The University of Southern California (USC) is launching the Institute on Ethics & Trust in Computing, supported by $12 million in funding from the Lord Foundation of California.
In announcing the new institute last week, USC said that experts will provide students and researchers with ethical guidance and resources “on the development and applications of artificial intelligence and other technologies that are now commonplace across business and finance, health care, national security, and science.”
“USC is the place for innovation, with the interdisciplinary reach and expertise to drive advancements in computational science that benefit humanity,” USC President Carol Folt said.
“Ethics must always remain at the center, and this important new institute guides future scientists to think deeply about the impact of their work. I’m grateful to the Lord Foundation for their foresight and support during this pivotal moment when AI is revolutionizing computing and society,” Folt added.
The institute will be co-directed by faculty from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The program is intended to advance Folt’s Frontiers of Computing “moonshot” – which is a $1 billion-plus academic initiative that supports ethical advancement in areas such as AI, robotics, and quantum computing.
“By embedding research results in ethics focused on trustworthiness, safety, and responsible AI development into advanced computing education, the institute will empower USC students across disciplines — from engineering and business to law, as well as media and philosophy — to engage with emerging technologies in ways that promote public trust and societal well-being,” said Yan Liu, a co-director of the institute and professor of computer science at USC Viterbi.
