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.
🛠Sample project with image
"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."
🛠Sample project without image
"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."
📄 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.
📄 Psychological roadblocks to the adoption of self-driving vehicles
"Self-driving cars offer a bright future, but only if the public can overcome the psychological challenges that stand in the way of widespread adoption. We discuss three: ethical dilemmas, overreactions to accidents, and the opacity of the cars’ decision-making algorithms — and propose steps towards addressing them."
📆 Global Symposium on AI and Inclusion
The 2017 Global Symposium convened invited guests and collaborators from around the world across a range of representatives from advocacy, philanthropy, media, policy, and industry to address both the opportunities and challenges of AI-based technologies through the lens of inclusion, broadly conceived.
🛠 Assembly
Assembly gathers developers, managers, and tech industry professionals for a rigorous spring term course on internet policy and a twelve-week collaborative development period to explore hard problems with running code. Our 2018 cohort was focused on tackling the challenges of artificial intelligence and its governance.