The Soc(AI)ety Seminars, hosted by the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, are a collection of talks with a vision for AI’s present and future impact on society. Each session is meant to inspire a dialogue on ethical and socially responsible Data & AI innovation. For more information, and to view previous Soc(AI)ety Seminars sessions, please visit the Soc(AI)ety Seminars webpage.
The sessions will be held in Debartolo Hall, Room 155. (map)
Description:
We are thrilled to host Tina Eliassi-Rad, the Inaugural Joseph E. Aoun Professor at Northeastern University.
In this session of the Soc(AI)ety Seminars, Eliassi-Rad will explore the challenges of generative AI tools, considering the challenges of governance of these tools due to their rapidly changing technologies.
We live in the age of algorithmically infused societies where human and algorithmic behavior are intertwined. Consider generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT and Gemini). Their use across a broad spectrum of our society is undeniable. How can we shape their use to improve our society? As it stands, such tools often increase epistemic instability in our society. Generative AI tools, for example, are not experts in any field and are prone to falsehoods (a.k.a. hallucinations) and adversarial attacks, yet they are treated like experts. The relationship between a person and a generative AI tool is also exaggerated by the sense of familiarity one feels when using such tools. The lack of effective oversight and accountability for this technology exacerbates these issues. How can we govern a technology that is mutating so rapidly? A digitally savvy public is an essential part of the solution.
Guest Speaker Bio:
Tina Eliassi-Rad is the Inaugural Joseph E. Aoun Professor at Northeastern University, where she is also a core faculty member of the Network Science Institute. Tina is also an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute and the Vermont Complex Systems Center.
Prior to joining Northeastern, Tina was an associate professor of computer science at Rutgers University; and before that a member of the technical staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Tina works at the intersection of artificial intelligence and network science and is interested in the impact of science and technology on society. Her algorithms have been integrated into systems used by governments, industry, and open-source software. Her awards include an Outstanding Mentor Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science in 2010, one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2021, the Lagrange Prize in 2023, and a Fellow of the Network Science Society in 2023.