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As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, education and everyday life, USC is seeking to better understand how to ensure these technologies are built and used responsibly. That’s why the university launched the USC Institute on Ethics and Trust in Computing — a collaboration among the USC Viterbi School of Engineering; the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; the USC School of Advanced Computing; and interdisciplinary scholars across the university — to address the ethical challenges that cannot be solved by technology alone.
Now the institute is bringing together key stakeholders to discuss those challenges during its first AI summit.
“USC’s Institute on Ethics and Trust in Computing was created with a vision to support and advance interdisciplinary research, scholarship and engagement around the ethical implications of technology, notably computing and AI,” said Shrikanth Narayanan, University Professor and Niki & C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering.
USC Institute on Ethics and Trust in Computing: AI for the public good
With AI rapidly transforming science, industry and society, the new institute aims to address challenges in alignment, safety, reliability, interpretability and governance, ensuring that AI systems serve the public good.
“There’s a purpose with every technology, and so it is possible that what’s useful for someone may not be useful for another, and this is where ethical decisions come in,” said Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of USC Viterbi.
USC Dornsife’s School of Philosophy will offer the institute its expertise to help address the ethical questions surrounding AI.
“The pace of AI technology has outrun the pace of reflection,” said James Bullock, dean of USC Dornsife. The new institute “exists to close that gap by making sure the human questions shape the technological ones from the start,” Bullock said.
What sets the institute apart is that foundation in philosophy, combined with a deeply interdisciplinary approach. Faculty and researchers from across USC are working together to explore how ethical thinking can inform the design and use of emerging technologies. By placing philosophy at the center, the institute emphasizes not only what AI can do, but what it should do, and why. The launch of the institute also advances one of USC President Beong-Soo Kim’s top priorities: for the university to lead in the AI space with thoughtful inquiry and a multidisciplinary approach.
At the institute’s inaugural summit this week, researchers, industry leaders and policymakers will gather to discuss the ethical challenges shaping AI’s future.
“As AI comes into mainstream usage, it’s very important to think about the broader ethical issues it raises and how the public can develop trust in new systems,” said USC Viterbi Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering Gaurav Sukhatme, director of the School of Advanced Computing.
AI safety, governance and more at USC Institute on Ethics and Trust in Computing event
The summit will be held today from 2 to 6 p.m. followed by an hour-long reception at the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall on the USC University Park Campus. The event will feature keynote talks and panel discussions focused on issues such as AI safety, accountability and governance.
“The event is designed to be intellectually substantial but also welcoming and collaborative, giving attendees exposure to cutting-edge perspectives while also inviting them into discussions that are shaping the field,” said Yan Liu, professor of computer science at USC Viterbi and co-director of the institute.
The summit will also showcase the university’s growing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration in AI. Those who attend the summit can expect to not only hear from experts but also participate in conversations about the role they will play in shaping the future of AI.
“The goal is to position USC as a hub for developing frameworks that ensure AI systems are developed and used responsibly in society,” said John Hawthorne, Provost Professor of philosophy at USC Dornsife and the institute’s other co-director.