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. 

The funding will support his research on ethical dilemmas in data science, culminating in a co-authored book manuscript.

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.”  

As part of ASPI’s global outreach program, Director Hamid Ekbia visited Spain in July 2023, where he met with Carme Artigas Brugal, Spain’s secretary of state for digitalization and artificial intelligence, and Maxwell Advisory Board member Javier Font '92 M.P.A. 

The symposium will connect academics with policymakers and newsroom leaders for discussions around AI innovations and vulnerabilities. It also will serve as the launch event for the Academic Alliance for AI Policy, an organization making AI experts’ advice accessible to lawmakers and policymakers in their efforts to regulate AI.

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

He says his Maxwell education, particularly in political science and policy studies, provided a foundation in the multifaceted problem solving involved in his work. “Maxwell taught me how to widen my policy and regulatory aperture,” he says, “because that’s what creates success when certifying autonomous technologies in and outside aviation.”

Amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, Maxwell scholars are gathering critical data, designing policy and informing future leaders.

Surveys indicate that Swedish citizens display less anxiety about robots taking their jobs, in part because when companies introduce new technologies, they often pay to upgrade their workers’ skills. “If you upskill workers, you pay them more,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “That's a more durable and sustainable process.”

Delali Kumavie, assistant professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, studies the intersection of blackness, aviation and global transit by examining literary and cultural texts by Black writers and artists. She will further explore these intersections during her time as a faculty fellow by designing a course on myth and technology.

"Even if the vast majority of jobs are unlikely to disappear, and if many new jobs are likely to be created, the nature of work will change due to the implementation of technologies like ChatGPT. We need to shift our thinking about how that change occurs," writes Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology.

"Despite brutal repression, protests in Iran continue. The ruling clergy can no longer rally the "masses" behind them, as they have successfully done since the 18th century." University Professor Hamid Ekbia examines the perspectives and dangers of the present revolution in Iran.

“When interest rates were very low, companies basically had endless money—and investors were telling them to focus on growth, not profitability,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “But because interest rates are rising, there’s a shift from big investors to say, ‘No, now you really have to focus on profitability.’ And the big way to do that is through cuts.”

Eleven Maxwell School students have been awarded grants from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) and the Renée Crown University Honors Program. The awards provide up to $7,500 in support for original undergraduate research projects.