Maxwell School News and Commentary

In the glory days of the American labor movement, when unions were strong and wages rose alongside productivity, “organized workers could cash that out as more free time,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “But for decades, workers haven’t even been getting that choice because, for the most part, productivity growth has ended up as higher profits and more inequality.”

Two Syracuse University institutes are welcoming researchers, academic leaders, policymakers and journalists for discussions in Washington, D.C., about innovations, vulnerabilities and the future of artificial intelligence. The two-day AI Policy Symposium that begins Thursday in the nation’s capital is organized by the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship and the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute.

The Autonomous Systems Policy Institute has partnered with the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship for the two-day event. 

The Maxwell School faculty member will use the fellowship to engage the public on perceptions and governance of artificial intelligence.

“Sixty-nine percent of those who currently live in the U.S. say that visa and immigration issues are a serious problem for them conducting AI research,” says Baobao Zhang, assistant professor of political science and senior research associate in the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute.

“I think about academics having to write grants all the time,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology, as an example. Those can be formulaic and would take far less time with the help of a machine. In programming, it’s helping engineers “write up basic outlines of code or sometimes like whole sections of code,” he says. 

Generation Lab conducted the survey for Axios in partnership with Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) and the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI). 

“Unfortunately, academics as much as many others, including Silicon Valley folks, are culpable for spreading this kind of fear and anxiety in the society,” says University Professor Hamid Ekbia. “Let’s stop for a second, take a deep breath, and see what is really possible in both directions, in terms of risks, but also in terms of the promises.”  

The four-week program is being offered by Orange Works with support from ASPI and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.