Call for Papers: Muslims in ML Workshop co-located with NeurIPS 2024
We are pleased to announce the 3rd Muslims in Machine Learning (MusIML) Workshop, which will take place at NeurIPS 2024 on Tuesday, December 10th, 2024, from 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM PST in West Meeting Room 215-216, Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, Canada. This workshop aims to amplify the development and use of machine learning (ML) in Muslim communities including Muslim-majority countries and strategies for global societal impact through AI and ML.
Workshop Overview
The MusIML workshop serves as a platform for researchers and practitioners to explore the intersection of machine learning, AI, and Muslim communities. Our mission is to promote high-quality research that not only fosters growth within Muslim communities but also advances strategies to improve fairness, inclusion, and ethical AI. We encourage contributions that address these challenges and highlight how ML can be a tool for positive change, especially for Muslims in both Muslim-majority countries and global communities.
Workshop Tracks
The workshop will feature two primary research tracks:
Track 1: Machine Learning Research by Muslim Authors
This track invites submissions from researchers who self-identify as Muslim. We encourage work that explores the frontiers of machine learning and AI, including but not limited to:
- LLMs, MLLMs, Generative AI: Research focused on large language models, generative AI systems, cutting-edge vision models, self-supervised learning, and advancements in multilingual capabilities, especially for languages spoken by Muslim communities.
- Applications of ML in vision, language, speech, and audio.
- Machine learning for society (e.g., education, health, climate, social sciences).
- Probabilistic methods, Deep Learning, Reinforcement learning, and Optimization.
- Social and economic aspects of machine learning (e.g., fairness, interpretability, human-AI interaction, privacy, safety, strategic behavior).
- Federated Learning and AI-driven innovations for Healthcare and smart cities and public services such as governance, energy, and traffic management.
- Evaluation Methodologies and Scalable Infrastructures.
- Robotics & NeuroAI including research at the intersection of Neuroscience, AI, and Cognitive science.
Track 2: ML Research Addressing Challenges Faced by Muslim Communities
This track is open to all researchers, regardless of religious or ethnic background, and encourages submissions that promote the use of ML to support and empower Muslim communities globally, including in Muslim-majority countries. Areas of interest include:
- Growth of Muslims in ML: Initiatives that expand educational and professional opportunities for Muslims in ML, promote access, and encourage representation in the field.
- ML for social good: Using ML/AI to engage Muslim youth, promote community outreach, enhance societal well-being, and improve governance, healthcare, or education in Muslim communities.
- Language and speech technologies: Advancements in tools for languages spoken in Muslim communities, such as Arabic, Urdu, and Persian.
- Computational analysis of Islamic scriptures: Digital humanities research, including computational studies of Hadith or Quranic texts.
- Data collection and representation: Rich datasets from diverse Muslim communities.
- Mitigating algorithmic bias and discrimination: Research exploring strategies that mitigate the algorithmic bias that impacts Muslim individuals and communities.
Submission Format and Guidelines
We invite submissions of non-archival short papers (up to four pages) including all figures and tables but excluding references in PDF format. An optional appendix can be included. The appendix will not be considered in the review process. Papers may have been previously published or be under review elsewhere. To prepare your submission, please use the LaTeX style files for NeurIPS 2024: NeurIPS 2024 LaTeX style file. All submissions must follow NeurIPS Author Guidelines. Submissions must be anonymized, please refrain from including personally identifiable information. Submissions will be reviewed in a double-blind setting. All submissions will be peer-reviewed through OpenReview.
Accepted papers will be showcased in a poster session, and selected authors will present lightning talks. The workshop's short papers are non-archival, and no formal proceedings will be published. Accepted papers, along with short video presentations will be showcased on the website and will be available for public viewing. Best Paper Awards will be given to papers that demonstrate strong societal impact.
Important Dates
All deadlines are by the end of day, Anywhere On Earth (AoE).
- Call for Papers Open: October 15, 2024
- Submission deadline: November 15, 2024
- Notification of decision: November 25, 2024
- Final program schedule: November 25, 2024
- Camera Ready submission: November 30, 2024
- Workshop Date: Tuesday, December 10, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Submission Platform
All submissions will be managed through OpenReview. Here is the submission link : https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2024/Workshop/MusIML.
Workshop Attendance and Presentation Format
Participants who can only present virtually are encouraged to take part in the workshop. Related information can be found here: Affinity Events Blog and Affinity Events CFP. Additionally, we will request that authors of accepted papers share a 5-6 minute recorded video of their work. These videos will be featured on our website, YouTube channel, and social media platforms to increase visibility and engagement with a broader audience. The recordings will allow participants to showcase their work beyond the workshop, reaching a diverse and global community. We encourage presenters to create a clear, concise, and engaging video that highlights the core aspects of their research, making it accessible and impactful for viewers. For poster design and formatting, please follow instructions provided by NeurIPS: NeurIPS Poster Guidelines. Further details on video requirements and other necessary instructions will be provided upon acceptance.
Video Submission Instructions
- The deadline for video submissions is 6 December 2024, AOE.
- Videos should have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of at least 720p. However, higher quality, such as 1080p or 4K, is strongly encouraged.
- The video file must be in MP4 format.
- The ideal duration of the video is 5–6 minutes, but submissions of up to 10 minutes are also acceptable.
- At the start of the video, authors should clearly state and display their paper title, authors, and affiliations. Please clearly state its acceptance to the workshop (for example, you may say: “This work has been accepted to the 3rd Muslims in ML Workshop Co-located with NeurIPS 2024.”)
- The video should include key sections, such as the background and motivation of the work, the main contributions, a discussion of the methodology, the key findings, and a conclusion summarizing the work and its impact.
- It is recommended to display both the presenter and the slides in the video. The presenter can appear in a small window (e.g., in the bottom-left corner) while the slides take up the main screen.
- Authors may also submit slides, posters, or both, to accompany their videos if they wish. While this is optional, any additional materials provided will be showcased on the workshop website.
- Please upload your video, along with any optional materials, to Google Drive or another preferred platform, ensuring that the sharing settings allow everyone to access it (at least with view permissions). This is a MUST. It will allow us to collect the materials and upload them to our YouTube channel and website.
- Please do NOT add any background music in the videos.
- Submit everything here: Google Form.
Workshop Goals
The Muslims in ML Workshop aims to:
- Build a global network of Muslim researchers and professionals in ML.
- Promote research that addresses biases and challenges faced by Muslim communities.
- Provide mentorship and networking opportunities for researchers, particularly from Muslim-majority countries.
- Create space for discussions on ethical AI, inclusivity, and decolonizing AI research.
Join Us
We welcome all researchers—irrespective of their religious/ethnic background—to submit their work and contribute to the development and application of ML in Muslim Countries and Muslim Communities globally.
If you have any questions, please contact via email: pc-musiml24@googlegroups.com. Also, join Muslims in ML Slack group.
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