Submissions Closed.

Overview

The ACM FAccT conference has predominantly focused on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency in computing systems. This focus on fairness, accountability and transparency has also attracted critique and renewed attention to the limitations of achieving these goals in computing systems without a broader consideration outside the more traditional ML fields.

In the spirit of reflection and response, we invite academics of all disciplines and people representing different communities of practice (including journalism, activism, advocacy, public authorities, education, art, spirituality, etc.) to contribute to CRAFT, a program embedded in the ACM FAccT conference. This call invites contributions in the form of workshops, panels and other formats to:

1. Creatively address critiques of the field of fairness, accountability and transparency -- its gaps, omissions and possibilities by taking a more holistic approach
2. Highlight novel modes of interaction with questions of fairness, accountability and transparency
3. Invite an interdisciplinary and cross-practice group of organizers, researchers, activists and artists to explore and inspire conversation and open future lines of research, collaboration and practice
4. Push beyond the epistemological and methodological boundaries of their research and practice

In addition to contributions that explore the problem space in greater depth and from broader perspectives, we particularly encourage proposals that explore solution spaces, indicate mechanisms for positive change, or open possibilities for a greater conversation around countering automated injustices. We value proposals focused on interaction among participants, and we will prioritize formats that allow participants to share and explore starting assumptions, prior experiences or competing values and to foster community building, collaborative knowledge production and future engagement.

We aim to have a robust program of in-person CRAFT sessions, to take place in the COEX exhibition centre in Seoul. We therefore encourage applicants to attend the conference in person. However, we will also have room for some online-only CRAFT sessions.

Themes

Below we offer a set of themes, some of which build on last year’s CRAFT sessions and existing critiques, and others which point to new and emergent areas for research. Each theme is accompanied by a non-exhaustive list of questions that a proposal might seek to investigate, as a way of fleshing out the theme.

We think of these themes more as "continuous dimensions" than as "distinct categories." We invite you to identify the primary theme to which your proposal connects. You are welcome to mention additional themes that are relevant, but please explicitly name the most prominent theme that informs your proposal.

Theme 1: Modeling and (Non-)Deployment

• How do we ensure that designers of algorithmic systems that aspire for fairness are cognizant of the "tussles" between entities that deploy these systems (e.g. through APIs) across different contexts?
• How do we build the appropriate (economic/social/legal/political) incentives and mechanisms to deploy fair and just systems?
• What are ways to evaluate and monitor the downstream consequences of unfair systems? Are there forms of evaluation that enable those affected in engaging in the evaluation of the damage?
• What role can researchers and other professionals play in developing processes for drawing red lines that may be applied to legacy, current or future machine learning systems?

Theme 2: Values, Assumptions and Context

• How do we surface hidden values and assumptions embedded in current perspectives on fairness, accountability and transparency? How do we provide new and alternate perspectives across systems, populations and regions?
• How can the FAccT field of practice grow as we embrace new and evolving modalities of thinking?

Theme 3: Generating Higher Order Critiques

• How do we turn the FAccT process inwards on our own community and reflect on how, cognizant of power differentials, we might improve research processes internally as well as interactions between and engagement with different disciplines?
• What are the methods and processes from different fields that may come to help in the exploration of inequitable outcomes and mechanisms and how to mitigate these?

Theme 4: Emerging Problems

• What are (a) unresolved questions in existing fields that need to be addressed, (b) desirable operating characteristics for FAccT frameworks in particular application areas that have yet to be explored or (c) new boundaries of FAccT approaches that require rethinking current practices?

Theme 5: New Models of Engagement

• How can we build non-exploitative, non-predatory mechanisms for engaging with people who are affected by computing systems?
• What can we learn from other disciplines and traditions (academic, activist or otherwise) on how to engage affected communities and constructively participate in coalitioning work?

Theme 6: Overlooked Disciplinary Approaches

• Many different academic disciplines study the social impact of sociotechnical systems; many of them are not yet well represented in the FAccT community. CRAFT can also provide a space for showcasing the research state of the art in such fields.
• Proposals for this theme should be clearly distinct from translation tutorials, which should be submitted to the tutorials track.

Guidelines for CRAFT Contributors

Submitting Proposals

Session Formats for Contributions

In the spirit of openness, we welcome contributions in a variety of different formats. These may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lightning Talk or Rump Session
• Panel
• Poster and/or Demo Session
• Unconference
• Interactive Workshop
• Art Exhibit or Other Artistic Intervention
• Research Panel

If you would like to propose another format or want to mix and match formats, please get in touch with us. In general, we welcome formats that differ from the conference program and avoid dominating the time with frontal presentations. We especially encourage proposals that bring together people from different backgrounds such as different disciplinary, epistemological or institutional practices, as well as contributions that bring in and bridge different communities, movements, organizations or positions.

