The sixth Faculty Pub Night of the 2024–25 season took place at the William H. Hannon Library, highlighting Professor Anna Farzindar and her collaborative work on her co-authored book “Natural Language Processing for Social Media.” The event delved into Farzinadar’s deep insights into how artificial intelligence interacts with communication norms and social dynamics online.
Anna Farzindar is a respected scholar in the computer science department here at Loyola Marymount University and has an impressive background in academia and research experience prior to her time at LMU. Farzindar has written more than five books in the field establishing herself as a notable figure in AI research areas such as natural language processing (NLP), social media analysis, and healthcare predictive machine learning, within interdisciplinary data science studies.
During the presentation, Farzindar shared her fascination with how AI technology has become a fixture in enhancing interactions on social media channels. Her study highlighted the benefit of social media in fostering connections by leveraging vast data resources. For example, apps that offer features like suggesting friends or facilitating professional networking on platforms such as LinkedIn and encouraging discussions on public forums like Reddit and X. This viewpoint emerged as a focus in her research, prompting her exploration into the evolution of AI powered networks alongside significant technological and societal advancements.
Her fascination with natural language processing was illuminated as she explored the intricacies of AI terminology and ideas. She characterized intelligence as a mirror image of the mind, whereas machine learning constructs predictive models based on data sets and algorithms. Her discussion expanded to encompass learning that involves transformers and decoders and results in AI and NLP all aimed at enhancing human computer interactions.
Farzindar’s unique background in computer science and visual arts offered a complex perspective on AI applications. Coming from an art background, she showcased how she uses her creative skills to engage the public on the ethical considerations and proper utilization of AI. Her approach of juxtaposing her watercolor artworks with AI generated art highlighted how subtle messages can sometimes be overlooked in machine generated creations.
She found that analyzing social media data is tough due to its features like volume and real time updates along with emotional content and differing credibility levels. She also discussed the need for a holistic approach in handling social media analytics from gathering data to sharing insights.
Farzindar’s presentation highlighted its focus on ethics in AI for social media usage. The research she conducted highlighted issues in the implementation of AI technology such as concerns about information generation (hallucination), truthfulness and reliability of AI models, their alignment with values and safety considerations, along with different types of biases. These insights served as the basis for her support of practices in AI that encourage inclusivity, fairness, and equality.
Farzindar concluded her presentation by discussing the future of AI in media and highlighting its impact on user experiences through personalized content curation and sentiment analysis. She stressed the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines technical skills with ethical considerations for responsible AI technology development.
This Faculty Pub Night showcased research that delved into the connections among artificial intelligence systems, social interactions, and ethical dilemmas. Farzindar’s detailed study and captivating talk provided attendees with a better insight into AI’s role in social media today and its potential impact on society in the future.