Kelly Lyons takes on the role of interim director at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Lyons’ extensive expertise in knowledge mobilization will serve to harness and propel the vast diversity of research across disciplines at SRI. The Institute’s inaugural director, Gillian Hadfield, will retain her position as Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute’s 2021–23 faculty fellows explored the social implications of new technologies, foregrounding the significance of ethics, equity, and human-centred values. Learn more about their research projects and how to apply for Schwartz Reisman fellowships.

U of T University Professor emeritus and “godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton delivered a lecture at Convocation Hall discussing whether large language models understand what they are doing and the existential risks posed by unfettered development of the technology he helped create.

A new white paper published by the Schwartz Reisman Institute explores how synergies between AI regulation and existing consumer protection principles can be leveraged to ensure policy-makers do not need to start from scratch when it comes to developing governance for the use of AI in financial services.

Amidst today’s broad social impacts of data, we must pay specific attention to the risks posed by facial recognition technology, writes Daniel Konikoff, who argues that Bill C-27’s failure to classify biometric data as sensitive suggests that the bill has an unstable grasp on our tricky technological present.

Seven new senior fellows, including SRI Director Gillian Hadfield, have been selected by Schmidt Futures to solve hard problems in artificial intelligence through multidisciplinary research, with up to USD $7 million in support.

What do we need to do to ensure that artificial intelligence is built for public benefit? A recent course developed by the Schwartz Reisman Institute explains what AI is, where it’s headed, and what the public needs to know about it.

In We, The Data, Wendy H. Wong argues that we need to reboot human rights to match the pressures of our data-intensive world. Exploring surveillance, facial recognition technologies, data rights, and more, Wong makes a compelling case for why the public needs to engage Big Tech as data stakeholders.

Luke Stark, an assistant professor at Western University, has been appointed as the inaugural Schwartz Reisman Scholar-in-Residence. Stark’s work interrogates the historical, social, and ethical impacts of computing and artificial intelligence technologies, particularly those mediating social and emotional expression.

Want to learn more about Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems? SRI Policy Researchers David Baldridge and Jamie Sandhu comment on the Code’s characteristics and shortcomings after its recent release following a summer of significant developments concerning generative AI.

A new AI-powered solutions network for predicting and preventing diabetes developed by SRI researchers Laura Rosella, Jennifer Gibson, and Shion Guha has received $900K in funding from CIFAR’s AI for Health Solution Networks grant program.

There are economic and political incentives for AI companies to create their own set of rules. Alyssa Wong explores the benefits and drawbacks of self-regulation in the tech industry, and highlights the ultimate need for democratic oversight to ensure accountability, transparency, and consideration of public interests.