Planet Texas 2050 researchers are finding new ways to engage the public as they move their research into action

The University of Texas at Austin and the MITRE Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to solving problems for a safer world, have formed a partnership that includes accelerating innovative ethical artificial intelligence (AI) research currently underway by interdisciplinary teams of researchers who are part of UT Austin’s Good Systems research grand challenge.

In April 2022, Good Systems hosted its annual symposium – entitled “Defining, Evaluating, and Building Ethical AI Systems” – over two days at UT Austin. Experts from the public and private sectors, including academia, industry, government, and nonprofits, met to share their latest insights on leveraging AI for social good.

The UT School of Architecture’s Community and Regional Planning program and Austin Civilian Conservation Corps are collaborating on green jobs report and, on May 20, hosted a Photovoice Exhibition reception at City Hall. This work is part of a larger green jobs study first convened by Planet Texas 2050.

UT Austin alumnus Sepehr Bastami is an aerospace research engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center. Bastami's participation in interdisciplinary research, specifically the Whole Communities--Whole Health research grand challenge, led to his current role at NASA.

Good Systems has awarded 20 summer fellowships to faculty, researchers, and graduate students from 13 departments and units across UT Austin to advance the mission of this research grand challenge by funding innovative research that investigates the ethical implications of AI technologies in society.

This weeklong series of presentations covered a broad array of topics related to resilience, including mapping and predicting vulnerabilities to flooding and disease; ideas for improving our water, agricultural, and energy systems; and communicating and collaborating with various stakeholders and communities.