Data & Society

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

Through empirical research and active engagement, our work illuminates the values and decisions that drive these systems — and shows why they must be grounded in equity and human dignity.

How societies choose to design and govern technology will determine our collective future. As part of a vibrant and growing field, we work to highlight these stakes and help shape solutions.

The Latest from Data & Society

On Thursday, January 18 at 1 p.m. ET, join us online for the first event in our three-part Databite series on the intersection of generative AI and labor. By centering workers’ experiences and interrogating the relationship between generative AI and issues of hierarchy, recognition, and adaptation, we’ll complicate prevailing narratives and uncover how new technological systems are impacting worker agency and power.

Statement

Statement: US Senate AI Insight Forum

At the latest bipartisan AI Insight Forum, Executive Director Janet Haven emphasized to US senators that the best way to address the theoretical risks of AI in the future is to address the ways AI is harming Americans now.

Op-ed

What Federal Agencies Can Learn from NYC’s AI Hiring Law

In The Hill, AI on the Ground Program Director Jacob Metcalf explains what federal agencies can learn from NYC’s law, which is the very first to mandate that anyone developing or deploying automated systems share evidence about the fairness of their decisions with the public.

Call for Proposals

Trust Issues

Apply by January 19: With trust in decline, our forthcoming workshop will move toward a concept of trust as a relational process. Together, we'll develop theories about how trust and mistrust shape data-centric technologies and the ways they unfold.

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.