Announcing the NeurIPS 2024 Affinity Events
By Ioana Bica, Nezihe Merve Gürel
We are excited to announce this year’s affinity events co-located with NeurIPS.
What are affinity groups?
At NeurIPS, affinity groups play a crucial role in promoting and supporting the ideas and voices of various communities that are defined by some axis of joint identity and raise awareness of issues that affect their members. In addition, they provide members of these affinity groups with increased opportunities to showcase their work, engage in discussions, and build connections during NeurIPS events, promoting diversity and inclusion at NeurIPS.
The main goals of affinity events are to increase visibility of the work done by the members of the affinity group, enable them to interact and discuss topics that are unique to each affinity group, encourage affinity group members to showcase their work and step into the NeurIPS community. In contrast to regular workshops, affinity group workshops adopt a more open and flexible approach around topic area, focusing on forming research communities within the affinity groups and bringing attention to the unique challenges faced by their members.
Additionally, affinity group socials serve as safe and welcoming spaces, allowing members to interact, socialize, and network in an inclusive environment. By fostering such social gatherings, NeurIPS supports the creation of a supportive community that values diversity and ensures that all voices are heard and valued.
What kind of events do affinity groups offer at conferences?
Affinity groups organize events with the main aim to encourage people to showcase their work and step into the NeurIPS community. The affinity events at NeurIPS this year will take place throughout the conference week. See below the details for when each affinity event will take place. NeurIPS will offer streaming support for all the in-person components of the affinity groups.
What can NeurIPS attendees do to support affinity groups?
Participate! Actively attending and participating in panels and sessions for discussions about issues that are relevant to the affinity groups goes a long way in helping promote their cause. We request all members of our community to participate actively!
Affinity groups at NeurIPS 2024
We are delighted to announce the following affinity groups at NeurIPS 2024. Find out more below about their mission and the event they are organizing!
Indigenous in AI/ML
Indigenous In AI’s vision is to build an international community of Native, Aboriginal, and First Nations who will collectively transform their home communities with advanced technology. By elevating the voices of Indigenous ML researchers we will inspire future impactful work and break stereotypes. Additionally, this group will strive to educate the broader NeurIPS on contemporary indigenous issues relevant to information technology and practices. For more information, please visit the Indigenous in AI website.
Muslims in ML
The Muslims in ML workshop aims to explore the intersection of machine learning, fairness, and the global Muslim community. It recognizes the potential of AI and ML to bring positive changes but also acknowledges existing barriers and biases that may perpetuate unfairness against Muslims. The workshop, now in its 3rd edition, aims to bring together diverse experts and perspectives to examine challenges and opportunities in integrating AI/ML in the lives of Muslims and those in Muslim-majority countries. It will showcase research by Muslim scholars in ML and highlight work addressing challenges faced by the Muslim community. The workshop provides a safe space for open discussions and social activities. It adopts an inclusive approach that considers cultural association and proximity to the Muslim identity, emphasising the importance of understanding the complexity and diversity within the Muslim community. The workshop seeks to promote awareness, collaboration, and mitigation strategies to ensure fair and equitable implementation of AI/ML technologies for Muslims worldwide. For more information, please visit the Muslims in ML website.
New in ML workshop
The NewInML workshop is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for emerging researchers in the ML community, with a strong belief that great innovations can arise from students of diverse backgrounds. We have extended our audience to include students at all levels, recognizing the diverse needs of those early in their journey as well as those transitioning within their careers. By offering a platform that spans a broad spectrum of topics—from hands-on sessions to frontier discussions—the workshop provides essential guidance to help participants contribute effectively to the field. Our goal is to build a more inclusive ML community by mentoring attendees, refining their research skills, and empowering them to make meaningful contributions, whether in academia or industry. NewInML workshop will take place Tuesday December 10th. More information can be found on the Workshop’s website.
Neurodivergent Community
The Neurodiversity Workshop will gather the Neurodiverse community to engage on leading research in the space and launch a competition to inspire additional research. The Workshop will be led by expertise from Michigan State University, MIT, Princeton, and more. The Workshop will occur on Thursday December 12 at 12pm Pacific Time. More information can be found on the Workshop’s website.
Global South in AI
Global South in AI (GSAI) was born in 2022 to solve the lack of inclusion and representation of the Global South in artificial intelligence ecosystems, especially the myriad rich vastness of culture and languages lived, spoken by millions of humans, and not just those with access and privilege. GSAI stands as counterbalance to a western lens focused pass-through of all language translation in LLMs and the impact of such homogenization on the global south. We do this through multiple projects that help local researchers who are already working on including their local culture and language in AI to build low resource datasets and empower their community in AI literacy. We also host annual multidisciplinary academic meetups co-located with NeurIPS, with the highest ethical standards for a diverse and inclusive community in order to promote the exchange of research achievements in Language artificial intelligence and machine learning. Please check our website and connect with us on LinkedIn. Our workshop date this year is Dec 10th, 10AM to 3PM at NeurIPS in Vancouver Canada. Details will be announced soon.
Women in ML
The goals and activities of WiML are to
- Highlight the work of researchers in machine learning who are women or non-binary,
- Give them a chance to meet, encourage technical discussion, and future collaboration,
- Give junior researchers an opportunity to present their work to their peers as well as senior members of the community.
The workshop plans to feature speakers who are women or nonbinary to give talks on their research, organize mentorship sessions to discuss relevant topics, and encourage networking. It will encourage and foster research conversations and help participants develop collaboration opportunities. There will also be poster sessions for participants to present a broader array of work and exchange feedback. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, December 10. For more information, please visit the Women in ML website.
Queer in AI
The Queer in AI workshop and social events at NeurIPS 2024 aim to create a vibrant and inclusive space that brings together queer students, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe to critically examine the impact of AI on the LGBTQIA* community, while fostering a sense of belonging among participants. The workshop aspires to build a strong network of queer individuals, enable discussions at the intersection of AI and queer identities, and tackle issues of discrimination within the tech industry and society at large.
The Queer in AI workshop is dedicated to advancing equitable AI practices and contributing to a future where technology serves the needs of all communities. The workshop is committed to advocating for a more ethically grounded approach to AI development, ensuring that diverse voices are heard and valued in conversations about the future of technology. For further details, please visit the Queer in AI website.
LatinX in AI
LatinX in AI (LXAI) bridges communities, academics, industry, and politicians working to further AI innovation and resources for LatinX individuals globally. We drive and support research, development, infrastructure, and mentoring programs to boost innovation and capabilities of LatinX professionals working in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science.
The 7th Annual Latinx in AI Research workshop will be held on December 10th, 2024 and will embrace a hybrid format, welcoming attendees both onsite and virtually. The workshop is a one-day event with invited speakers, oral presentations, and posters. The event brings together faculty, graduate students, research scientists, and engineers for an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas. There will be a panel discussion and a mentoring session to discuss current research trends and career choices in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. While all presenters will identify primarily as LatinX, all are invited to attend. For further details, please visit the Latinx in AI website.
Black in AI
Black in AI aims to shift the power dynamic in the field of artificial intelligence by broadening the range of voices contributing to the development, deployment, and regulation of AI technologies – to ensure that our community members are full partners in affirming their technological and economic futures. NeurIPS, being one of the largest AI research conferences, offers a valuable opportunity for researchers in the community to stay updated on the latest research and expand their network. Since its inception in 2017, many participants of the Black in AI Workshop have walked away from their experience at NeurIPS with internship offers, graduate program advisors, mentorships, and renewed energy to continue working in the field. The workshop remains committed to bridging the gap between researchers of African descent and the AI community at large. For more information, please visit the Black in AI website.