Everyone from users to scholars to regulators has demanded greater transparency around recommender algorithms. What kind of information would be useful to ensure transparency, and can we even agree on what we mean by “transparency”? Guest contributor Jonathan Stray explores these questions on the Schwartz Reisman blog.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society has released its new strategic plan for 2021–2024, emphasizing the key objectives of promoting interdisciplinarity within U of T’s AI and society ecosystem, field-building, regulatory innovation, and AI for social good. Learn more about our plans for the future.

SRI Research Leads Lisa Austin and David Lie are part of a multidisciplinary team behind a new global study that explores the privacy expectations and behaviour of smartphone users.

SRI Research Lead Wendy H. Wong examines the issues at stake around facial-recognition technology, and their impacts on human rights and consent. Wong argues data alters basic conceptions of autonomy and dignity in ways that “profoundly change human experience”—leading to a need to reconsider the framework of human rights for the digital era.

Guest blogger Kees Westland explains how the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent reference opinion about carbon pricing legislation could affect the analysis of Bill C-11. Can Parliament enact minimum national standards in areas of shared jurisdiction under the trade and commerce power? As Westland observes, the inherently global nature of a problem can be an argument in favour of a federal approach.

A new pilot program from U of T’s Department of Computer Science and the Schwartz Reisman Institute, led by Professors Sheila McIlraith and Diane Horton, will embed modules on ethics within undergraduate design courses, bringing greater attention for students on the social effects of technical systems.

SRI Director Gillian Hadfield and Vector Institute President and CEO Garth Gibson respond to the Ontario government’s new Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) Framework by articulating how to achieve fair and trustworthy AI while supporting robust investment in AI technologies.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society announces a new partnership with the Toronto Creative Destruction Lab’s AI stream, which provides mentorship and support to start-ups commercializing technologies that enable and expand the ethical use of AI.

How are algorithms influencing the production and consumption of culture? A new white paper on AI, music recommendation, and cultural consumption released by the Schwartz Reisman Institute argues their impacts are profound and far-reaching.

Are you a U of T researcher who is passionate about ensuring new technologies are effective, safe, ethical, and fair? The Schwartz Reisman Institute welcomes faculty and graduate fellowship applications from U of T researchers from all academic disciplines spanning the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Schwartz Reisman Director Gillian Hadfield argues that current approaches towards explainable AI are insufficient for users. What is needed instead is “justifiable AI” that can show how the decisions of an AI system are justifiable according the rules and norms of our society.

A proposed new tool aims to aggregate commercial data to enable a safe re-opening of Toronto’s Financial District. But the project raises questions around usability and privacy, as well as concerns about its value, risks, and feasibility. SRI reports on a Solutions Workshop with findings relevant to broader implications for data sharing and privacy.