that Peterson had been incredibly helpful for him; in fact, I really had the sense that he might have changed his life. But otherwise, the Oxford position seems to be one of curiosity garnished with scepticism. This is certainly my own. Perhaps being a Jordan Peterson stan an overzealous or obsessive fan lacks the sort of nuance that these scholars might purport to possess.

Peterson limps into the room. From the front, he is handsome and thin. His hair is dark grey at the forehead and fades into silver at the collar. He walks up to the platform and there is a standing ovation. I look around and cant see any of the sceptics I met outside they must have transformed into stans. Boy-on-the right joins them. Friend-on-the-left and I stay seated besides, I committed to journalistic neutrality just five minutes ago. There are some booers but theyre nowhere to be seen amongst the standing-stans. I feel very confused.

From the back, Peterson is an old man. At the pub that night someone will remind me of the First Rule for Life: stand up straight with your shoulders back (see 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, 2018). His body is angled, and the way he hunches pushes his frame through his clothes. Something has changed. But, he moves with grace. Jordan Peterson is well dressed and dignified. There is a special elegance in the way he twists his hands as he speaks.

The title of the talk is Imitation of the Divine Ideal, he says, and he tells us about perception, truth, artificial intelligence, the problem of interpretation, cybernetics and robots. I try, but I really cant follow. This isnt the Jordan Peterson I (sort of) know. Ive read the first few chapters of his book, Ive seen the iek debate and Ive watched him own and be owned. Im sure something is different, and this isnt surprising: the Professor has recently overcome a clonazepam addiction and survived a coma, and he now lives by an all-meat diet. Peterson faces the room like a man talking to himself. His gaze hovers at floor-line; the upper chamber is all but invisible. There is an inwardness about the whole address. Richard Dawkins, who is sitting ahead of me, nods along. Some latecomers enter the hall and the bench opposite squeeze up. A girl with perfect hair sits down with the boys in boat shoes.

Peterson tells a story about a child who is scared when he sees a dog on his way to kindergarten. In the first version, he has a panic attack, spurring a lifetime of panic attacks, enabled by what Peterson calls the Oedipal sacrifice of his mother. In the second, the mother tells him to be brave and he walks past the dog to school, and he is fine. Here is some familiar Peterson-style argument I can follow. He talks about metafictional narratives, and I am reminded, with sadness, that I am not a real journalist after all. I make my pretend journalist notes anyway.

He loses me again. Now Peterson is talking about chimpanzees, rats and dogs (lots of dogs). He hasnt mentioned lobsters yet (friend-on-the-left laughs).

Do your controversies overshadow the subtler parts of your work?, someone asks. Peterson pauses for a long second.

No, he says. People always hate when I tell them that, on average, women are shorter than men. Thats not a social construct, and its not controversial: its just a fact.

Everyone laughs, including me. Boy-on-the-right looks up from his computer screen. He shakes his head in disgust. Hes researching for an assignment, and he hasnt listened to a word of the talk. This is his first sign of engagement since the standing ovation (this, being at odds with the rest of his behaviour, leads me to believe that he is deeply confused).

Are you okay?, he asks me.

Yes!;

he thinks I am crying.

I laugh even harder.

Its not that funny, its just absurd.

I know how this goes: we, as (supposedly) rational thinkers, subscribe to the first step of Petersons argument. But now we are on board the Peterson train, and if we stay aboard, we will soon pass under rough skies.

But dont be scared, boy-on-the-right! You should get on the train with us what no one has told you yet is that you can get off wherever you like! Get on with me, and Ill stay with you so long as the sky is flat.

I am not telepathising hard enough, and boy-on-the-right is still staring at his screen. Think about John Stuart Mill, boy-on-the-right! You just cannot be sure that a silenced opinion doesnt contain some element of the truth

Nope.

Were getting to the end of the talk, and finally! Peterson pushes me too far. I climb off the train with friend-on-the-left. We sigh and feel the sweet validation of arriving where we had expected.

What a total waste of an hour, says a girl at the end of the bench. Its true, Peterson was incoherent; but I know much more than I did before, and I am glad. I have been in the belly of the beast, and I have taken its temperature.

