Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series 2019


Gendering AI and Robots:

Robo-Sexism in Japan and the United States


Jennifer Robertson


Thursday, 6/6, 5:30-7:00PM

Room 10-301, 3F, Building 10, Sophia University


In humans and humanoid robots alike, gender--femininity, masculinity--constitutes an array of learned behaviors that are cosmetically enabled and enhanced. In humans, these behaviors are both socially and historically shaped, but are also contingent upon many situational influences, including individual choices. I will explore the sex/gender dynamics informing the design and embodiment of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, especially humanoids. As I demonstrate, advanced technology does not necessarily promote social progress but rather is deployed to reinforce conservative models of sex/gender roles and family structures.


Jennifer Robertson is Professor of Anthropology and the History of Art at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is also an affiliate faculty of the Robotics Institute and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG). Robertson earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell University in 1985, where she also earned a B.A. in the History of Art in 1975. The recipient of many fellowships and awards, Robertson was an Invited Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (1996-1997) and a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2011-2012). Abe, ACLS, SSRC, NEH, Japan Foundation, Wenner Gren, and Fulbright are among her other fellowships. The Japan Editor of Critical Asian Studies, Robertson's seven books and over eighty articles and chapters address a wide spectrum of subjects in Anthropology, History of Art, and Japan Studies ranging from the 17th century to the present. Robo sapiens japanicus: Robots, Gender, Family, and the Japanese Nation (California, 2018) is her latest book. She is currently researching, writing, and editing articles on the cultural history of Japanese eugenics, bio-art and contemporary art, and human-robot interfaces in Japan and elsewhere. www.jenniferrobertson.info/ <http://www.jenniferrobertson.info/>


Language: English / No Prior registration necessary / This lecture is organized by Professor Noriko Murai (FLA) for ICC Research Unit "Heisei Becomes History."

http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2019-2020/190606_Robertson.pdf


Institute of Comparative Culture (ICC) Sophia University: 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, JAPAN/ Web: http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/