Research summary
Search algorithms play a crucial role in how people access information. Nonetheless, these algorithms can be biased or vulnerable to manipulation, which affects not only fairness, but people’s trust in online content. As Canada Research Chair in Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Morteza Zihayat Kermani is building trustworthy search algorithms for graph-based data, such as social networks. (A social network is considered graph-based data because it can be mathematically represented as a graph, where users are nodes and their relationships form connections.)
He and his research team aim to ensure that search results are fair, unbiased and resilient to cyber threats. To do this, they are developing algorithms that detect and mitigate biases in search results while also protecting searches from attacks, such as misinformation spread by bots. Ultimately, this research will help internet users find accurate, trustworthy information in an increasingly digital world.