Tech conference axed over AI-generated women speakers, blames 'cancel culture'
What's the story
The DevTernity software conference in Latvia has been canceled, after facing accusations of using AI-generated headshots and fake women speakers.
Its organizer, Eduards Sizovs did so in order to meet diversity requirements. Big names from Microsoft and Google pulled out of the event, causing its cancellation.
Sizovs confessed to auto-generating a woman's profile when a speaker dropped out. He blamed "cancel culture" for the backlash and insisted he did nothing wrong.
Details
Discovery of fake profiles by software engineer
Software engineer Gergely Orosz found that DevTernity listed fake speakers, including made-up Coinbase and Meta engineers, for events in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The profiles had fabricated names, titles, and AI-generated headshots.
Orosz stated, "In tech, never have I observed fake speakers with AI-generated images and associated with publicly traded companies listed on any conference website, large or small."
He also confirmed with friends at Coinbase that one of the listed speakers was not an employee.
What Next?
Organizer's involvement in other controversies
Sizovs also admitted to operating an Instagram account featuring over a thousand pictures of a woman named "Julia Kirsina."
IP logs show that he operates the account, and some captions are identical to his LinkedIn posts.
Engineer Liz Fong-Jones said, "He is catfishing, using her image, as she is his female mouthpiece."
An administrator of the invite-only Lobst.ers coding forum, Peter Bhat Harkins, expressed shock at Sizovs' continued efforts in creating fake profiles.
Insights
Impact on women in tech
This controversy has sparked concerns about the authenticity of women in tech.
Microsoft executive Scott Hanselman, who refrained from participating in the event, tweeted, "This whole conference debacle is so disappointing."
Meanwhile, Fong-Jones added, "This is damaging to all women in tech, even the ones that have nothing to do with the conference."
"Because now we're going to get asked, even more often, all these questions about our authenticity."