(Remote) AI Ethics, AI Policy, and Social Media Regulation
David Harris, Lecturer
Business, Haas School
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
Interested in researching the rise of AI and its impact on society and politics while shaping real-world policy?
Role: Students involved with this URAP project will provide research support to Professor Harris (https://haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/harris-david/) as he develops new writing and research projects. This will include reviewing literature and contributing to draft articles/manuscripts. Student-generated research reports will serve as the backbone for various upcoming and future article publications, research papers, and speaking events. More specifically, topics will include:
- AI and elections
- Government regulation of AI providers
- Generative AI policy
- AI and Social Media policy, including the EU AI Act, Digital Services Act, and pending/draft regulation in other parts of the world
- AI and Social Media regulatory bodies
- Open-source generative AI
- AI import restrictions and global AI trade
- Fairness of AI systems
- Online Fact Checking
- Misinformation
- Content Moderation and platform governance
- Deceptive Design Patterns
- UX Research standards and best practices
- Access to Social Media content for independent researchers
Requirements:
- Experience producing research reports that index large amounts of information on complex topics
- Ability to extract concise takeaways from advanced research topics
- Completed coursework on topics listed above
- Ability to read and digest large amounts of information quickly and effectively
- Attention to detail when completing research work
- Strong writing and communication skills
Preferred experience:
- Student reasonably expects they would remain involved with this project for a full year (two semesters)
- Extensive, relevant coursework experience on AI and society, technology and society, data ethics, social media, special topics in economics, computer science and AI, special topics in political science, public policy, regulation, history of technology, or anything similar.
- Coursework that has exposed students to writing research reports and policy briefs.
Please note that any majors are welcome to apply. This may be a good fit if you are majoring in anything from philosophy or pre-law to computer science or data science.
We will consider applicants from all years but will favor sophomores through seniors in the instance that they have relevant past coursework at Berkeley. Students may be asked for a writing sample during the later stages of the application process.
(note - interested students may apply for both this project and my other URAP project, “the Global Lives Project,” but may only work on one URAP project at a time.)
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Owen Doyle
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Remote with occasional on-campus meetings
Social Sciences Arts & Humanities