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Design is an act aimed at changing and transforming the world - d’Anjou, 2011
Dasha Simons | Managing Trusted AI Consultant & Designer
Impatient optimist & Full-time dreamer
I am passionate about bringing the human heartbeat into technology development by creating more trustworthy AI by design. I use my creativity and human-centred perspective to find new ways how we can make AI more trustworthy, by making it more explainable, transparent and fairer. In line, by spreading awareness on these increasingly important challenges. This is not done alone, but by empowering others alike.
Education by talks
My work founds in the belief that AI development should give equal acces to benefits for all in society. To do this, the benefits and pitfalls need to be evident for all. Thus, creating awareness about the need for Trustworthy AI, in a truly understandable way, is key. I use playfulness, relatable concepts and scientific insights to inspire more conscious AI use, trustworthy AI development and decision making. Doing this by thoughtfully questioning restraining opinions, beliefs and expectations. Are you curious?
My Vision
As a design engineer by education and legitimate millennial, I am intrigued by developing AI creatively for beneficial and sustainable societal progress. My bi-cultural and bilingual upbringing, enabled me to thoughtfully question values, beliefs, expectations and plurality of perspectives from an early age, critical for ethical examinations and discussion. The increasing use and development of AI is promoting countless questions ranging from: What does means to be human? How do we select a fitting candidate for our job posting (with AI)? How do we distribute access to education fairly (with AI)? to how do we create AI that is trustworthy for all its users?
In exploring possible answers, I strongly believe a design perspective can support the current technological and policy feats. How to do this? This site, my work and ambition are to create and explore this together with you!
I invite you to think along and to have a look at my work below.
Work Highlights
Managing Consultant Trusted AI at IBM
Sept 2019 - Current - Full-time
My role is twofold. On one hand internal, by enabling our own teams in creating trusted AI. Examples include: setting-up the global CoE for Trustworthy AI at IBM, leading the training initiatives on Trustworthy AI for consultants working in EMEA.
My primary role is advising clients on how we can make AI more trustworthy, by making it more explainable, transparent and fairer. Projects range from: Explainability for enhanced human-AI collaboration, scaling trustworthy AI uptake, assessments of trustworthy AI strategies and models to other themes as architectures and roadmaps for financial crimes prevention.
I am advising various industries ranging from financial institutions, public sector and consumer goods from operational to C-level.
Do you want a complete glance at my career? Have a look on my LinkedIn.
Best Graduate TU Delft Industrial Design Engineering
2019 - Delft University of Technology
I wrote my master thesis, Design for Fairness in AI, in collaboration with IBM. Graded with a 10/10 and awarded with the best graduate prize 2019 of Industrial Design Engineering.
Advisory Board member - AI Futures Lab - Delft University of Technology
Sept 2022 - Current - Part-time
The lab is focused on new understandings of rights and justice in our AI futures, which at the same time support human agency, human rights, wellbeing and justice. My role is to advice the PhD students and the lab from an industry lens.
Portfolio Highlights
Portfolio Highlights
Most of my work is confidential. A few highlights and explorations are shared.
Evil AI Game - 2019
Spark the imagination for more creative outcomes and change perspective of the AI team by reframing the challenge. Think of the worst, most evil ideas possible for the use case of the new AI system. The participants need to think of the most unfair, immoral and prejudiced systems.
Unexpected Scenarios - 2019
Reflect on a prospective AI system using unexpected scenario cards. It is a competitive game. The aim is to support the teams in challenging each other on the choice (to be made) in AI development.
Making Trustworthy AI Recipes - 2019
In this exercise the earlier evil ideas are translated to implementable and actionable features and rules of thumb. It is focussed around preventing these evil ideas and breaking these down from more abstract ideas towards concrete ones.