I have learnt more about boy-on-the-right than the Imitation of the Divine Ideal: I have seen the people who truly wont listen. Peterson is right about that. Even face-to-face with the enemy, he wont look up from his screen. Why had he even come? He must have been curious like me; and then he must have been afraid. I imagine dead dogmas whizzing around his brain; theyre pastel pink and green because theyre actually Instagram infographics. I know Im right! They are saying. I just dont know why!

Jordan Peterson is burning in a fire of his own making bowing under the pressure of the twenty-four rules he has stacked upon himself. It feels like his career will not continue as before. I think I understand why he believes in God, because he believes in big ideas, and because it all seems to be too much for this man. I do not hate him.

The talk finishes and there is another standing ovation. A head of bright red hair pops up and I recognise the Jordan-Peterson-changed-my-life boy from outside.

I remember a Tweet by bad-bitch Democrat A.O.C (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) from November 2020

Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings [and] photos

and look again at the ambivalent ones cheering all around me.

The students in this room are probably not Trump supporters, but this rhetoric of surveillance has filtered into their consciousness, nonetheless. If A.O.C doesnt scare people out of the wrong ideas, it seems like she just scares them out of expressing them: and I can see that all we have done is force stans to adopt a faade of scepticism. The truth of their feelings has simply been pushed one layer deeper, and all it takes is a round of applause to lift it right up to the surface; the curtain raises for just a moment.

What happens when people are alone, or online? How does suppressed desire express itself then? And what will happen in the polling booth when no one is watching? Many in this room of young men (they make up ninety percent of us) will believe that they are subject to a culture of conformism and hyper-vigilance, and we should diffuse their fears by acknowledging them, not silencing them lest we risk alienating people further (and even pushing them further to the Right). Listening more attentively, and even gently, could invalidate Petersons and A.O.Cs narratives of hostility, and we may find that this is a conflict that we no longer need, and that there is no Culture War without its student soldiers. In some ways, the Jordan-Peterson-spectacle is funny; and we can laugh. But we cannot dismiss these people. Perhaps instead we might look a hunched Professor in the face and ask ourselves: whats it all about?

What do you think youll submit?, asks friend-on-the-left as we close our laptops.

Probably a poem, I say.

Bibliography

@AOC. 6th Nov 2020. Twitter.

Full tweet: Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future

URL: https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1324807776510595078?lang=en

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0

For Cherwell, maintaining editorial independence is vital. We are run entirely by and for students. To ensure independence, we receive no funding from the University and are reliant on obtaining other income, such as advertisements. Due to the current global situation, such sources are being limited significantly and we anticipate a tough time ahead for us and fellow student journalists across the country.

So, if you can, please consider donating. We really appreciate any support youre able to provide; itll all go towards helping with our running costs. Even if you can't support us monetarily, please consider sharing articles with friends, families, colleagues - it all helps!

Thank you!

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This Is the Academic Lefts Version of Ethnic Cleansing – National Review

Jordan Peterson explains here why he is no longer teaching at the University of Toronto.

A slice:

This is one of many issues of appalling ideology currently demolishing the universities and, downstream, the general culture. Not least because there simply is not enough qualified BIPOC people in the pipeline to meet diversity targets quickly enough(BIPOC: black, indigenous and people of colour, for those of you not in the knowing woke). This has been common knowledge among any remotely truthful academic who has served on a hiring committee for the last three decades. This means were out to produce a generation of researchers utterly unqualified for the job. And weve seen what that means already in the horrible grievance studies disciplines. That, combined with the death of objective testing, has compromised the universities so badly that it can hardly be overstated.

Read the whole thing.

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Elton John, George Lopez and the top 35+ shows in Houston – Houston Chronicle

George Lopez

Most venues are still following COVID-19 guidelines, including reduced capacity, social distancing and masks. Several shows require proof of the vaccine or a negative test.

FRIDAY

Elton John: Pop icon returns for two shows. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Toyota Center, 1510 Polk; 866-446-8849.

George Lopez: Comedy superstar. 8 p.m. at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, 18111 Lexington, Sugar Land; 281-207-6278.

Pecos Hank: Roots. 7 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

Max Flinn: Country. 9:30 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

Robert DeLong : House. 7:30 p.m. at House of Blues, 1204 Caroline; 888-402-5837.

Kalo and Brown Sugar: Rolling Stones tribute. 9 p.m. at the Continental Club, 3700 Main; 713-529-9899.

