Artificial Intelligence to Inform Decisions & Bridge Politics | Dean Ramayya Krishnan, Carnegie Melon
Evan Meyer welcomes the Dean of Public Policy and Information Systems at Carnegie Melon University, Ramayya Krishnan on this episode of Meyerside Chats.
In this episode of Meyerside Chats, they discuss the role of decision-making models in voting, particularly in local and state issues. Krishnan highlights the importance of an informed populace and the challenges of acquiring accurate information in the age of filter bubbles and misinformation. They also touch on the need for humility in the information we consume and how technology can support this. The conversation emphasizes the significance of having a shared base of information to make informed decisions.
Recorded April 26, 2023
Evan Meyer welcomes the Dean of Public Policy and Information Systems at Carnegie Melon University, Ramayya Krishnan on this episode of Meyerside Chats.
In this episode of Meyerside Chats, they discuss the role of decision-making models in voting, particularly in local and state issues. Krishnan highlights the importance of an informed populace and the challenges of acquiring accurate information in the age of filter bubbles and misinformation. They also touch on the need for humility in the information we consume and how technology can support this. The conversation emphasizes the significance of having a shared base of information to make informed decisions.
Meyerside Chats seeks to eliminate the "us and them" narrative and toxic polarization by striving to create virtuous community leadership and authentic conversation. The intent is to showcase the humanity in those that take on the often thankless jobs of public service through civil discourse, and honoring differing points of view.
About Ramayya Krishnan
As a serial academic entrepreneur, he founded the Master of Information Systems and Management program in 1998. The data analytics track of the program was chosen by the US Army Futures Command in 2020 to be part of its AI scholars program. In 2022, he and his colleagues launched the Decision Analytics and Systems program, an innovative undergraduate minor that combines systems thinking, analytics and experiential learning. The Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences, the leading organization of scholars and practitioners of analytics, recognized Heinz College in 2016 with the UPS George D. Smith Prize for educational excellence.
Krishnan has founded 4 externally funded research centers raising close to $100M dollars over the course of the last decade. He directs the Block Center for Technology and Society and advises policy makers, business leaders and international organizations. He is an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, an elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a commissioner of the Geotech Center of the Atlantic Council.
He serves on the IT and Services Advisory Board chaired by Pennslyvania Gov. Tom Wolf and is a member of the policy advisory board of the US Gov’t Accountability Office. In May 2019, he served as an invited member of a Royal Society and National Academies convening on Artificial Intelligence and its consequences. In 2020, he led a CMU team of faculty experts helping Gov. Wolf and State of Pennsylvania with recovery and reopening policy. He served in 2019 as the 25th President of INFORMS, the Global Operations Research and Analytics Society. He was appointed to the National AI Advisory Committee to the President of the United States and the National AI Initiatives office in 2022.
About Evan Meyer
Evan is the Founder of BeautifyEarth.com, a tech platform and marketplace that speed tracks the urban beautification process through art, as well as the original 501(c)3 sister organization and public charity that beautifies schools in the communities that need it most. Beautify has now facilitated thousands of murals around the planet, working with hundreds of communities, community organizations, cities and national brands.
He is also the Founder of RideAmigos.com, a tech platform that optimizes commuter travel and behavior through intelligent programs and analytics for governments, large enterprises, and universities, serving many regions across the US.
As a civic leader in the City of Santa Monica, he is the past Chairman of his neighborhood (Ocean Park), giving residents a voice in the public process, as well as helping the City of Santa Monica with innovative, actionable ways of civic engagement.Podcast Summary:
Podcast Summary:
[00:01:41] Exploring the use of cloud technology in society and policy-making.
[00:02:11] Discussing decision-making models in voting for the public and policymakers.
[00:09:01] The importance of having an informed populace in a democracy.
[00:12:16] The influence of technology on shared experiences and bridging differences.
[00:14:01] Building relationships and bridges between different political opinions.
[00:16:00] The role of being a good listener and demonstrating respect in conversations.
[00:17:43] Overlap between AI and politics in policymaking.
[00:18:00] AI for policy making and policy for AI.
[00:23:00] Policy catching up with technological change and the role of AI.
[00:24:47] Contrasting policymakers' lack of understanding of social media in the past.
[00:25:25] The potential of AI to educate and provide faster access to information for policymakers and the public.
[00:27:00] AI's role in helping understand complex public interest issues.
[00:29:48] Mitigating AI's adverse effects through measures like provenance and watermarking.
[00:32:14] Using reputation and crowdsourced approaches to evaluate information sources. [00:33:00] The absence of a perfect solution to the information problem.
[00:33:33] Cautions about AI's predictive capabilities and data representation.
[00:35:37] The potential benefits of AI in supporting decision-making and speeding up processes.
[00:36:13] Importance of representative data for predictive models and the risk of bias.
[00:37:00] Overcoming bias in data to ensure representation of society as a whole.
[00:39:48] Responsible AI implementation, understanding the system as a whole, and differential impact on individuals.
[00:40:23] Augmentation for democracy and the need to carefully consider the pipeline.
[00:41:00] Assisting policymakers with AI tools to catch up with policy-making demands.
[00:43:35] Vision for a more prosperous, peaceful, and just society using technology for good.
