Responsible AI: Data Centers, Sustainability, Governance, and the Importance of Civic Engagement

Michelle Abunaja, Environmental Justice Senior Policy Advisor | Seattle Public Utilities; Affiliate Instructor | UW College of Built Environments

Eleonor Bounds, Senior Analyst, Data Privacy & Responsible AI | City of Seattle, Information Technology Department

Lindsey Washburn, Director of Engagement | Assessed Intelligence

This workshop will cover a broad range of topics that relate to AI for "public good". The session will touch on intersections of policy, civic engagement, social justice, data centers and “sustainability". Speakers will share their experiences in their respective fields, how they have seen the landscape shift, and what they anticipate for the future of emerging technology. The intent is for attendees to walk away more empowered, knowledgeable and curious about these sociotechnical tools and how critically important each person is in shaping the future.

Location: MGH 254

How NOT to Fall in Love with your AI Assistant

Wes King, Assistant Teaching Professor | UW Information School

This workshop explores relationships with AI Assistants in the workplace. Discover how AI, robots, and virtual reality are reshaping our relationships with work. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and group activities, we'll delve into the ethical and societal implications of relationships with AI Assistants, including understanding their capabilities, limitations, and appropriate professional boundaries. This workshop is designed to inspire students to develop a critical, balanced, and ethical perspective on working with AI assistants.

Location: MGH 254

Why does it matter how we evaluate AI systems?

Belén Saldías, Assistant Teaching Professor | UW Information School

What we measure in AI reveals the values we want to push into the world. In this workshop, we’ll explore AI evaluation from the inside out: how modern models are trained, fine-tuned, and deployed, where they fail, and why measuring “performance” is a leadership and community-impact question, not just a technical one. Students will interrogate who gets to define “good enough,” how values become benchmarks, datasets, and metrics, and where accountability lands when systems cause harm.

Location: MGH 242

Value Sensitive Design

David Hendry, Associate Professor & MSIM Program Chair | UW Information School

Value sensitive design, pioneered by Professor Batya Friedman in the mid 1990s, is a methodology for responsible innovation. In this workshop, first, I will introduce the theory, method, and practice of value sensitive design and, second, we will tackle a design challenge, where we will explore how value sensitive design can be used to innovate with our moral and technical imaginations. To learn about value sensitive design, see https://vsdesign.org.

Location: MGH 254

Co-Designing Environmentally Sustainable Futures with Global Indigenous Communities

Jason Young, Assistant Professor, Director of TASCHA | UW Information School

This workshop will explore the work that Indigenous communities around the world are doing to leverage information technologies to support environmental sustainability. In the first half of the workshop, Young will provide examples of how he is working with Indigenous communities to co-design new socio-technical approaches to conservation and environmental sustainability. In the second half of the workshop, participants will engage in a small co-design activity to provide suggestions for a current technology project being implemented in the Peruvian Amazon. Participants will leave with a better, real world understanding of how communities are leveraging technologies to protect their lands.

Location: MGH 242