Dale Watson: Country. 8:30 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Big Barn, 25911 Interstate 45 N., The Woodlands; 281-367-3774.

James Kennedy: Vanderpump Rules star. 10 p.m. at Rise Rooftop, 2600 Travis; 832-767-0513.

The Meteors: Punk. 7:30 p.m. at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel; 713-225-5483.

Shake Russell: Americana. 8 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Breakfast, BBQ and Whiskey Bar, 2626-B Research Forest, The Woodlands; 832-823-4414.

Mahalo, Zookeeper and Party With Ray: House. 10 p.m. at Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond; 832-251-9600.

Ishi: Dance-pop. 8 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall, upstairs, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

The Garden: Rock. 8 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall, downstairs, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

SATURDAY

Borgeous: House. 10 p.m. at Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond; 832-251-9600.

Oak Ridge Boys: Country. 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Grand 1894 Opera House, 2020 Postoffice, Galveston; 409-765-1894.

The War on Drugs: Rock. 7 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall Lawn, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

Samantha Fish: Blues. 8 p.m. at The Heights Theater, 339 W. 19th; 214-272-8346.

El Ten Eleven: Post-rock. 7 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall, upstairs, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

Southern Slang: Rock. 9 p.m. at the Continental Club, 3700 Main; 713-529-9899.

Sebastian Leger: House. 10 p.m. at Rise Rooftop, 2600 Travis; 832-767-0513.

Kym Warner and Warren Hood: Americana. 7 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

Opie Hendrix: Pop/rock. 9:30 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

Kristen Kelly: Country. 8 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Breakfast, BBQ and Whiskey Bar, 2626-B Research Forest, The Woodlands; 832-823-4414.

Phil Vassar: Acoustic country. 8:30 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Big Barn, 25911 Interstate 45 N., The Woodlands; 281-367-3774.

MONDAY

Current Joys: Singer-songwriter. 7 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall, upstairs, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

Gene Watson: Country. 7 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Big Barn, 25911 Interstate 45 N., The Woodlands; 281-367-3774.

TUESDAY

Giulia Millanta and Amanda Pascali: Singer-songwriters. 7 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

Martin Barre: Fifty years of Jethro Tull. 8:30 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Big Barn, 25911 Interstate 45 N., The Woodlands; 281-367-3774.

Fit for an Autopsy: Deathcore. 6:30 p.m. at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel; 713-225-5483.

WEDNESDAY

Sports: Dream pop. 8 p.m. at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel; 713-225-5483.

THURSDAY

Beetle: Beatles covers. 7 p.m. at the Continental Club, 3700 Main; 713-529-9899.

Dr. Jordan Peterson: Author/lecturer. 7:30 p.m. at Bayou Music Center, 520 Texas; 713-230-1600.

Kurt Travis: Rock. 6 p.m. at White Oak Music Hall, upstairs, 2915 N. Main; 713-237-0370.

Jordi Baizan: Singer-songwriter. 7 p.m. at McGonigels Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk; 713-528-5999.

10 Years: Metal. 7 p.m. at Rise Rooftop, 2600 Travis; 832-767-0513.

Statesboro Revue: Country. 8 p.m. at the Dosey Doe Breakfast, BBQ and Whiskey Bar, 2626-B Research Forest, The Woodlands; 832-823-4414.

Bijou, Nostaglix and Michael Sparks: House. 10 p.m. at Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond; 832-251-9600.

joey.guerra@chron.com

Joey Guerra is the music critic for the Houston Chronicle. He also covers various aspects of pop culture. He has reviewed hundreds of concerts and interviewed hundreds of celebrities, from Justin Bieber to Dolly Parton to Beyonce. He's appeared as a regular correspondent on Fox26 and was head judge and director of the Pride Superstar singing competition for a decade. He has been named journalist of the year multiple times by both OutSmart Magazine and the FACE Awards. He also covers various aspects of pop culture, including the local drag scene and "RuPaul's Drag Race."

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DeepTarget Expands Leadership Team with the Addition of Mark Schwartz as Director of Sales – Business Wire

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DeepTarget Inc., a solution provider that utilizes data mining and business intelligence in order to deliver targeted communications across digital channels for banks and credit unions, today announced the addition of Mark Schwartz as Director of Sales.

