Algorithms, Society, and the Law

Algorithms are increasingly impacting all aspects of human society. Issues of data privacy and security, biased data sets, algorithmic fairness, transparency, and legal governance, to name a few, are emerging as central themes in many Simons Institute programs. And in the last few years, our field has been transformed by the emergence of machine learning and AI; their foundational questions now constitute a major thrust within theoretical computer science, along with the serious legal and societal implications of these new technologies. 

To address these important questions from an interdisciplinary perspective, the Institute has created an initiative devoted to Algorithms, Society, and the Law. A signature component of this initiative is our Law and Society Fellowships program. These fellowships support individuals from fields within the social sciences, humanities, and law as long-term participants in Institute programs, where they focus on addressing the societal implications of the topics under study. 

Closely allied with the Law and Society Fellowships is the Institute’s Science Communicator in Residence program, which was established with the goal of increasing visibility for theoretical computer science and supporting science communicators interested in covering the field. Resident science communicators are full participants in Institute programs, and produce articles and video projects for a broad audience relating to Institute programs, often with an emphasis on societal implications.

Other components of the Algorithms, Society, and the Law initiative include particular research strands within numerous research programs, as well as dedicated programs and clusters on such issues as algorithmic fairness, in addition to public lectures, panels, policy-and-practice white papers, newsletter articles, and video content for a broad audience. Issues of algorithmic fairness, privacy regulation, ethical issues in autonomous systems, and many others are addressed in these convenings.