Agenda

Registered attendees can pick up their name badge and enter the LGRC room A112. A selection of pastries, fresh fruit, tea, and coffee will be served. 

Brief introduction to the purpose of today's symposium, goals for the day's discussions, and the expected etiquette for attendees.
Speaker - Michelle Ciccone (Co-chair, RTC)

AI holds great potential for both fostering and hindering a broader and deeper engagement in systems of participatory democracy. Additionally, the increasing integration of AI technologies into everyday life presents unique challenges and opportunities for the people within these systems. This panel offers a moderated discussion of the various ways AI intersects with systems of participatory democracy and the potential harms and advantages of AI tech to citizens within these systems. 

Panelists: 

Chrissy Lynch - President of MA ALF-CIO

Eric Gordon    - Professor of the Practice, Journalism, College of Communication, Boston University

Moderator - Oscar Youngquist (Co-chair, RTC)

Lunch break

Building transparent and trustworthy AI systems is crucial for their use in democratic systems, but how do we achieve it? This panel brings together experts to explore what transparency means in this context, how to foster public trust in AI systems, and how to engage citizens in the design and evaluation of these systems.

Panelists: 

Rodica Neamtu - Professor of Teaching, Computer Science Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Yuriy Brun         - Professor, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences, UMass Amherst

Moderator - Allison Poh (Co-chair RTC)

Optimism around the potential of AI is growing and has permeated all aspects of government. In the meantime, we have also observed a fall in trust in our institutions. The integration of AI holds the potential to make systems more efficient and also further exacerbate societal biases and inequalities. In light of these pressing issues, this panel brings together experts to discussion the question, "what is the future of our institutions in the era of AI?"

Panelists: 

Jane Fountain      - Distinguished Professor and Director, School of Public Policy, UMass Amherst 

Carolina Rossini  - Professor of Practice, School of Public Policy, UMass Amherst

Moderator - Harshita Snehi (Researcher, Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure)

Speaker: Ethan Zuckerman