Joel Wester has double Bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and psychology from Södertörn University and Stockholm University, and a Master’s degree in Cognitive Science from Umeå University.
Throughout the conduction of his Master’s thesis, he collaborated with members of the Responsible AI research group at the Department of Computing Science at Umeå University, where he focused on on assessing socio-moral decision-making in AI-based conversational agents conceptualised as Critical Friends.
DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH AREA AND FOCUS
- My main focus will be within the area of Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Centered AI, and I will focus on artificial morality in terms of decision-making and explainability in Human-AI interactions.
PROJECTS YOU ARE/WILL BE INVOLVED IN?
- I will be part of the project “Algorithmic Explainability for Everyday Citizens”, funded by Carlsberg Foundation Young Researcher Fellowships, led by Niels van Berkel. This project key aim is to better understand how to best help citizens engage with Artificial Intelligence-driven systems in complex decision-making scenarios.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO CONTINUE YOUR CAREER AT AALBORG UNIVERSITY?
- Coming from a highly interdisciplinary background, I wanted to combine disciplines and approaches into doing state-of-the-art research in the field of AI. Thus, Niels and his project on Algorithmic Explainability, as well as the HCC group, offered precisely that. Also, for me as a Swede, could not be more excited about relocating to Aalborg and Denmark!
FUN AND OTHER FACTS?
- Ask me anything about The Office.