A message from DSI’s new Director of Technology Policy, Nick Feamster
With the new academic year now upon us, I am excited to take on a new role as Director of Technology Policy at the Data Science Institute (DSI) here at the University of Chicago.
My research work over the past two decades has focused heavily on the intersection of technology and policy, in areas relating to broadband Internet access; Internet security and privacy; and Internet censorship and online expression. My experiences—as the Director of Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) and the University of Chicago’s Center for Data and Computing (CDAC) to my leadership roles at the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG) and other technology policy organizations—have given me a deep appreciation for the level of impact that is possible when we explore problems and develop solutions at this intersection. My sustained work at this intersection over the course of my career thus far has been intellectually challenging, professionally fulfilling, and deeply personal.
Now is a critical time for us to consider the role of technology policy in shaping the future of AI. The increasing integration of AI into the fabric of our everyday lives and the need for AI models to collect increasingly more data about all of us presents new challenges concerning security and privacy, equity, human rights, economic competitiveness and competition, intellectual property, consumer protection, and many others. Important unanswered questions in these areas and others create opportunities for new scholarship, to develop innovative research and practical frameworks that inform both public policy and industry practices.
I’m excited to build on the university’s extraordinary strengths in public policy, law, humanities, and the social sciences, and to drive forward interdisciplinary research initiatives that address urgent questions in technology policy, particularly emerging questions concerning AI and policy.
In this new role, I will be launching a series of quarterly lunch workshops among interested faculty—the first of which is on September 27—where we will bring together faculty, researchers, and policy professionals to discuss the evolving landscape of technology and society. I invite all those who are interested to join these conversations to reach out to me directly.
I look forward to learning from and collaborating with many of you as we embark on these exciting new initiatives together. I am particularly excited to bring us together to learn from each other and tackle exciting new challenges in this area.
Best regards,
Nick Feamster
Director of Technology Policy
Data Science Institute, University of Chicago