Poised for accelerated growth, DeepTarget enters 2022 coming out of an extremely successful year of new customers, technology innovations including an awarded patent, and new partnerships and alliances. Schwartz brings strong leadership credentials for accelerating enterprise solution sales, assembling sales talent, and building scalable sales processes.

I am delighted to lead DeepTarget through its next phase of accelerated growth building on the strong success record of more than 200 banks and credit unions, said Mark Schwartz. With the accomplishment of so many successful and happy customers as a foundation, I am doubly excited about guiding new bank and credit union prospects to digital success using this patented and results-driven Digital Experience Platform. 2022 is going to be a remarkable year.

Many banks and credit unions are facing the stress of fierce competition and digital disruption. They find themselves spending marketing budgets on communications that dont reach or resonate with the modern consumers high expectations. DeepTarget simplifies digital marketing with a sophisticated and comprehensive digital experience platform that leverages AI and BI to effortlessly reach each individual consumers through automated, targeted campaigns of highly relevant financial products and services. DeepTargets FI customers often reduce marketing spend while quadrupling ROI and exceed industry standards for digital engagement.

Mark is a valuable addition to our sales team, said Preetha Pulusani, CEO of DeepTarget. He brings tremendous industry knowledge and experience to our company and he will be an instrumental asset to our continued growth. There is undoubtedly an increase in demand for digital consumer engagements but many financial institutions are unaware about how to get started on this digital journey. Marks expertise will help many more banks and credit unions appreciate the availability and benefits of innovative, automated solutions enabling them to meet the demands of their consumers in an efficient manner, further increasing revenue and consumer satisfaction for these organizations.

Prior to joining DeepTarget, Schwartz led business development and sales initiatives for financial services organizations, where he proved to be a trusted, results-driven, entrepreneurial leader. He has established a strong ability to train, mentor, develop and motivate teams to achieve determined goals. He most recently served as Director of Business Development for Ncontracts, where he created and implemented a Business Development Representative program, resulting in the team performing at 136% of quota. He has held key positions at LSQ Funding Group, Coupon Mint and Bancsource.

About DeepTarget

DeepTarget helps financial institutions integrate data sources for the purpose of driving meaningful digital engagements that yield more loans and deposits. Their solutions help financial institutions connect with their customers with messages that resonate. DeepTargets intelligent digital marketing and sales solutions are used by hundreds of financial institutions to provide a seamless communications experience wherever, whenever and however their customers bank. For additional information visit http://www.deeptarget.com. To boost your digital presence and cross-sell results, connect with Mark Schwartz directly at sales@deeptarget.com.

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RDS and Trust Aware Process Mining: Keys to Trustworthy AI? – Techopedia

By 2024, companies are predicted to spend $500 billion annually on artificial intelligence (AI), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

This forecast has broad socio-economic implications because, for businesses, AI is transformativeaccording to a recent McKinsey study, organizations implementing AI-based applications are expected to increase cash flow 120% by 2030.

But implementing AI comes with unique challenges. For consumers, for example, AI can amplify and perpetuate pre-existing biasesand do so at scale. Cathy ONeil, a leading advocate for AI algorithmic fairness, highlighted three adverse impacts of AI on consumers:

In fact, a PEW survey found that 58% of Americans believe AI programs amplify some level of bias, revealing an undercurrent of skepticism about AIs trustworthiness. Concerns relating to AI fairness cut across facial recognition, criminal justice, hiring practices and loan approvalswhere AI algorithms have proven to produce adverse outcomes, disproportionately impacting marginalized groups.

But what can be deemed as fairas fairness is the foundation of trustworthy AI? For businesses, that is the million-dollar question.

AI's ever-increasing growth highlights the vital importance of balancing its utility with the fairness of its outcomes, thereby creating a culture of trustworthy AI.

Intuitively, fairness seems like a simple concept: Fairness is closely related to fair play, where everybody is treated in a similar way. However, fairness embodies several dimensions, such as trade-offs between algorithmic accuracy versus human values, demographic parity versus policy outcomes and fundamental, power-focused questions such as who gets to decide what is fair.

There are five challenges associated with contextualizing and applying fairness in AI systems:

In other words, what may be considered fair in one culture may be perceived as unfair in another.

