Speaker: Dr Dhiraj Murthy, The University of Texas at Austin
Chair: Dr Ella McPherson, Associate Professor in the Sociology of New Media and Digital Technology
Abstract
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are being used throughout the world to generate text, images, music, video, and much more. Though GenAI systems have become extremely advanced through their training on billions of human-produced data points, they reproduce sociopolitical biases and inequalities overtly and subtly. Following the methods of small empirical experiments employed by Safiya Noble to explore racism and racism content in search engines, this talk introduces my own experiments using ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Meta AI regarding race-related prompts both in text and image creation. By examining these outputs, I render visible some of the deeply embedded biases in contemporary generative large language models (LLMs). This talk introduces sociological theory on race/racism as well as early work on AI and demonstrates some ways in which sociologists can extend and develop theory in rapidly changing sociotechnical systems. Because this work directly explores race, racism, and big technology, it has been targeted and this talk also provides personal examples of the precarities and realities of conducting so-called “lightning rod” research in US universities.
Speaker
Dhiraj Murthy is a Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, with appointments in Sociology and the School of Information. His research focuses on social media's impact on race/ethnicity, health, virtual organizations, and natural disasters, using qualitative/mixed methods and machine learning. Dr. Murthy has authored over 90 publications, including the first scholarly book on X (formerly known as Twitter). He directs the Computational Media Lab at UT Austin and co-edits the journal Big Data & Society.
Access information: The seminar room is accessed via two flights of steps/a lift and then a further two flights of stairs accessed through a heavy set of doors. There is no step-free access. The lift is not accessible to wheelchair users, but may assist with other mobility issues. Please contact enquiries@sociology.cam.ac.uk with any questions.
