MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

"There could be very severe limits to where we can go with the current architecture [of AI]. Human cognition doesn't just rely on a single mode; it involves many different types of cognitive processes, different types of sensory inputs, different types of reasoning. So the current architecture of the large language models has proven to be more impressive than many people would have predicted, but I think it still takes a big leap of faith to say that, just on this architecture of predicting the next word, we're going to get something that's as smart as Hal in 2001 Odyssey." Hear more from Daron Acemoglu on the Goldman Sachs Exchanges podcast, in conversation with Allison Nathan and Jim Covello. https://lnkd.in/eyUxFM34

Looking for a new book? Check out MIT's list of reading suggestions for the summer, which includes several recent publications from SHASS faculty.

SHASS Dean Agustin Rayo and others attended the NC Cultural Foundation's FAIR AI conference in South Korea. The event gathered a diverse group of thought leaders to discuss the future of artificial intelligence, its potential to influence humanity, equitable practices related to AI, and more. #thisismit #mitshass #mit #ai #fairai2024

“It says a lot about our current political moment that the politicization at the extremes is the natural default,” MIT Political Science professor and misinformation expert Adam Berinsky told The New York Times. https://lnkd.in/ecsT-ksA #thisismit #mitshass #mit #politicalscience #misinformation

Number 11 on The New York Times list of the 100 best books of the 21st century is MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing professor Junot Diaz's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao", described as "a sharply-rendered...dazzling...coming-of-age tale [filled with] Dominican history, comic-book tropes, Tolkien geekery and Spanglish slang." Congratulations! https://lnkd.in/g8W7dman #thisismit #mitshass #mit #literature #junotdiaz #nytimes #listicle

“Hi Dr Duflo! In your Nobel speech, you said that you want to make everyone understand poverty. Do these books do that?” In a room full of authors, academics, and artists, a young boy in round green plastic spectacles asked what Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo declared the “best question of the evening.” “Children are natural social scientists,” Duflo said as she delved into her motivation for writing ‘Poor Economics for Kids,’ a series of picture books that tells the story of Nilou and her friends. These stories – the daily lives of these children – are the lived experience of millions around the world.  Developed with Cheyenne Olivier, an award-winning illustrator, Duflo gently introduces children to the multidimensional realities of poverty and inequality with empathy and a touch of magic. Adults will enjoy these books as much as the kids will! In a rich visual reimagination of the world, the authors infuse the universal feeling of childhood into a succinct exploration of global poverty. The books series break stereotypes to elegantly illustrate themes such as education, health, nutrition, and migration, among others. The books are published in English as an anthology by Juggernaut Books and in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Marathi by Pratham Books. Duflo and Olivier launched the book series in packed auditoriums in Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Delhi on the 8th, 10th, and 11th of July in a series of panel discussions, moderated by Abhijit Banerjee, Roopa Pai, and Paro Anand respectively. The questions asked by curious attendees, both adults and children, to Duflo and Olivier were stunningly expansive in their range: from using AI to combat poverty, to the artistic inspiration behind the illustrations, to the technical innovations required to publish high-quality books at a relatively low price. Children were particularly impressive with their thoughtful questions on some of the biggest issues of our times. “Making people empathize with the struggles of those experiencing poverty is a lifelong journey,” said Dr Duflo, as she mused upon the decades of research and travel that she consolidated to develop these playful – and profound –  stories. Read more about the book series in The Telegraph: https://lnkd.in/gpyKTuW9 Pictures by The French Institute / IFI (Institut français India) and J-PAL South Asia

Will AI live up to investor hype? Initiative Co-Director Daron Acemoglu appeared on CNBC to discuss findings from his recent article, The Simple Macroeconomics of AI. In his view, AI will only modestly increase productivity while contributing to income inequality. https://lnkd.in/eZ2nUvJR

I am thrilled to be part of the AI + Open Education Initiative, brought to you by MIT Open Learning and MIT OpenCourseWare's Collaborations Program. We seek innovation papers, projects, and actionable insights that exist at the intersection of #ArtificialIntelligence and #OpenEducation. Learn about our exciting #AI initiative ▶ https://lnkd.in/ehZFTcfA and then access the call for abstracts here ▶ https://lnkd.in/e9-Zzfuk

While many studies over the past several years have examined people’s access to and attitudes toward Covid-19 vaccines, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have looked at whether there were differences in vaccination rates and intention between men and women. In a new study appearing in the journal Frontiers in Global Women's Health, researchers found that while women and men self-reported similar Covid-19 vaccination rates in 2022, unvaccinated men expressed more intention to get vaccinated than unvaccinated women. https://lnkd.in/exdGkRDT MIT GOV/LAB #thisismit #mitshass #mit #covid #research

For a curated list of the spring/summer activities across CIS, read the latest issue of the Center's bi-annual magazine. The main features include: précis Interview: Noah Nathan Noah Nathan, an associate professor of political science at MIT, recently sat down with précis to discuss his latest book, ongoing research, work with the Global Diversity Lab (GDL), and his teaching in the political science department. Resilience and innovation from Ukraine Dmytro Chumachenko, Kateryna Lopatiuk, and Liudmyla Huliaieva were the inaugural participants of the Global MIT At-Risk Fellows (GMAF) program. The Ukrainian scholars were paired with MIT faculty advisors to exchange knowledge on teaching methods and research strategies. Their experiences and work are featured here in précis. Owen Coté, longtime associate director of the Security Studies Program, dies at 63 Owen Coté PhD ’96, a principal research scientist with the Security Studies Program (SSP), passed away on June 8 after battling cancer. He joined SSP in 1997 as associate director, a role he held for the rest of his life. He guided the program through the course of three directors — each profiting from his wise counsel, leadership skills, and sense of responsibility. Chasing global stories on human rights and conflict Anjana Sankar, a veteran journalist in the UAE, has reported on the ground from Syria and inside Kurdish prisons; embedded with Emirati military forces and covered the UAE’s deployment in the Saudi-led war; and reported on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). She joined CIS as the 2024 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow and is now at the New York Times for the final phase of her fellowship. Deciphering the brain and language through AI By summer’s end, Kinan Martin '24, will have completed five MISTI programs. His global experiences include teaching and empowering students in Kazakhstan and Jordan through MISTI Global Teaching Labs programs. He applied natural language processing and his AI know-how during his MISTI internships in Chile and Taiwan. A computer and cognitive sciences graduate, he is a MISTI-Japan intern at Reazon Holdings (Japan) this summer. These features and more are available here: https://conta.cc/3xTpf0O #AI #Global #Climate #MIT #Research #Funding #Ukraine #MiddleEast #Education MIT Political Science MIT SSP (Security Studies Program) MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI) MIT Climate Policy Center