For instance, in the legal context, fairness means due process and the rule of law by which disputes are resolved with a degree of certainty. Fairness, in this context, is not necessarily about decision outcomesbut about the process by which decision-makers reach those outcomes (and how closely that process adheres to accepted legal standards).

There are, however, other instances where application of corrective fairness is necessary. For example, to remedy discriminatory practices in lending, housing, education, and employment, fairness is less about treating everyone equally and more about affirmative action. Thus, recruiting a team to deploy an AI rollout can prove a challenge in terms of fairness and diversity. (Also read: 5 Crucial Skills That Are Needed For Successful AI Deployments.)

Equality is considered to be a fundamental human rightno one should be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, nationality, disability or sexual orientation. While the law protects against disparate treatmentwhen individuals in a protected class are treated differently on purposeAI algorithms may still produce outcomes of disparate impactwhen variables, which are on-their-face bias-neutral, cause unintentional discrimination.

To illustrate how disparate impact occurs, consider Amazons same-day delivery service. It's based on an AI algorithm which uses attributessuch as distance to the nearest fulfillment center, local demand in designated ZIP code areas and frequency distribution of prime membersto determine profitable locations for free same-day delivery. Amazon's same-day delivery service was also found to be biased against people of coloureven though race was not a factor in the AI algorithm. How? The algorithm was less likely to deem ZIP codes predominantly occupied by people of colour as advantageous locations to offer the service. (Also read: Can AI Have Biases?)

Group fairness' ambition is to ensure AI algorithmic outcomes do not discriminate against members of protected groups based on demographics, gender or race. For example, in the context of credit applications, everyone ought to have equal probability of being assigned a good credit score, resulting in predictive parity, regardless of demographic variables.

On the other hand, AI algorithms focused on individual fairness strive to create outcomes which are consistent for individuals with similar attributes. Put differently, the model ought to treat similar cases in a similar way.

In this context, fairness encompasses policy and legal considerations and leads us to ask, What exactly is fair?

For example, in the context of hiring practices, what ought to be a fair percentage of women in management positions? In other words, what percentage should AI algorithms incorporate as thresholds to promote gender parity? (Also read: How Technology Is Helping Companies Achieve Their DEI Goals in 2022.)

Before we can decide what is fair, we need to decide who gets to decide that. And, as it stands, the definition of fairness is simply what those already in power need it to be to maintain that power.

As there are many interpretations of fairness, data scientists need to consider incorporating fairness constraints in the context of specific use cases and for desired outcomes. Responsible Data Science (RDS) is a discipline influential in shaping best practices for trustworthy AI and which facilitates AI fairness.

RDS delivers a robust framework for the ethical design of AI systems that addresses the following key areas:

While RDS provides the foundation for instituting ethical AI design, organizations are challenged to look into how such complex fairness considerations are implemented and, when necessary, remedied. Doing so will help them mitigate potential compliance and reputational risks, particularly as the momentum for AI regulation is accelerating.

Conformance obligations to AI regulatory frameworks are inherently fragmentedspanning across data governance, conformance testing, quality assurance of AI model behaviors, transparency, accountability, and confidentiality process activities. These processes involve multiple steps across disparate systems, hand-offs, re-works, and human-in-the-loop oversight between multiple stakeholders: IT, legal, compliance, security and customer service teams.

Process mining is a rapidly growing field which provides a data-driven approach for discovering how existing AI compliance processes work across diverse process participants and disparate systems of record. It is a data science discipline that supports in-depth analysis of how current processes work and identifies process variances, bottlenecks and surface areas for process optimization.

R&D teams, who are responsible for the development, integration, deployment, and support of AI systems, including data governance and implementation of appropriate algorithmic fairness constraints.

Legal and compliance teams, who are responsible for instituting best practices and processes to ensure adherence to AI accountability and transparency provisions; and

Customer-facing functions, who provide clarity for customers and consumers regarding the expected AI system inputs and outputs.

By visualizing compliance process execution tasks relating to AI training datasuch as gathering, labeling, applying fairness constraints and data governance processes.

By discovering record-keeping and documentation process execution steps associated with data governance processes and identifying potential root causes for improper AI system execution.

By analyzing AI transparency processes, ensuring they accurately interpret AI system outputs and provide clear information for users to trust the results.

By examining human-in-the-loop interactions and actions taken in the event of actual anomalies in AI systems' performance.

