All posts by Debanjan Barthakur

Debanjan is a Doctoral Candidate (U. of Toronto) and researcher in psychology and neuroscience with a master’s degree (McMaster U.). His research explores the intersection of social and health psychology. Debanjan is a passionate activist for psychological well-being in work environments and a member of the academic parity movement. Partnered with The Canadian Institute of Workplace Harassment and Violence.
AI, Social Issues

As We Code, So We Reap – by Debanjan Borthakur 

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The  Roots of Biased AI

Human prejudice stretches back millennia, and the seeds of racism and bias that we sowed long ago have now taken root and flourished within artificial intelligence. Bias existed long before machine learning algorithms emerged; whenever society invents a new technology, it inherits the prejudices and discrimination of earlier eras. In the nineteenth century, redlining maps dictated who could receive loans—systematically denying Black Americans access to mortgages, insurance, and other essential financial services. Today’s credit-scoring algorithms still mirror those same exclusions. As AI extends into recruitment, administration, medicine, and the media, alarm bells are sounding: if we do not imbue our machines with ethical values, they will merely magnify our deepest biases.
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Authors A-H, Education, Make a Difference, Social Issues

Intergroup Relations – by Debanjan Barthakur

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Lessons from Life and the Classroom

This year, I had the opportunity to teach Intergroup Relations at the University of Toronto as a part-time instructor. It was a new and enriching experience. While at the University of Rhode Island, I once took a course titled Non-Violence and Conflict Reconciliation—at the request of a friend. Since then, I’ve been deeply interested in issues of social harmony and justice. The question of how we can build peace in our society has often occupied my thoughts. Initially, the plan was to teach a different subject. But quite unexpectedly, I found myself teaching this course at a time when divisions between groups—across the world—are becoming sharper. Conflicts based on ideologies, religions, and identities continue to shape current political realities. The urgency of improving intergroup relations is not just felt in North America, but equally in India and elsewhere, I was born in India and I closely observe the socio-political issues pertaining to both societies. 

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