Things have been heating up in the world of tech ethics, with recent news including President Biden’s Executive Order on AI, the UK’s AI Safety Summit, and the recent upheaval at OpenAI. At the Neely Center, we’ve been busy, too, as you’ll see from our updates. Most significant was our conference on the psychology of AI value alignment at USC on Nov. 3-4 where we hosted an active two-day conversation with experts about how to steer AI-powered tech toward human flourishing.
Before getting into the updates, I want to say a few words about our approach. A common strategy by those seeking to advance ethical decision making is to try to persuade people that they should be more ethical and then teach them ethical frameworks they can use toward that end. These include frameworks like consequentialism (making decisions based on their positive or negative outcomes), deontological ethics (using duties or rules to guide actions), and virtue ethics (pursuing the values and traits that define a good person). While this approach has merit, it has limitations.
First, in my experience, most leaders are already aware of the need for ethical leadership (while a smaller number are firmly resistant), so trying to persuade them often does nothing to produce changes in behavior. Second, and more importantly, while ethical frameworks are helpful, they are nearly impossible to apply to fast-moving technologies that we don’t yet understand. For example, it isn’t feasible to apply consequentialism to AI-based products without first understanding the downstream effects of these powerful new systems. Duty-based ethics also falls short when society lacks clear norms and laws about how to act. And the virtue framework is similarly difficult; how can leaders pursue values such as “respect” or “justice” when making policy decisions about emerging AI systems that are still developing?
To practice ethical decision making in today’s fast-paced world, leaders need two critical resources: First, they need knowledge about how new technologies affect users and society. And, second, they need to be connected to experts across different disciplines who are grappling with these challenges in real time.
The Neely Center addresses these needs by developing new tools and building interdisciplinary communities of experts. For example, to advance knowledge about how to best design and use new technology, we became a founding sponsor of the Prosocial Design Network and a sponsor of several other expert communities, such as the Psychology of Technology Research Network, the Council on Technology and Social Cohesion, and the HumanTech Summit in Poland, to name a few. We also create tools, such as the Neely Ethics and Technology Indices and the Design Code for Social Media, both of which advance understanding and wise decision making about how to design, use, and regulate new technology. And, if you happen to be an MBA student at USC Marshall, please consider applying to our new pilot MBA Ethics & Tech Fellows program and help us build our library of purpose-driven mixed reality experiences.
Read on to learn more about some of our recent and upcoming initiatives aimed at advancing the knowledge and communities essential for ethical decision making in today’s world. And, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out with suggestions and offers to help support this critical work.
Sincerely,
Nate Fast, Director
Conference on the Psychology of AI Value Alignment
On November 3-4, the Neely Center hosted the 7th annual New Directions in Research on the Psychology of Technology conference which featured over 20 presentations covering the latest research on topics such as “Using Large Language Models to Help People be Their ‘Best’ Selves”, “Integrating AI and Democracy”, “Can Gen AI Help End HIV?”, and “When and Why Do Chatbots Satisfy the Human Need for Social Connection?”. Executives from EY, Khan Academy, Healthvana, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, United Nations, Common Sense Media, Pinterest, and the American Psychological Association discussed the various ways AI could be implemented to improve technology’s impact on society.
Fast co-organized the conference with Ravi Iyer, managing director of the Neely Center, and Juliana Schroeder, Harold Furst Chair in Management Philosophy and Value at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Fast and Schroeder co-founded the Psychology of Technology Institute in 2016. Fast also gave a talk about the hidden attributes of Large Language Models and moderated the keynote panel which included Nicola Morini Bianzino, global CTO at EY, Deepa Seetharaman, AI reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Nick Switanek, principal technical architect for AI at Microsoft, and Amanda Lenhart, head of research at Common Sense Media.
New Tool for Improving Social Media
The Neely Center Design Code for Social Media was launched last month and momentum has been building including conversations with numerous civil society groups, technology companies, press, and policy makers. We held an information session (pictured below) at USC’s DC Capital campus which included representatives from Issue One, the American Psychological Association, Search for Common Ground, the US State Department, Stanford, and Georgetown. Our code was recently featured in Tech Policy Press and Time and recent signees include the Dangerous Speech Project, Search for Common Ground, and Building H.