By monitoring, in real time, to identify processes deviating from requirements and trigger alerts in the event of non-compliant process tasks or condition changes.

Trust aware process mining can be an important tool to support the development of rigorous AI compliance best practices that mitigate against unfair AI outcomes.

That's importantbecause AI adoption will largely depend on developing a culture of trustworthy AI. A Capgemini Research Institute study reinforces the importance of establishing consumer confidence in AI: Nearly 50% of survey respondents have experienced what they perceive as unfair outcomes relating to the use of AI systems, 73% expect improved transparency and 76% believe in the importance of AI regulation.

At the same time, effective AI governance results in increased brand loyalty and in repeat business. Instituting trustworthy AI best practices and governance is good business. It engenders confidence and sustainable competitive advantages.

Author and trust expert Rachel Botsman said it best when she described trust as, the remarkable force that pulls you over that gap between certainty and uncertainty; the bridge between the known and the unknown.

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RDS and Trust Aware Process Mining: Keys to Trustworthy AI? - Techopedia

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Russia proposes ban on use and mining of cryptocurrencies – Reuters

MOSCOW, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Russia's central bank on Thursday proposed banning the use and mining of cryptocurrencies on Russian territory, citing threats to financial stability, citizens' wellbeing and its monetary policy sovereignty.

The move is the latest in a global cryptocurrency crackdown as governments from Asia to the United States worry that privately operated and highly volatile digital currencies could undermine their control of financial and monetary systems.

Russia has argued for years against cryptocurrencies, saying they could be used in money laundering or to finance terrorism. It eventually gave them legal status in 2020 but banned their use as a means of payment.

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In a report published on Thursday, the central bank said speculative demand primarily determined cryptocurrencies' rapid growth and that they carried characteristics of a financial pyramid, warning of potential bubbles in the market, threatening financial stability and citizens.

The bank proposed preventing financial institutions from carrying out any operations with cryptocurrencies and said mechanisms should be developed to block transactions aimed at buying or selling cryptocurrencies for fiat currencies.

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The proposed ban includes crypto exchanges. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance told Reuters it was committed to working with regulators and hoped the report's release would spawn dialogue with the central bank on protecting the interests of Russian crypto users.

Restrictions on owning cryptocurrency are not envisaged, said Elizaveta Danilova, head of the central bank's financial stability department.

Active cryptocurrency users, Russians have an annual transaction volume of about $5 billion, the bank said.

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SHADOWING CHINA?

The central bank said it would work with regulators in countries where crypto exchanges are registered to collect information about the operations of Russian clients. It pointed to steps taken in other countries, such as China, to curb cryptocurrency activity.

In September, China intensified its crackdown on cryptocurrencies with a blanket ban on all crypto transactions and mining, hitting bitcoin and other major coins and pressuring crypto and blockchain-related stocks.

"For now there are no plans to ban cryptocurrencies similar to the experience of China," Danilova said. "The approach we have proposed will suffice."

Joseph Edwards, head of financial strategy at crypto firm Solrise Group, played down the report's significance, saying no one outside Russia would be losing sleep over it.

"Moscow, like Beijing, is always rattling its sabre over 'crypto bans', but Russia has never been a pillar of any facet of the industry in the same way as China has been at times," he said.

CRYPTO MINING

Russia is the world's third-largest player in bitcoin mining, behind the United States and Kazakhstan, though the latter may see a miner exodus over fears of tightening regulation following unrest earlier this month. read more

The Bank of Russia said crypto mining created problems for energy consumption. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are "mined" by powerful computers that compete against others hooked up to a global network to solve complex mathematical puzzles. The process guzzles electricity and is often powered by fossil fuels.

"The best solution is to introduce a ban on cryptocurrency mining in Russia," the bank said.

In August, Russia accounted for 11.2% of the global "hashrate" - crypto jargon for the amount of computing power being used by computers connected to the bitcoin network.

Moscow-based BitRiver, which operates data centres in Siberia hosting bitcoin miners, said it did not consider a complete crypto ban likely, expecting a balanced position to develop once different ministries have discussed the proposals.

The central bank, which is planning to issue its own digital rouble, said crypto assets becoming widespread would limit the sovereignty of monetary policy, with higher interest rates needed to contain inflation.

