Our weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Julie Shah, an associate professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT who leads the Interactive Robotics Group of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Shah has developed innovative methods for enabling fluid human-robot teamwork in time-critical, safety-critical domains, ranging from manufacturing to surgery to space exploration. Her group draws on expertise in artificial intelligence, human factors, and systems engineering to develop interactive robots that emulate the qualities of effective human team members to improve the efficiency of human-robot teamwork.
In this talk, Shah explores what growing automation will mean for the future of work, and how we can build better jobs alongside intelligent machines.
Talk title:
“Human-machine partnerships and work of the future”
Abstract:
More robots joined the U.S. workforce last year than ever before. What does this mean for workers? How do we build better jobs alongside intelligent machines? Our aim is to realize a future in which dramatic advances in automation and computation can go hand in hand with improved opportunities and economic security for workers. When engineers develop a new software tool or piece of equipment, we make decisions that have downstream consequences for workers. In manufacturing, for example, how much skill it requires to program a machine might affect the types of workers that can interact with the technology—and the wages they can demand. In this talk, I discuss what decision points are key for workers in a product development process, and how engineering research can incorporate worker context and worker consequences into the technology development process.
About Julie Shah
Julie Shah is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, associate dean of Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing at MIT, and director of the Interactive Robotics Group, which aims to imagine the future of work by designing collaborative robot teammates that enhance human capability. She is expanding the use of human cognitive models for artificial intelligence and has translated her work to manufacturing assembly lines, healthcare applications, transportation and defense. Before joining the faculty, she worked at Boeing Research and Technology on robotics applications for aerospace manufacturing. Prof. Shah has been recognized by the National Science Foundation with a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award and by MIT Technology Review on its 35 Innovators Under 35 list. She was also the recipient of the 2018 IEEE RAS Academic Early Career Award for contributions to human-robot collaboration and transition of results to real world application. She has received international recognition in the form of best paper awards and nominations from the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling, and the International Symposium on Robotics. She earned degrees in aeronautics and astronautics and in autonomous systems from MIT and is co-author of the book, What to Expect When You're Expecting Robots: The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration (Basic Books, 2020).
About the SRI Seminar Series
The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman community and beyond for a robust exchange of ideas that advance scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars are led by a leading or emerging scholar and feature extensive discussion.
Each week, a featured speaker will present for 45 minutes, followed by an open discussion. Registered attendees will be emailed a Zoom link before the event begins. The event will be recorded and posted online.
Julie Shah