This week, at the UT campus, two robots will roam the 40 Acres delivering free lemonade to those with a university email who order via the “Texas Botler” app. It’s part of the university’s New Autonomous Delivery System or SMADS project through Good Systems.

A group of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, including several affiliated with Good Systems, are exploring what influences trust in health information about COVID-19, hoping to help with public health messaging about how to minimize the spread of the virus.

The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin is pleased to partner with Good Systems, a UT Grand Challenge, Huston-Tillotson University, and government and community organizations in Austin for the Public Interest Technology University Network Social Justice Informatics Faculty Fellows Program. This city-wide collaborative effort will bring together faculty fellows with diverse expertise in social justice and public interest technology who will partner with local organizations, producing collaborative cross-institutional research teams working toward achieving social justice in Austin.

University of Texas at Austin researchers are in the middle of a study looking at where people get their health information, specifically on COVID-19, and if they trust it to be true. Findings show older adults had more accurate, factual information about COVID-19 than the younger adults did — to a significant level.

Keri Stephens, a University of Texas at Austin professor in organizational communication technology, is a Good Systems Grand Challenge researcher whose work has centered around the role of technology in organizations, particularly in the context of crisis, disaster, and health. Here, Stephens discusses the effects of using personal mobile devices for work and how to secure data while also maintaining privacy.

When we think of the robots in practical use today, the most common are stationary robots that help assemble parts in automotive factories or can assist in performing delicate medical surgeries. Building a robot that can move within the human world with all its unpredictable variables, like self-driving cars, is oftentimes more difficult.

As digital assistants like Siri and Alexa become more common in our lives, people increasingly see them as companions that accompany them throughout their day. Young children, especially, are more apt to see these devices as real people or friends.

Messages from Kenneth Fleischmann, outgoing Executive Team Chair of Good Systems and Chair-Elect Junfeng Jiao.

Campaign apps are collecting a wealth of information not just about their users but also about everyone they come into contact with — so much so that they could, in fact, replace traditional social media as the preferred tool for collecting data about voters.

A partnership between the University of Texas at Austin and the city looks at how AI can identify residents at risk of experiencing homelessness, as well as helping those currently in need find access to services.