IRL Meetups: MIT's Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing Symposium
If you are in the Boston / Cambridge area, please join us for a (free) event and associated discussion during and after!
An opportunity for in-person connection around ethical computing and data responsibility - if you are in the area, let’s meet and connect!
On Thursday, May 1, 2025, MIT’s Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) Initiative will host a full-day symposium spotlighting research at the intersection of technology, ethics, and social responsibility.
This in-person event features 15 TED-style presentations from MIT faculty and researchers whose work is advancing how we understand and govern data-driven systems — including topics such as algorithmic bias, AI governance, digital inclusion, and the future of human-computer interaction.
For the complete speakers list, see the MIT event page, or our Interesting Talks highlighted below.
📍 Event Info
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Location: MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, 8th floor
Address: 51 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (includes breakfast, lunch, and poster session)
Registration: Free to attend | Eventbrite
Why we’re attending
As a project committed to exploring the ethical, technical, and strategic impact of data, Data x Direction is grounded in the same cross-cutting questions that this symposium addresses:
How do we measure ethical risks in algorithmic systems?
What new responsibilities emerge for researchers and institutions in shaping computational futures?
How can civic engagement and inclusion become core parts of how we design and deploy data technologies?
This event offers a promising opportunity to see leading thinkers across multiple disciplines present on real-world challenges — from organ transplantation algorithms to regulatory design for AI systems, to participatory data science and social justice frameworks.
If you're going to the event
We encourage you to register early, as space may be limited.
Some members of the Data x Direction team will be attending in person. (To be clear, we are not presenting, hosting, or organizing this wonderful event). But we try to identify events, meetups, and community opportunities for our own community and network to benefit from.
If you’re planning to be there and would like to connect, feel free to comment or reach out via email or message us through our [LinkedIn / Instagram / Bluesky] channels. We're informally organizing a light meetup around the event for conversation and community-building among those working in data ethics, governance, and responsible AI. We’ll also share a brief follow-up with reflections and takeaways after the event.
Follow our Events tag for more events, happenings, and meetup opportunities.
Hope to see you there!
-
Particularly Interesting Speakers
(Spoiler: it’s most of them)
Responsible Healthcare Technology
10:30–10:55 AM
Code-Side Manner: Evaluating Generative AI’s Role in Clinician/Patient Conversations
Marzyeh Ghassemi
Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
AI Governance & Digital Ethics
10:55–11:20 AM
Aligning AI with Human Cooperative Norms
Joshua Tenenbaum
Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
11:45 AM–12:10 PM
Information Sharing, Competition, and Collusion via Algorithms
Manish Raghavan
Drew Houston (2005) Career Development Professor, EECS and MIT Sloan
Ashia Wilson
Lister Brothers (Gordon K. ’30 and Donald K. ’34) Career Development Assistant Professor, EECS
1:20–1:45 PM
Minimum Standard of Care for AI: Ethical Risk Assessment for Latin America
Sarah Williams
Associate Professor of Technology and Urban Planning
1:45–2:10 PM
Labeling AI-Generated Content Online
Adam Berinsky
Mitsui Professor of Political Science
David Rand
Erwin H. Schell Professor, and Professor of Management Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Technology in Society & Civic Engagement
2:10–2:35 PM
The Mathematics of Law-Making in the U.S.
In Song Kim
Class of 1956 Career Development Associate Professor of Political Science
Jörn Dunkel
Mathworks Professor of Mathematics
2:35–3:00 PM
Experiments on Generative AI and the Future of Digital Democracy
Lily Tsai
Ford Professor of Political Science
3:10–3:35 PM
Teacher Perspectives on the Arrival of Generative AI in a Watershed School Year
Justin Reich
Associate Professor, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Digital Inclusion & Social Justice
3:35–4:00 PM
Empowering Blind/Low-Vision People to Conduct Interactive Data Analysis with LLM-Generated Textual Descriptions
Arvind Satyanarayan
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
4:10–4:35 PM
A Framework for Participatory Methods and Community Engagement Across the AI/ML Pipeline
Catherine D’Ignazio
Associate Professor, Urban Science and Planning
4:35–5:00 PM
The Fairness-Efficiency Frontier in Humanitarian Immigration
Daniel Freund
Assistant Professor of Operations Management
 | A guest post by
|