Data & Society

Data & Society studies the social implications of data-centric technologies & automation.

The Latest from Data & Society

Artifical Intelligence and the Ever-Receding Horizon of the Future

With their relentless focus on the future, powerful tech figures aim to distract us from the messy concerns of the present, argues D&S Director of Research Jenna Burrell.

Member Perspective: An Excerpt from the National AI Advisory Committee Year One Report

Janet Haven, Liz O’Sullivan, Frank Pasquale, and Amanda Ballantyne write about NAIAC's critical opportunity to pursue a rights-based, people-first strategy.

Introducing the Algorithmic Impact Methods Lab

The Algorithmic Impact Methods Lab (AIMLab) will develop robust public interest methodologies to evaluate how increasingly ubiquitous automated decision-making systems impact people and society.

Artifical Intelligence and the Ever-Receding Horizon of the Future

With their relentless focus on the future, powerful tech figures aim to distract us from the messy concerns of the present, argues D&S Director of Research Jenna Burrell.

Member Perspective: An Excerpt from the National AI Advisory Committee Year One Report

Janet Haven, Liz O’Sullivan, Frank Pasquale, and Amanda Ballantyne write about NAIAC's critical opportunity to pursue a rights-based, people-first strategy.

Introducing the Algorithmic Impact Methods Lab

The Algorithmic Impact Methods Lab (AIMLab) will develop robust public interest methodologies to evaluate how increasingly ubiquitous automated decision-making systems impact people and society.

About Us

Data & Society is an independent nonprofit research organization. We believe that empirical evidence should directly inform the development and governance of new technology. We study the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation, producing original research that can ground informed, evidence-based public debate.

We combine academic rigor with creative outreach to connect, convene, and sustain expert and practitioner networks. Since 2014, Data & Society has defined the field with original research and programming to break down disciplinary silos and connect provocative thinkers across sectors. Read more.

Statement of Independence

Data & Society is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research institute. We are committed to the independence and autonomy of Data & Society’s initiatives and convenings. We do not accept funding that would affect our ability to pursue work free of external interference, and we fiercely protect the independence of our researchers and fellows in their intellectual activities and individual funding relationships. Read more in our statement on organizational independence and gift acceptance.

Spotlights

AI in the Majority World

Through empirical work and partnerships, our research invigorates existing efforts to reframe the Global South as home to the majority of the human population — and to investigate and understand the diverse ethics, politics, and experiences of living with data and AI.

Storytelling Workshop

Parables of AI in/from the Global South

This groundbreaking workshop used storytelling to explore new insights on the sociotechnical implication of artificial intelligence and digital IDs in the Global South.

Perspectives

Towards a Mindful Digital Welfare State

In this series, researchers Ranjit Singh and Emnet Tafesse begin to explore what mindful appropriation of digital technologies in the provision of welfare services looks like.

Primer

A Primer on AI in/from the Majority World

A resource by Sareeta Amrute, Ranjit Singh, and Rigoberto Lara Guzmán exploring the presence of artificial intelligence and technology in the Majority World.