Our weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Ariel Procaccia, the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University. Proccacia is a member of the EconCS Group, and affiliated with the Center for Research on Computation and Society and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Procaccia works on a broad and dynamic set of problems related to AI, algorithms, economics, and society, involving both theory and direct applications. Examples include the websites Spliddit and Panelot, as well as recent collaborations with nonprofit organizations such as Refugees.AI, 412 Food Rescue, and the Sortition Foundation.
In this talk, Procaccia will describe his recent work on designing, analyzing, and implementing randomized participant selection algorithms to be used in the creation of citizens’ assemblies, and solutions for balancing fairness requirements and practical challenges of implementation.
Talk title:
“Democracy and the pursuit of randomness”
Abstract:
Sortition is a storied paradigm of democracy built on the idea of choosing representatives through lotteries instead of elections. In recent years, this idea has found renewed popularity in the form of citizens’ assemblies, which bring together randomly selected people from all walks of life to discuss key questions and deliver policy recommendations. A principled approach to sortition, however, must resolve the tension between two competing requirements: that the demographic composition of citizens’ assemblies reflect the general population and that every person be given a fair chance (literally) to participate. I will describe our work on designing, analyzing, and implementing randomized participant selection algorithms that balance these two requirements. I will also discuss practical challenges in sortition based on experience with the adoption and deployment of our open-source system, Panelot.
Suggested reading:
B. Flanigan, P. Gölz, A. Gupta, B. Hennig, and A. D. Procaccia, “Fair algorithms for selecting citizens’ assemblies.” Nature 596 (August 2021): 548–552.
About Ariel Procaccia
Ariel Procaccia is the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University. He works on a broad and dynamic set of problems related to AI, algorithms, economics, and society. His distinctions include the Social Choice and Welfare Prize (2020), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2018), the IJCAI Computers and Thought Award (2015), and a Sloan Research Fellowship (2015). To make his research accessible to the public, he has co-founded several not-for-profit websites including Spliddit.org and Panelot.org, and he regularly contributes opinion pieces.
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 45 minutes of discussion. Registered attendees will be emailed a Zoom link approximately one hour before the event begins. The event will be recorded and posted online.
Ariel Procaccia