A Force for Good in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Block Center for Technology and Society at Carnegie Mellon University was established to examine the societal consequences of technological change and to create meaningful plans of action.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, and advanced manufacturing promise profound impacts across society. While many of these impacts will benefit people, there exists the possibility that many in the labor market will be displaced, and that technology may fundamentally change how people engage with and contribute to their world.
The Block Center will focus on how emerging technologies will alter the future of work, how AI and analytics can be harnessed for social good, and how innovation in these spaces can be more inclusive and generate targeted, relevant solutions that reduce inequality and improve quality of life.
Mission
Addressing technological disruption from the perspective of economics, organizations, and public policy, the Block Center's projects will seek to ensure that the benefits of technological change are widely shared, opening new paths to prosperity for all.
Mind + Machine
Dean Ramayya Krishnan on the potential of artificial intelligence to reshape society.
AI and the Future of Work
Machine learning pioneer Tom Mitchell on the likelihood that artificial intelligence will eliminate jobs.
National Academy of Sciences Report
Read the 2017 U.S. NASEM report, authored by Tom Mitchell, E. Fredkin University Professor of Machine Learning and Computer Science, on Information Technology and the Future of Work and his paper on Economic Consequences of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
NSF Funds Block Center Projects
Tracking the effects of emerging technologies on manufacturing industries. Re-skilling marginalized workers for the digital economy. Helping low-income mothers get to work. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here, and we're making sure no one is left behind. Learn more about our three projects funded by the National Science Foundation.
Focus Areas
The Future of Work
How will technology change the nature of work? What types of jobs will no longer be done by humans? Who is at risk of being left behind?
Artificial Intelligence & Analytics For Good
How can artificial intelligence and analytics increase justice and reduce inequality? Can we design algorithms which are transparent and fair? How do we design machines that are worthy of our trust?
Seeding Societal Futures
How can technology be used to reskill displaced workers? What new work opportunities will technology create? What solutions can we create to alleviate human suffering?
Keith Block: Co-CEO Salesforce
The Block Center was launched thanks to the generosity of Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Keith Block and his wife, Suzanne Kelley. Block is the co-Chief Executive Officer of cloud computing giant Salesforce.com. Salesforce was recently ranked #1 on Fortune's Future 50.
Does Technology Kill Jobs?
- Prof. Lee Branstetter
Using AI in Education to Reduce Inequality
- Prof. Amy Ogan
Ethics and Trust in an Automated World
- Prof. David Danks
Recent & Upcoming Events
- Feb 25 Dean Ramayya Krishnan briefs Congress on AI and the future of work
- Dec 1 - Dec 3 Professor Conrad Tucker hosts the Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of STEM and Societies
- Nov 8 Keith Block Entrepreneurship Competition
- Oct 10 Professor David Danks delivers keynote address on "Designing Artificial Intelligence for Social Effect Through Policy" at RAND Corporation's Conference on The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Work, Health, and Social Well-Being
- Sep 24 Professor David Danks speaks on "Achieving Responsible & Trusted AI" at World Interaction Design Day
- Sep 9 Professor Rayid Ghani participates in White House Summit on AI in Government
In The News
- World Economic Forum - How higher education can adapt to the future of work
- The New York Times - Many Facial-Recognition Systems Are Biased, Says U.S. Study
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - How blueberries helped inform ethical considerations in an age of driverless cars, robotic workers of big data
- TIME - AI Can Now Make Medical Predictions From Raw Data. But Can Deep Learning Be Trusted?
- 90.5 WESA - Siri, Tell Fido To Stop Barking: What's Machine Learning, And What's The Future Of It?
- Fast Company - Better-educated, higher-paid workers will be ‘most affected’ by AI, per new study
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Automation will change the workforce — in some cases, it already has — but not as quickly as you might expect