[Air-L] Post-Doctoral researcher opportunity at Media, Inequality & Change Center (AI policy)

[Smith, Briar R.]

Holiday greetings!

The Media, Inequality & Change Center occupies the intersection of technology, policy, and social justice. It is committed to studying the political economy of social problems, media, and democracy, while engaging local activist projects, and drawing connections with national and international social movements.

Currently, The MIC Center is advancing research on the role that Big Tech plays in shaping the AI governance agenda and how influence is sought with policy makers, the government, media and civil society in a way that enables and frames the debate to further corporate interests. Through a multi-method, interdisciplinary and transnational comparative study, this project will explore how AI strategies are shaped and what this means for democracy, governance and trust. Assessing corporate influence through a combination of computational and qualitative methods across policy, government, media and civil society within the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, the research will uncover the role that corporations play in animating AI's growth in key established democracies. Moreover, by showing alternative framings and engaging with a range of stakeholders to discuss ongoing findings, the project will explore avenues for intervention to foster democracy, governance and trust.

We are recruiting a post-doctoral researcher to join us in 2025<https://www.asc.upenn.edu/research/centers/media-inequality-and-change-center/opportunities> and work across the various research questions with which this project engages:

  1.  What are prominent corporate activities and discourses within policy, government, media and civil society relating to AI?
  2.  What are alternative discourses and strategies on AI advanced by other actors?
  3.  What do different discourses and strategies on AI mean for democracy, governance and trust?
  4.  What avenues for intervention can foster more democratic approaches to developing AI strategies in the public interest?

In exploring these questions, the objectives of the project are to i) empirically assess the nature of challenges related to corporate activities on AI for democracy, governance and trust; ii) theoretically (re)conceptualize democracy, governance and trust in the context of AI; iii) identify existing and potential opportunities for enhancing democracy, governance and trust in relation to AI; and iv) engage with key stakeholders in the fields of policy, government, media and civil society to strengthen key democratic institutions in the advancement of AI.

Essential criteria:

  *   A PhD in the area of critical data/AI studies or related fields
  *   Knowledge of key debates on 'Big Tech', AI and democracy
  *   Familiarity and/or experience with using qualitative research methods
  *   Experience with writing academic publications and publications geared towards a general audience/policymakers
  *   Good communication skills and ability to work as part of a team of researchers
Desirable criteria:

  *   Experience with working in a research team
  *   Experience with doing comparative research across national contexts
  *   Experience with stakeholder engagement, including government, civil society and industry
  *   Knowledge of AI-related debates in the areas of energy (e.g. data centers), journalism (e.g. copyright) and labor (e.g. automation).
Main duties:

  *   Carry out literature reviews at the intersection of corporate influences on AI strategy and democracy, governance and trust.
  *   Carry out qualitative research, including discourse analysis and interviews, on the topic of corporate influences on AI strategy. Areas of research may include energy policy, journalism and labor.
  *   Assist with administrative tasks, including organizing project workshops
  *   Write research for publication
  *   Collaboration with an international team of researchers
  *   Communications with both internal and external networks to develop and advance stakeholder engagement with the project

The full call, along with compensation and application information is here: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/research/centers/media-inequality-and-change-center/opportunities

Deadline: January 10, 2025


Briar Smith
Associate Director
Media, Inequality & Change Center (MIC)
215-520-0773 (m)
215-573-9218 (o)
www.miccenter.org<http://www.miccenter.org>