Professor Sharifa Sultana, Human-AI Interaction in the Global South
October 30th, at 12 pm
COBLE HALL 306 or zoom
Description: How can artificial intelligence serve the needs, values, and aspirations of communities beyond the Global North? In this talk, Dr. Sharifa Sultana explores Human–AI Interaction (HAI) through the lens of the Global South, drawing on years of ethnographic and participatory research in Bangladesh, South Asia, and immigrant communities in the United States. She discusses how people improvise, repurpose, and negotiate AI systems within fragile infrastructures and diverse cultural worlds. The talk highlights design approaches that center local knowledge, linguistic justice, and community well-being—offering pathways toward more inclusive, context-aware, and equitable AI futures.
Bio: Sharifa Sultana, an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at UIUC, is a human-computer interaction (HCI) and human-AI interaction (HAI) researcher. She connects computing, justice, faith, and access to empower communities worldwide. She has expertise in HCI, AI, design theory, postcoloniality, feminism, and science and technology studies (STS). She has worked with rural communities in Bangladesh and Muslim immigrants in North America for the last nine years. She uses quantitative and qualitative (ethnographic) techniques and ethics frameworks to study and design computational tools and systems. Her research has brought novel perspectives into responsible AI, HAI, HCI, and information and communication technology for development (ICTD).