Introducing the AI, Misinformation, and Policy Seminar Series
The speaker series features researchers applying data science to online misinformation
The prevalence of misinformation in online ecosystems has become a significant concern for data science researchers and policymakers. As artificial intelligence technologies continue to enter the public domain, developing safe governance strategies and defining the ethical use of technology is both urgent and complex. The AI, Misinformation, and Policy Seminar Series (AMPol) at the Center for Data Science explores this critical research area, featuring speakers working in the intersecting fields of data science, machine learning, and misinformation.
The seminar covers topics such as social network analysis, hate speech, agent-based models, fake news, algorithmic auditing, and causal effects and interventions. AMPol encourages CDS and other NYU community members to incorporate the seminar series discussions into the early stages of their research while providing a learning platform for those new to the nuanced questions misinformation entails.
“Amid pressing local and global civic concerns, we have heard many academics and practitioners share their opinions on what should be done to address complex issues in tech, policy, and online safety,” said AMPol organizer and CDS PhD candidate Swapneel Mehta. “Not nearly as many are discussing what is being done including feasibility constraints and logistical hurdles to solving problems affecting millions of people.” The seminar series creates a platform to assist those with hands-on experience in discussing roadblocks and tradeoffs, improving transparency in internet governance, and ultimately finding solutions.
This semester AMPol welcomed their inaugural speaker, User Experience (UX) Researcher at Google Jigsaw (a unit exploring threats to open societies) Emily Saltz, who previously worked at the New York Times Research and Development Lab. Her talk “Using Mixed Methods to Understand the Effects of Online Information Interventions: Lessons From UX Research in Industry” covered her experience studying online harms and information interventions. To view the Emily Saltz lecture recording, please sign up for the mailing list using the AI, Misinformation, and Policy Seminar (AMPol) google form to receive the password. To access the lecture slides, please visit Emily Saltz Lecture Slides.
To attend future lectures from speakers including Professor Kiran Garimella and Dr. Christian Schroeder de Witt, please fill out the AI, Misinformation, and Policy Seminar (AMPol) Google form to stay up to date.
by Meryl Phair
