RTI International data scientist to participate in MIT-Harvard program on artificial intelligence

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina — Thom Miano, a research data scientist in the Center for Data Science at RTI International, was recently accepted to the 2018 Assembly Program sponsored by Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and the MIT Media Lab.

The Assembly program gathers developers, project managers, academics, and tech industry professionals to tackle hard problems at the intersection of code and policy. The 2018 cohort is made up of 21 participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences representing the private sector, academia, and civil society organizations.

This year's topic is artificial intelligence and its governance. The team will be developing and working on emerging problems and opportunities related to this topic from January through April 2018.

“There’s a significant gap in our modern data-driven technologies and in the policy and laws we have to handle them,” Miano said. “As more of our daily systems become automated by software and artificial intelligence, it’s critical that we stay ‘awake’ and call these systems into question, demanding transparency and fairness, holding the right people accountable, and ensuring that we are creating a world where everyone can thrive. I’m excited to participate in Assembly and to work towards filling in this gap.”