Roles and Responsibilities for Contributors

Because we are open to as many formats as possible, we recognize that proposals may contain people who play different roles. Please name these roles in your proposal. For example, some potential roles to mention are:

• Coordinator: The person(s) responsible for executing the proposal and contact person(s) for the CRAFT Co-chairs. Prior to the conference, the person(s) may serve as the ringleader for the proposal. During the conference, the coordinator(s) are expected to facilitate discussion, help maintain productive interaction and encourage participation.
• Presenters: Those who are expected to present at the proposed session.
• Documenter: We strongly suggest that you designate someone to help to document your contribution for posterity’s sake.

Important: Note that you can submit no more than two contributions to CRAFT as a coordinator.

Important: If you are proposing a workshop, panel, poster session or another group format, you will need enough time to either circulate your own call or wrangle people who will participate. Your proposal should include a timeline for distributing a call, as well as for completing your final program.

Proposal Requirements

Submit your proposal as a single pdf at the EasyChair Submission site. Your proposal should include sufficient information to evaluate it equally among other proposals. We provide a template here so as to streamline the proposal process, as well as the selection process.

• Proposed Title: Let us know what your session will be called. (Max. 25 words)
• Coordinator(s): Please indicate the name or names of session coordinators, including their titles, affiliations and contact information.
• Presenter(s): If known, indicate the name or names of session presenters, including their titles and affiliations. (Note: The timeline below may be helpful.) If program is still to be curated and you don’t know all the names of presenters, please say so. Where possible, briefly describe what they will present on or contribute to your session. Please include the time zones in which each presenter will be in during the conference period.
• Documenter: We strongly suggest that you mention someone who will help to document your contribution for posterity’s sake. Please indicate the name, title, and affiliation of the person.
• Format: Indicate and describe the kind of format you will use for your session. (E.g., Interactive Workshop, Panel, Debate, Unconference, Art Exhibit or Other Artistic Intervention, Site Visit, Poster and/or Demo Session, Lightning Talk or Rump Session, Other)
• In-Person/Online: FAccT 2022 will take place both in-person and online. CRAFT sessions will cater for either the in-person or online audience. Online CRAFT sessions will be hosted on the conference platform, Hopin. We encourage all applicants to consider both in-person and online versions of their proposed session. Please indicate if you intend to deliver the session in-person, online, or are comfortable with either.
• Length: Choose the appropriate length for your session. The proposed events can be 45 minutes, 1.5 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours, or asynchronous in duration while 1.5 hours will be the default. Events that require 6 hours can be split over two days.
• Target Audience Size: Let us know how many people you anticipate coming to a session or how many participants you would ideally like to have.
• Description: Indicate the problem and/or critique you are engaging and the learning (or otherwise) goals of your session in approximately 800-1000 words (e.g., the form of an extended abstract). What are you trying to achieve with your session? Where do you want participants to be by the end of your event? Please also make sure to indicate how you will know that your participants effectively engaged with the problems/solutions, critiques, reflections or visions that your session seeks to generate. Please note, the title, coordinators’ names and a shorter description (max: 500 words) will be listed in the ACM FAccT* 2022 program.
• Additional Artifacts (optional): If you have additional materials which would support your proposal, such as a video example of the facilitation, a website or written workbooks, you can also include that in your proposal.
• Primary Theme Your Session Fits Into: Tell us which theme your proposal fits into. (E.g.,Theme 1: Modeling and (Non-)Deployment; Theme 2: Values, Assumptions and Context; Theme 3: Generating Higher Order Critiques; Theme 4: Emerging Problems; Theme 5: New Models of Engagement; Theme 6: Overlooked Disciplinary Approaches)
• Documentation and Reporting Plans: We would like to give the opportunity for CRAFT sessions to be properly documented. Indicate how you plan to capture and/or catalyze ideas that arise in your session (e.g., mention format and technical infrastructure for documentation during the event). We plan to compile artifacts for sessions that so choose (max 1000 words), and publish them on a microsite, linked to the FAccT website. Deadlines for reports to be included are August 31st, 2022.
• Publicity Plans: Please provide a short description of your publicity plan. If you plan to use social media to promote or document your session, please indicate a hashtag and other techniques you plan to utilize.
• Other Needs: Include a note if you have any special requirements for your session that are not addressed elsewhere.

Evaluation Criteria for CRAFT Session Proposals

CRAFT submissions will be selected by the CRAFT chairs in consultation with the FAccT organizing committee, with selections governed by quality and the need for a balanced and diverse program of interest to the FAccT community.

The review process will focus on four basic areas:

1. Organizational details: Is the proposal clear, sensible, and thorough?
2. Rigor and quality: The potential for the topic of the proposal to generate stimulating discussions and useful results.
3. Planning: The organizers’ ability to demonstrate in the proposal a well-organized process and plan for the workshop that is welcoming and fosters interactivity. Ensure there is a clear, and workable plan, especially in the virtual setting.
4. Contribution and Relevance: The overall balance of topics in the proposed program and relevance to the main conference theme. If multiple submissions are received on the same or similar topics, the organizers may be encouraged to merge them or differentiate them. Ideally, one or more of the organizers should have experience in organizing similar events.

CRAFT Co-Chairs

Please contact craft@facctconference.org for any questions.

• Moon Choi, KAIST
• Rumman Chowdhury, Twitter
• Rob Reich, Stanford University