Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize: 2023 Winners
The 2023 Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize attracted nearly 60 submissions from undergraduate and graduate students, including those majoring in mathematics, philosophy, electrical engineering and computer science, brain and cognitive sciences, chemical engineering, urban studies and planning, and management.
The grand prize of $10,000 was awarded to Robert Cunningham ’23, a math and physics major, for his paper “Scribe AI,” on the implications of a personalized language model that is fine tuned to predict an individual’s writing based on their past texts and emails. Told from the perspective of three fictional characters: Laura, founder of the tech startup ScribeAI, and Margaret and Vincent, a couple in college who are frequent users of the platform, readers gained insights into the societal shifts that take place and the unforeseen repercussions of the technology.
Two runners up, awarded $5,000 each, included Gabrielle Kaili-May Liu, a senior majoring in mathematics with computer science, and brain and cognitive sciences, and Abigail Thwaites and Eliot Matthew Watkins, a graduate student team from the Department of Philosophy and Linguistics. In addition, 12 students were recognized with honorable mentions for their entries, with each receiving $500.
Meet the winners and read their essays below.
Grand Prize Winner
Scribe AI
Robert Cunningham ’23
Mathematics and Physics
Runner Ups
Transforming Human Interactions with AI via Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback
Gabrielle Kaili-May Liu
Mathematics with Computer Science; Brain and Cognitive Sciences
The Future of Fact-Checking
Abigail Thwaites
Eliot Matthew Watkins
Philosophy
Honorable Mentions
- The Perils and Promises of Closed Loop Engagement by David Bradford Ramsay (Media Lab)
- A New Way Forward: The Internet & Data Economy by Alexa Reese Canaan (Technology and Policy Program)
- The Empathic Revolution Using AI to Foster Greater Understanding by Fernanda De La Torre Romo (Brain and Cognitive Sciences)
- Modeling International Solutions for the Climate Crisis by Samuel Florin (Mathematics)
- Grounding AI- Envisioning Inclusive Computing for Soil Carbon Applications by Claire Gorman (Urban Studies and Planning)
- Quantum Powered Personalized Pharmacogenetic Development and Distribution by Kevin Hansom (Sloan School of Management)
- Machine Learning Driven Transformation of Electronic Health Records by Sharon Jiang (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
- Considering an Anti-convenience Funding Body by Cassandra Lee (Media Lab)
- Towards Personalized On-Demand Manufacturing by Martin Nisser (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
- Revolutionizing Online Learning with Digital Twins by Andi Qu (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
- Overcoming the False Trade-Off in Genomics: Privacy and Collaboration by Shuvom Sadhuka (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
- Embodied-Carbon-Computing by Leonard Schrage (Urban Studies and Planning)