Trust the AI Scientist?

What Machine Learning Can—and Cannot—Teach Us About Sex Differences in the Brain

Are sex differences “hardwired” in the brain? This week, computer scientist Walter Scheirer and bioengineer Megan Levis spell out what we can—and can’t yet—learn from scientific studies on sex difference.

What Machine Learning Can—and Cannot—Teach Us About Sex Differences in the Brain

Walter J. Scheirer and Megan K. Levis

That paper describes a study by researchers at Stanford University that applied artificial neural network algorithms to find sex differences in functional brain organization. The premise of the study is that large datasets of brain activity recorded via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be mined algorithmically at a scale that exceeds human ability in order to identify new patterns distinct to male and female brains.

This is an exciting avenue of research at the frontier of biology—one with potentially important social implications. Still, before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to consider both the promise and the limitations of studies that combine artificial intelligence with neuroimaging techniques. At present, AI tells us much of what we already know: sex differences are real, but we cannot yet reliably distinguish nature from nurture when it comes to the organization and function of the brain.

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This Week in Sex-Realist Feminism: Taboos, The Body She Had, and a Father of the Sexual Revolution

This week: Mary Harrington on porn and taboo violations, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson on disability and welcome, and James Panero on Wilhelm Reich. Plus: childcare policy and stay-at-home parents, easy allyship, not losing our minds to technology, FD announces a forthcoming book—and more!

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From the Archives:

ICYMI: J.A. Cobon on whether “feminist science” actually serves women.

Do We Need “Feminist Science”?

J. A. Cobon

“Science is an indispensable ally in the fight for greater equality for women all over the world. Feminists should care about science and the discussions that take place in and around science.”