SERC Symposium

• Dan Huttenlocher, Dean, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing
• Georgia Perakis, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & William F. Pounds Professor of Management, MIT Sloan
• Caspar Hare, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & Professor of Philosophy, MIT

Algorithms are now impacting every aspect of our lives, whether in the context of social media, online commerce, automated tasks, and now a wider range of interactions with the advent of large language models. There is little doubt that more is to come.
 
In a short few years, we have seen the best and worst of algorithms. They have amplified and propagated misinformation, increased the dominance and massive data collection efforts of a few companies, they have contributed to automation and increasing inequality, and they have deepened already existing biases. But they have also broken new ground in diagnosis, information sharing and communication, and as decision-making aids.
 
How can we understand what is to come and shape it to improve outcomes for the majority of humanity? Our panel brings experts from computing, social science and data science to discuss this critical question.

Moderator: Asu Ozdaglar, Deputy Dean of Academics, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & Head, MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)

• Srini Devadas, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• John Horton, Professor of Information Technology, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Simon Johnson, Professor of Entrepreneurship, MIT Sloan
• Sarah Williams, Associate Professor of Technology and Urban Planning, MIT

Session Chair: Georgia Perakis, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & William F. Pounds Professor of Management, MIT Sloan

• Fotini Christia, Associate Director, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) & Ford International Professor of Political Science, MIT
• Maximilian Kasy, Professor of Economics, Oxford
• Manish Raghavan, Assistant Professor of Information Technology, MIT Sloan & EECS
• Sherrie Wang, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering & IDSS, MIT

Session Chair: Dimitris Bertsimas, Associate Dean for Business Analytics & Professor of Operations Research, MIT Sloan

• Dimitris Bertsimas, Associate Dean for Business Analytics & Professor of Operations Research, MIT Sloan
• Marzyeh Ghassemi, Assistant Professor, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) & EECS, MIT
• Swati Gupta, Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech
• Amy Moran Thomas, Associate Professor of Anthropology, MIT
• Nikos Trichakis, Associate Professor of Operations Management, MIT Sloan

Session Chair: Dan Huttenlocher, Dean, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

• Vivek Farias, Professor of Operations Management, MIT Sloan
• Sendhil Mullainathan, Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science, Chicago Booth
• Ashesh Rambachan, Assistant Professor of Economics, MIT
• Ashia Wilson, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Students at MIT will be developing computing technologies that will transform society in radical ways. We want them to proceed thoughtfully, intentionally and with proper sensitivity to risk. Can we teach these things? If so, how? Our panelists have ideas.
 
We will discuss ‘embedded ethics’ vs stand-alone course models. We will discuss the role and efficacy of case studies. We will discuss what history can and can’t tell our students about the future. And we will discuss an elephant in the room: How do you teach ethics to students who have easy access to generative AI?

Moderator: Caspar Hare, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & Professor of Philosophy, MIT

• John Basl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Northeastern University
• Katrina LaCurts, Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Officer, MIT EECS
• Eden Medina, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society, MIT
• Milo Phillips-Brown, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Oxford

• Caspar Hare, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & Professor of Philosophy, MIT
• Georgia Perakis, Associate Dean of SERC, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing & William F. Pounds Professor of Management, MIT Sloan