Computing & Society
A community at Stanford for rigorous, cross-disciplinary work on the social consequences of computing and AI.
Who we are
Computing & Society is an interdisciplinary group of Stanford students and researchers. We bring critical discussion and practical projects about the ethical and societal implications of computing to the Stanford community. Our members span Computer Science, Cyber Policy, Biomedical Informatics, and Management Science and Engineering.
Join fellow students and invited speakers for our fall 2025 sessions on Thursday October 16 and November 13 from 3-4pm.
Subscribe to our email list to get event updates and opportunities.
Guiding questions for the year
- How can civic space defenders measure the fairness, accountability, and transparency of AI tools?
- What do we know about the provenance, quality, and governance of training data that shape AI behavior?
- When is it appropriate to augment human capacity with AI, and how do we do so safely?
- How can communities use tools to document harms and seek redress?
- What are viable alternatives to the prevailing AI development paradigms?
Three program pillars
1) Measuring and Governing AI
How can civil society actors meaningfully measure, audit, and govern AI systems given constraints in data, compute, and expertise? Good governance depends on good measurement. Communities need methods that are transparent, affordable, and credible.
2) Building Open and Inclusive Infrastructure
What open, community-driven infrastructures are needed so AI serves diverse and underserved communities? Public-interest AI requires public goods.
3) Empowering Civil Society Through AI
In what ways can AI augment the capacity of activists, journalists, and civic organizations? AI is not only a problem to regulate. It can be a tool for rights defense when designed and governed well.
Community norms
We commit to respectful dialogue, transparency, and concrete, publicly useful outputs. We prioritize inclusion, especially for communities affected by AI harms.
Organizers: Sang Truong, Tracy Navichoque, Sanmi Koyejo