USC launches Ethics & Trust in Computing Institute
The University of Southern California last week launched a new institute designed to enhance research, promote ethical use of technology and fund the next big ideas in artificial intelligence.
The Institute on Ethics & Trust in Computing is a $12 million program, led in funding by the the Lord Foundation of California, where “experts will offer ethical guidance and resources to students and researchers on the development and applications of artificial intelligence and other technologies that are now commonplace across business and finance, health care, national security and science,” according to USC Today.
“USC is the place for innovation, with the interdisciplinary reach and expertise to drive advancements in computational science that benefit humanity,” USC President Carol Folt said in a statement. “Ethics must always remain at the center, and this important new institute guides future scientists to think deeply about the impact of their work. I’m grateful to the Lord Foundation for their foresight and support during this pivotal moment when AI is revolutionizing computing and society.”
The program is intended to further the university president’s $1 billion Frontiers of Computing moonshot initiative, which is designed to seed new technological research. The institute will be co-directed by faculty from the university’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and its Viterbi School of Engineering.
