Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making

On November 3-4, the Neely Center hosted the Psychology of Technology Institute’s 7th annual conference?which featured over 20 presentations covering the latest research on topics such as “Using Large Language Models to Help People be Their ‘Best’ Selves”, “Integrating AI and Democracy”, “Can Gen AI Help End HIV?”, and “When and Why Do Chatbots Satisfy the Human Need for Social Connection?”. Executives from EY, Kahn Academy, Healthvana, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, United Nations, Common Sense Media, Pinterest, and the American Psychological Association discussed the various ways AI could be implemented to improve technology’s impact on society. “There was terrific energy from start to finish,” said Nathanael Fast, executive director of the Neely Center. “Over the years, we’ve found that technologists and behavioral scientists are eager to learn from each other, and when these kinds of cross-disciplinary conversations happen early in the design process we can ultimately build better and safer products.” Fast co-organized the conference with Ravi Iyer, managing director of the Neely Center, and Juliana Schroeder, Harold Furst Chair in Management Philosophy and Value at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Fast also moderated the keynote panel which included Nicola Morini Bianzino, global CTO at EY, Deepa Seetharaman, AI reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Nick Switanek, principal technical architect for AI at Microsoft, and Amanda Lenhart, head of research at Common Sense Media.

Advancing Regulatory Coherence at State, Federal, and International Levels Technology platforms impact societies at every level—state, federal, and global—making regulatory responses across jurisdictions critical. Despite varying contexts, the challenges policymakers face are often strikingly similar. To address these complexities, the Neely Center, in collaboration with Knight-Georgetown Institute and Tech Law Justice Project, convened state officials, legal scholars, federal regulators, and technology experts in Washington, DC. Together, we explored pathways to develop effective, feasible, and constitutional policy solutions. One significant outcome of this gathering was the creation of a design taxonomy, now being utilized to guide regulatory responses across jurisdictions. Collaborations leveraging this taxonomy are ongoing, with a shared goal of delivering syndicated policy options ready for implementation in 2025. Check out the design taxonomy and share your suggestions or questions! https://lnkd.in/gCGj6r7t #NeelyCenter #NeelyIndices #DesignTaxonomy (cc: Ravi Iyer, Nathanael Fast)

Neely Center Presents Design Code and Indices at Daniels Fund Lecture at University of Utah Ravi Iyer, Managing Director of the Neely Center, delivered an invited talk as part of the University of Utah's Daniels Fund Lecture Series, which aims to provide students with an ethical perspective on current events. In his talk, Ravi shared insights into the challenges and opportunities for creating a more ethical and socially responsible social media environment. Drawing from his experiences at platforms like Facebook, he discussed how thoughtful design choices can mitigate negative societal impacts. Key topics included the importance of effective content moderation, incentivizing positive engagement, and addressing the influence of algorithms on user behavior. We invite you to check out the key points of the talk. Share your thoughts in comments! https://lnkd.in/gVbTcPe8 #TechEthics #SafetyOnline #NeelyIndices #NeelyDesignCode (cc: Ravi Iyer, Nathanael Fast)

Neely Center Sponsors Build Peace 2025 in the Philippines The Neely Center is proud to sponsor the Build Peace Conference for both 2024 and 2025. Technology impacts societies worldwide, and some of the most profound effects—both positive and negative—are seen in global majority countries. Last year, in Nairobi, we led several events to share insights on global platform design trends and gather input from diverse communities on their ideal technology products. This year, we facilitated similar discussions on the progress of global design governance and measurement initiatives. Our goal is to inform global policymakers and engage peacebuilders on how best to design AI, social media, and mixed reality systems for the benefit of all. https://lnkd.in/dBNmGCC #NeelyCenter #NeelyDesignCode #NeelyIndices (cc: Ravi Iyer, Nathanael Fast, Build Up ^)

Neely Design Code Informing OfCom's Measurement Strategy Recently, Ravi Iyer, Managing Director of the Neely Center, delivered a keynote presentation at Ofcom's public event on "Evaluating Effectiveness of Online Safety Measures." During his presentation, he introduced both the Neely Center Design Code for Social Media and the Neely Indices. Ravi continues to serve on OfCom's academic panel, contributing insights to support the implementation of the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act. #NeelyCenter #NeelyDesignCode #NeelyIndices #OfCom (cc: Ravi Iyer, Nathanael Fast)