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Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya and Alexander Marrow; additional reporting by Tom Wilson in London; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Russia proposes ban on use and mining of cryptocurrencies - Reuters

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Digging Into The Data Of Bitcoin Mining Decentralization | Bitcoinist.com – Bitcoinist

The Bitcoin mining landscape has undergone shifts over the past year due to Chinas crackdowns. Heres some data that shows how decentralized the BTC network currently is.

One way to study about decentralization in the BTC mining network is to go through hashrate dominance data of the major mining pools and companies.

The hashrate is an indicator that measures the total amount of computing power currently connected to the Bitcoin network.

Higher the value of this metric, more is the mining power on the chain, and hence better is the overall performance.

On the Bitcoin network, there are several big publicly-traded mining companies present. The percentage of the hashrate each of them make up for may shed some light on the degree of the decentralization on the BTC blockchain.

Here is some data from Arcane Research that shows the hashrate dominance of the major mining companies:

As you can see in the above graph, Marathon, the largest of the Bitcoin mining companies, makes up for just a little less than 2% of the hashrate.

The five biggest mining companies in the market combined control around 7% of the total hashrate on the BTC blockchain.

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This isnt that big a percentage so this picture of the network may suggest that the network is relatively decentralized.

However, many major mining companies actually combine their hashrate and mine under the various mining pools.

The below chart shows how the hashrate is distributed among the major Bitcoin mining pools.

Now this data, on the other hand, makes the Bitcoin network look more centralized. The largest mining pool, AntPool, accounts for 16% of the hashrate alone.

The five largest pools make up for 70% of the total hashrate on the BTC blockchain. This is a pretty significant number.

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The report concludes that the bottleneck for Bitcoin decentralization lies not among mining companies, but mining pools. As such, decentralized mining pools may be the way to go for decentralization in the future.

At the time of writing, Bitcoins price floats around $42k, down 4% in the last seven days. Below is a chart that shows the trend in the value of BTC over the last five days.

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Digging Into The Data Of Bitcoin Mining Decentralization | Bitcoinist.com - Bitcoinist

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Senior/Research Data Analyst, Manager job with SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES | 278258 – Times Higher Education (THE)

Short Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior/Research Data Analyst to join the Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC).

TLC promotes excellence in teaching and learning through the design and implementation of innovative pedagogies; facilitation of Faculty development and training; scholarship of teaching & learning; and provides academic support for students whilst developing lifelong learning attributes in our graduates.

Job Description

As Senior/Research Data Analystyou will be proactive and crucial to the successful development and implementation of adaptive learning systems and web applications to augment the quality of teaching and learning within the university. You will be responsible for developing and implementing data analytics solutions, and research tasks related to educational data mining. These include data extraction, wrangling, examination, interpretation, and evaluating relevant models (e.g., machine learning) for the system. With guidance and assistance from colleagues, you will also contribute to reports and publications to communicate success/progress of development works.

Job Requirements

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Senior/Research Data Analyst, Manager job with SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES | 278258 - Times Higher Education (THE)

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Special Scientist, Research Associate, Research Fellowship Position job with UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS | 278736 – Times Higher Education (THE)

UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUSMarie-Curie Initial Training Network RAIS: Real-Time Analytics for the Internet of Sportshttp://rais-itn.euANNOUNCEMENT OF Research Fellowship in Edge computing, Complex systems and Data analytics

Title:Special Scientist (Research Associate) Research fellowship positionNo. of Position(s):1Category:ESR1 (13 months full time)Location:University of Cyprus, Nicosia

The University of Cyprus (UCY) announces the availability of one Special Scientist (Research Associate) (1) Research fellowship position, under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) RAIS: Real Time Analytics for the Internet of Sports. The position is in the area of edge computing, complex systems and data analytics.

Position Code:

RAIS-UCY-ESR1 Adaptive monitoring Framework for Wearable devices: hosted by the Laboratory of Internet Computing, Dept. of Computer Science

The period of employment is as follows:

ESR1: starting date 1st June 2022 (13 months - within the approved limits of its budget).

