The last couple of weeks have been eventful. January 21st through 24th was the Davos World Economic Forum, and this past Thursday was the closing day of the FAT* conference, now renamed to FAccT (Fairness, Accountability and Transparency). The conference was established in 2018 to bring together “researchers and practitioners interested in fairness, accountability, and transparency in socio-technical systems” and over the last two years grew into an ACM-affiliated, international conference. This year it was hosted in Barcelona, Spain. The organizers stole some of my thunder this week because I have been meaning to write about the conference’s name and suggest that the “FAT” acronym may not be the best idea. Though the new acronym is not the most aesthetically appealing, I do find it meaningful that in an age when facts are too often ignored and diminished, a conference dedicated to fairness, accountability and transparency has “fact” in its name.
Issue #3: Promise & Responsibility
Issue #3: Promise & Responsibility
Issue #3: Promise & Responsibility
The last couple of weeks have been eventful. January 21st through 24th was the Davos World Economic Forum, and this past Thursday was the closing day of the FAT* conference, now renamed to FAccT (Fairness, Accountability and Transparency). The conference was established in 2018 to bring together “researchers and practitioners interested in fairness, accountability, and transparency in socio-technical systems” and over the last two years grew into an ACM-affiliated, international conference. This year it was hosted in Barcelona, Spain. The organizers stole some of my thunder this week because I have been meaning to write about the conference’s name and suggest that the “FAT” acronym may not be the best idea. Though the new acronym is not the most aesthetically appealing, I do find it meaningful that in an age when facts are too often ignored and diminished, a conference dedicated to fairness, accountability and transparency has “fact” in its name.