Doctorant (F/H) Mitigating Risks of Ai-driven Information Targeting Through Independent Auditing and Experimental Design

**Type de contrat**: CDD **Niveau de diplôme exigé**: Bac + 5 ou équivalent **Fonction**: Doctorant **A propos du centre ou de la direction fonctionnelle**: The Inria Saclay-Île-de-France Research Centre was established in 2008. It has developed as part of the Saclay site in partnership with **Paris-Saclay University** and with the **Institut Polytechnique de Paris**. The centre has 40** project teams**, 27 of which operate jointly with Paris-Saclay University and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Its activities occupy over 600 people, scientists and research and innovation support staff, including 44 different nationalities. **Contexte et atouts du poste**: This work is part of the ERC MOMENTOUS project and a continuation of the work Ines Abdelaziz has done during the past year as a research engineer in our team. **Mission confiée**: The PhD Proposal addresses the human-level impact of targeted messages, the hidden biases within algorithmic targeting, and the critical need for meaningful transparency. Expected outcomes include empirical insights into how information is targeted in the public sphere, identification of algorithmic vulnerabilities, and the development of actionable recommendations for platforms, regulators, and users to foster a more informed and resilient digital ecosystem. **Principales activités**: **Task 1: Develop a Data Collection Tool** Deploy and extend a browser extension to collect data on user-encountered online content. This is essential to overcome the opacity of AI-driven platforms. The extension, building on Ines's prior work, will serve as an independent auditing tool, drawing from open-source projects like AdObserver and AdAnalyst. **Task 2: Audit for Algorithmic Bias** Use independent auditing methods to uncover hidden biases (e.g., along gender and racial lines) in "black box" content recommendation and ad-delivery algorithms. Methods will include: - **Paired Ad Experiments**: Run controlled ad campaigns varying only protected attributes (gender, age) to detect algorithmic bias. - **Synthetic User Accounts**: Systematically test algorithmic responses to different user profiles at scale. Ines will expand on her current work auditing advertising on YouTube. **Task 3: Evaluate Platform Transparency and Regulatory Compliance** Empirically test the effectiveness of platform transparency features (e.g., "Why am I seeing this ad?") and assess compliance with key European regulations. - **Digital Services Act (DSA)**: Verify compliance with rules on ad disclosures, ad repositories for VLOPs, prohibitions on targeting minors or using sensitive data, and recommender system transparency. - **EU AI Act**: Assess compliance with requirements for disclosing AI-generated content and user interaction with AI systems. This task builds on Ines's current work comparing ad explanation features with ad library data. **Task 4: Propose Mitigation Solutions** Translate findings from Tasks 1-3 into actionable recommendations and solutions tailored for platforms, regulators, and users. **Compétences**: - The student should have a master or engineering degree in Computer Science and a strong expertise in programming and data mining. **Avantages**: - Subsidized meals - Partial reimbursement of public transport costs - Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.) - Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours - Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.) - Social, cultural and sports events and activities - Access to vocational training - Social security coverage **Rémunération**: Monthly gross salary : 2.200 euros/month **Informations générales**: - **Thème/Domaine**: Représentation et traitement des données et des connaissances Systèmes d'information (BAP E) - **Ville**: Palaiseau - **Centre Inria**: Centre Inria de Saclay - **Date de prise de fonction souhaitée**: 2025-12-01 - **Durée de contrat**: 3 ans - **Date limite pour postuler**: 2025-09-28 **Consignes pour postuler**: **Sécurité défense**: Ce poste est susceptible d’être affecté dans une zone à régime restrictif (ZRR), telle que définie dans le décret n°2011-1425 relatif à la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique de la nation (PPST). L’autorisation d’accès à une zone est délivrée par le chef d’établissement, après avis ministériel favorable, tel que défini dans l’arrêté du 03 juillet 2012, relatif à la PPST. Un avis ministériel défavorable pour un poste affecté dans une ZRR aurait pour conséquence l’annulation du recrutement. **Politique de recrutement**: Dans le cadre de sa politique diversité, tous les postes Inria sont accessibles aux personnes en situation de handicap. **Contacts**: - **Équipe Inria**: CEDAR - **Directeur de thèse**: **A propos d'Inria**: Inria est l’institut nat