We are the Praxis Lab in Responsible AI, a 12 student, 2 professor, year-long class at Marriott Honors College and the University of Utah.
Read below to learn about each of the participants.
My name is Atticus Benson, I am a 20 year old Sophomore Data Science major currently in my second year of classes at the University of Utah. I enrolled in the Responsible AI Praxis Lab at the beginning of the year because as a Data Scientist, the rapidly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence is both very interesting to me, and very relevant to my career path. In addition to this fact, I have also always been concerned with the ethical use of technology and making sure that powerful technological tools are used for good. To me, responsible AI means the fair, accessible, and transparent usage and training of AI tools so that everyone involved in the creation or usage of the tools knows about what is going on. In my free time I enjoy playing and coaching soccer as well as teaching taekwondo to a wide age range of people.
time. To me, the intersectionality of STEM disciplines and the humanities is something that is scarcely considered in academia, and this Praxis Lab has been an excellent exercise in
demonstrating what can be accomplished through this form of collaboration. We have spent the year exploring how the boom of AI technology can result in extensive bias, resource consumption, and ideological polarization, among other issues. This has been an excellent opportunity to learn about the necessity of cautious innovation, and as AI becomes more
important to my future work as an engineer, I hope I can put what I’ve gained from this experience to the test.
—Definitely Andrew
My name is Brian Arcos-Flores, a second-year student in the Honors College majoring in Computer Science. My interest in programming led me to develop an interest in everything related to algorithms and AI, which has since transformed into concerns with its ethics and societal significance with the rise of generative AI tools. I entered this class wanting to expand my knowledge and understanding of AI, as I knew that I didn’t fully understand the conversation around AI and ML tools, much less their impact on communities and fields that I wasn’t a part of. This class has allowed me to develop a more critical approach to tackling AI tools that I encounter throughout my day, asking questions about the nature of their purpose, construction and development, interaction with user and society, and overall role in the transaction of information and ideas.
I am Rogelio (rho-HEL-ee-oh), an Assistant Professor and Founding Faculty of the Division of Games, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Kahlert School of Computing and the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. I direct the Laboratory for Quantitative Experience Design. [CV]
My research focuses on the design of games, systems where users direct an unfolding experience by taking on ludic/dramatic roles. Broadly speaking, I argue that the process of design requires computationally modeling our human intelligence: our unique capacity to interpret and understand the world around us. My work involves synthesizing, designing, developing, and experimentally evaluating intelligent artifacts that codify aspects of how we imagine ourselves acting within virtual environments.
Overall, the vision I am pursuing is the establishment of a science of game design, in which we have identified invariant properties that exist between an inner environment (a person’s cognitive states), an interface (narratological and ludological discourse), and an outer environment (virtual worlds), for all such constituent parts that we can imagine.
My name is Austin and I am a Computer Science Major and a Philosophy Minor. This class has helped me understand how Artificial Intelligence is impacting our society, and what that impact may look like in the future. I am very interested in AI’s connections between many disciplines. In my free time I like to hike and camp, watch movies, and ride my motorcycle.
I’m a sophomore studying Computer Science at the University of Utah. I joined the Responsible A.I. Praxis Lab out of sheer excitement for the emerging technology in my field of study. Outside of academics, I play mellophone for the Marching Utes and am notorious among my friends for winning prizes through contests.
Hi! I’m an assistant professor in the Department of English and affiliate faculty with the Graduate Program in Environmental Humanities. I’m currently working on a book about AI and the environment in science fiction for which I’m always accepting reading recommendations. I first became interested in AI as a parent, as I am concerned about the effects of social media recommendation engine AI on children and teens. This was the gateway to thinking about predictive AI, large language models, and all sorts of reckless AI applications. Last year I lived in Barcelona, so you can also ask me about Catalan neighborhood festivals, calçots, and Antoni Gaudí. Teaching, guiding, and learning with amazing Honors students is one of the greatest joys of my career.
Hi! My name is Mason Moore, and I’m a graduating senior studying Political Science with a minor in Campaign Management. My interest in AI comes from a hope that algorithms applied responsibly can reshape the fields of public administration, policy, and law to be better and more equitable for all, as well as a trepidation that the wrong application of AI could be disasterous. After graduation (and spending some time deep in nature, very far away from academics) I plan to attend law school. Outside our lab, you can find me hiking the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park or renting out my lap to cats.
My name is Henry, and I am an undergraduate student pursuing a major in games. I took this class to learn more about the future of AI, and how it relates to my own pathway in game design. Something about myself is that I am an ultra-marathon runner and boxer. I am passionate about filmmaking, drawing, and many other areas in the arts such as painting and sculpting. I have played the drums for ten years, and I used to be in a band called The Garden Plot (look us up on Spotify!).
Hi! I’m Ty, i’m an Art Education major here at the University of Utah. I hail from the small island of Lopez in Northwest Washington, so coming to a big midwestern city college has certainly been a strange experience. I’m a part of this Praxis lab because I enjoy working on projects, and as an artist i’m concerned about the use (and misuse) of generative AI on all creative fields.
I am Elishka Johnson, a dual major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Political Science. I have loved learning about artificial intelligence’s and technology’s impacts on our environment and political-economic structures—the class readings on these topics have informed my Honors thesis ideas! I have been thinking about what I will do after my undergraduate degrees, and am considering environmental law or environmental policy. In my spare time, you will find me lost in 19th and 20th century novels, practicing languages on Duolingo, or sitting under the trees and listening to the birds sing.
Hi, I’m Kaylee, a second-year biochemistry student in the College of Science! I enjoy reading, stop-motion animation, and video essays, and I’m very interested in human-human and human-nature coexistence. I joined this Praxis Lab to learn more about the failures of algorithms and policy in the past, and how we can implement AI more ethically in the future. I work with an identification AI in my research, and moving forward I hope to focus projects on helping other scientists implement data collection AI’s more thoughtfully and responsibly!