Projects

The Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative supports a wide range of research, events, and other ongoing projects based at the Harvard Berkman-Klein Center and the MIT Media Lab.

This page collects a sampling of some of our latest work - you can find out more information about these and other activities here.

📄 Interventions Over Predictions

"Actuarial risk assessments might be unduly perceived as a neutral way to counteract implicit bias and increase the fairness of decisions made at almost every juncture of the criminal justice system, from pretrial release to sentencing, parole and probation. In recent times these assessments have come under increased scrutiny, as critics claim that the statistical techniques underlying them might reproduce existing patterns of discrimination and historical biases that are reflected in the data. Much of this debate is centered around competing notions of fairness and predictive accuracy, resting on the contested use of variables that act as 'proxies' for characteristics legally protected against discrimination, such as race and gender. We argue that a core ethical debate surrounding the use of regression in risk assessments is not simply one of bias or accuracy. Rather, it’s one of purpose."

📆 AG Tech Forum

The AGTech Forum provides opportunities for collaborative engagement among state attorneys general, technology companies, academics, and other stakeholders about innovation, corporate citizenship, and regulation. Through convenings and other events geared toward facilitating dialogue and promoting efficient and effective public-private engagement on cutting-edge technologies, the Forum tackles issues relating to privacy, cybersecurity, and AI and algorithms.

🛠 Media Cloud

Media Cloud is an open source platform for studying media ecosystems. By tracking millions of stories published online, the platform's suite of tools allows researchers to track how stories and ideas spread through media.