The position is funded by the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska--Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) program RAIS, which focuses on the design of decentralized, scalable and secure collective awareness platforms for real-time data analytics and machine learning, which preserve end-user privacy and information ownership. The RAIS consortium aspires to establish a fertile multidisciplinary research and innovation community with a strong entrepreneurial culture that will advance wearable sport-sensing and quantified-self devices and accompanying middleware. The consortium comprises scientists and research groups from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; the Univ. of Cyprus; the Univ. of Insubria, Italy; the Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Greece; the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; RaceFox, Sweden and a number of associated research and industrial partners (Cambridge University, UK; MIT Sloan School of Management, USA; Open Data Institute, UK; EIT Digital, Belgium; Recorded Future, Sweden; Kinetic Analysis, The Netherlands; Berklee College of Music, USA).

The main objective of the RAIS Initial Training Network is to provide world class training for the next generation of researchers, data scientists, and Web engineers, emphasizing on a strong combination of advanced understanding in both theoretical and experimental approaches, methodologies and tools that are required to develop Decentralized Platforms for Real-Time Data Analytics.

Requirements, Eligibility Criteria and Funding

We seek candidates with experience and/or research interests in the following areas and topics:

Preference will be given to highly motivated candidates with strong programming and analytical skills, excellent knowledge of English (for non-native speakers required to take TOEFL or equivalent test), and a proven commitment to their studies. Eligible applicants are required to have completed a higher education degree (M.Sc.) of computer science, statistics or other related areas from an internationally recognized university. The applicant must have less than 4 years of full-time research experience after obtaining their degree. At the time of recruitment by the UCY, the early-stage researcher must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Cyprus for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.

Students in their final year of Master education may also apply and if qualified, receive a conditional offer. If the applicant has not completed his/her studies, he/she should include a written statement from the degree administration office (or equivalent department), confirming that he/she is enrolled on the final year of his/her education and stating the expected completion date. If the applicant receives a conditional offer, the candidate should present the degree certificate before enrolment.

Marie Curie fellows enjoy good salaries and working conditions, career development opportunities and work-life balance. We especially encourage women researchers to apply for the aforementioned positions.. For Marie Curie fellows with family (Family means persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country where this relationship was formalized) or dependent children who are actually being maintained by the Marie Curie fellow), a monthly family allowance will be given. Marie Curie fellows will also get coverage of expenses related to the participation in research and training activities (contribution to research-related costs, meetings, conference attendance, training actions, etc.).

Career Stage : Early stage researcher or 0-4 years of experience (Post graduate) According to the H2020 (Marie S. Curie Actions) Regulations. Eligibility rules for the Marie S. Curie fellows can be found at the H2020 MSCA 2018-2020 Work programme: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2018-2020/main/h2020-wp1820-msca_en.pdf

Benefits:

Applications:

Interested parties are requested to submit the following files:

Required

Applications should be submitted electronically to Mrs. Demetra Katziani at dkatzi01@cs.ucy.ac.cy with subject line RAIS/vacancies2022/ NAME SURNAME.

While expressions of interest are accepted on a continuous basis, applications received by March 31, 2022 will be considered in the first evaluation cycle. The decisions are expected to be reached in April 2022.

The offer of the position is subject to the final approval of the European Commission and any other regulatory approval.

About the University of Cyprus:

The University of Cyprus (UCY) is the largest University and the main research organization in Cyprus. The University was established in 1989. The University is featured in the Shanghai list of world-class Universities. It is ranked in the top 351-400 Universities worldwide and is in the 52nd position amongst Universities that are less than 50 years old, according to the Times Higher Education World Rankings. The University is located in Nicosia, the capital city of the Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member state, a major financial, business, tourist, and educational hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, and one of the safest countries in the world. Nicosia combines a modern European culture with ancient enchantment and world-class tourist and archaeological attractions. RAIS ITN at UCY is coordinated by a multidisciplinary group of faculty members from the Laboratory for Internet Computing, Department of Computer Science (School of Pure and Applied Sciences) and the Social Analytics & Networks Lab, Department of Business Administration (School of Economics and Business):

For more information please contact Associate Professor George Pallis (gpallis@cs.ucy.ac.cy).

At least the best three candidates that satisfy the required qualifications, will be interviewed by a 3-member Committee.

Candidates shall be informed of the result of their application by the relevant entity.

The University of Cyprus shall collect and process your personal data according to the provisions of the General Regulation on Personal Data 2016/679 (EU).

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Special Scientist, Research Associate, Research Fellowship Position job with UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS | 278736 - Times Higher Education (THE)

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