Safe Tech, Safe Kids: Confronting Social Media’s Harms to Youth
On October 23rd, 2023, Issue One launched a year-long youth online safety campaign with partners. The Neely Center’s Managing Director, Ravi Iyer presented on a panel titled “It's More than Just Screentime: Confronting Social Media’s Harms to Youth.” The event brought together stakeholders from across children’s advocacy, tech reform, pediatrics, religious, and other communities for a comprehensive look at how social media impacts our children. Attendees included Council members and tech reform leaders Frances Haugen, former Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, Dr. Mitch Prinstein, Kerry Healey, Kristin Bride, Trisha Prabhu, and Emma Lembke.
The Unseen Cost of Avoidance: Unpacking the Loneliness Epidemic
Juliana Schroeder, Affiliate Faculty Director of the Neely Center and the Harold Furst Chair in Management Philosophy and Values Professor at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, recently delivered a TedX talk related to technology and loneliness titled, “The Unseen Cost of Avoidance: Unpacking the Loneliness Epidemic”. The talk unveiled the often-overlooked downside of avoiding human interaction, especially in a tech-driven era. Check it out!
2nd Annual Metaverse Summit
Neely Center’s Director, Nate Fast, spoke at the Economist’s 2nd Annual Metaverse Summit on October 10, 2023 on a panel titled, “Moving at the Speed of Innovation: How Can Policy Keep Up?” Among other things, Fast discussed the need for trust, transparency, and privacy controls. See the full panel discussion here.
“Inventor’s Bias” at Work: When Low-Performing Algorithms Seem Fair
Maya Cratsley and Nate Fast recently published findings revealing evidence of an "inventor's bias effect" whereby the creators of new products (such as AI-based algorithms) tend to be overly optimistic about the positive uses of their products. This bias is driven by the tendency for inventors to personally identify with the products they create. This is an important finding to keep in mind given that policymakers working on AI governance might be tempted to rely heavily on the guidance of the very technologists and companies who are developing AI.
Algorithmic Management Diminishes Status
A set of recent studies by Arthur Jago, Roshni Raveendhran, Nate Fast, and Jon Gratch explored the impact of AI-based algorithmic management on social status perceptions. Their findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, indicate that people generally view algorithmic management as leading to lower social status compared to traditional human management. This belief influences negative emotions about remote jobs primarily managed by algorithms, holding significant implications for understanding the social dynamics of AI in the workplace.
Tech4Good Career Fair
Shift SC, a USC student-led organization that we sponsor, hosted the Tech4Good Career Fair on Thursday, November 9th to promote careers in the ethical technology space, showing students that there are opportunities to create impact through their careers. 200+ attendees were able to talk to more than a dozen companies in the ethical tech space, as well as apply for open positions at the companies. Company missions ranged from health-tech to sustainability, allowing students to apply to companies that directly aligned with their interests. The Neely Center is pleased to extend its support to Shift SC's initiatives and is committed to guiding the organization toward success.
Build Peace 2023
We are excited to co-sponsor Build Peace, a global conference and community of practice that examines emergent ethical challenges and solutions to peace building in the digital age. This year, the conference is scheduled for December 1-3, 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, and is focusing on "How technology and the arts influence identities relevant to peace & conflict". Ravi Iyer and Nate Fast will be leading several sessions over the course of the event to help ensure that technology designers take into account global concerns when considering product design choices.
HumanTech Summit 2023
We are co-sponsoring the second edition of the international scientific conference, HumanTech Summit, organized by the HumanTech Center at SWPS University, and set to take place on December 9–10, 2023. It is the only research center in Poland that brings together social and technological innovations, operating at a humanities university. The Neely Center is proud to provide support for this unique gathering that is set to spread the use of ethical decision-making tools, such as the Neely Indices.
Call for Papers
The editorial team of Small Group Research invites authors to submit papers for a Special Issue on AI in Groups and Teams. This Special Issue seeks to consolidate our understanding of AI in groups and teams and explore new perspectives, challenges, and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field. Key areas of focus for the Special Issue are: authorship teams that balance social science and computing expertise, and methods and discussion sections to explicitly discuss the use of AI in the research process. For more details on submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit this link.
Neely Ethics & Technology Fellowship Program
The USC Marshall’s Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making is thrilled to announce its new Ethics & Technology Fellows program. Through the fellowship, we aim to support visionary MBA students poised to become the next generation of technology leaders. Each cohort will explore and guide the development of a new area of transformative technology. The 2023-24 cohort will focus on mixed reality (AR/VR), with implications for entertainment, gaming, collaboration, education, and healthcare. We are looking forward to welcoming our first cohort of students in spring of 2024.
Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
neelycenter@marshall.usc.edu
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