Platform design choices impact the privacy, safety, and security of minors online. Despite company-imposed restrictions on access to data, independent research shows that content-agnostic design changes can help support prosocial interactions and user well-being. Learn more in KGI’s recent submission to the European Commission Guidelines to Enforce the Protection of Minors Online:? https://shorturl.at/B00Jz The Commission’s focus on the unique experiences of minors online is laudable, and many of the strategies which improve the privacy, safety and security for minors online will benefit broader social media users. KGI’s focus on the importance of platform design elements aligns with submissions from other organizations including Integrity Institute, University of Southern California Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making, European Digital Rights, EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists' Associations), People vs Big Tech, among others.

The 8th Annual Psychology of Technology Conference 2024 The Psychology of Technology Institute, in collaboration with the Digital Business Institute BU at Questrom School of Business, Boston University, was honored to host the 8th Annual Psychology of Technology Conference, titled “New Directions in Research on the Psychology of Technology,” on October 12-13, 2024. This year’s theme, “The Quantified Society,” brought together a diverse group of industry leaders, behavioral scientists, technologists, and AI experts dedicated to fostering a healthy psychological future as AI becomes an integral part of daily life. This year, conference speakers included Madeleine Daepp, Microsoft Research; Johannes Eichstaedt, Stanford University; Emily Saltz, Google Jigsaw; Glenn E., Civic Health Project; Tara Behrend, Michigan State University; Andrea Liebman, Swedish Psychological Defence Agency; Chloe Autio, Autio Strategies, and Dokyun Lee, Boston University, among others. The keynote was delivered by Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of Duolingo. Please stay tuned for some of the recorded talks which will be made available soon! https://lnkd.in/grruPVkU #PsychOfTech #TechEthics #NeelyCenter (cc: Nathanael Fast, Ravi Iyer, Carey Morewedge, Sandra Zarotney Keldsen, Hayley Houston, M.Ed.)

Neely Center Informing the European Union's Protection of Minors Recently, Ravi Iyer, Managing Director of the Neely Center, joined a panel with Buffy Wicks, California Assemblymember and Martin H., Head of Protection of Minors for the EU, to discuss policy approaches to protecting children online. The Neely Center also provided formal input into the upcoming code of practice for the Digital Services Act and participated in several workshops to support this work. A recording of the event is now available online. You are invited to check it out and learn more about these critically important conversations. https://lnkd.in/ga78JSke #NeelyCenter #NeelyDesignCode #NeelyIndices #KidsOnline #OnlineSafety (cc: Ravi Iyer, Nathanael Fast)

In a recent Tech Policy Press article, author Rehan Mirza examined the quality of social media newsfeeds in the lead-up to the 2024 election. The piece cited the Neely Social Media Index to highlight evidence that declining content quality affects user engagement, suggesting that platforms may have a long-term incentive to invest in content integrity. Our Social Media Index data reveals that 30% of adults noticed content on social media they considered “bad for the world,” particularly on platforms like X and Facebook. ? Check out the article and share your thoughts in the comments! ? #NeelyCenter #NeelyIndices #NeelySocialMediaIndex #TechEthics https://lnkd.in/g9SME5ED (cc: Nathanael Fast, Ravi Iyer)

EY.ai Global AI Advisory Council to Guide AI Strategy We are pleased to share Nathanael Fast, director of the Neely Center, has been invited to join the newly formed EY.ai Global AI Advisory Council. This council is designed to guide EY's AI strategy and address the rapid technological and market shifts shaping AI today. With a focus across key domains — customer experience, talent, human behavior, and industry impact — Nate will contribute insights on ethical leadership in democratizing AI. Congratulations to Nate on this appointment and to the council’s mission of navigating the opportunities and challenges of this transformative field! ?? ? #NeelyCenter #NeelyIndices #NeelyAIIndex #NeelyDesignCode #TechEthics ? (cc: Nathanael Fast, Ravi Iyer) ? https://lnkd.in/ghwSCU_V