Prof Sieber is looking for new PhD and Masters students who will be funded to research meaningful public participation in AI policy and governance or public participation using AI. The challenge is to characterize and ensure meaningful engagement. This is a rapidly changing field so students must stay current with the AI Ethics, governance, and participation literature as well as identify examples of meaningful engagement in AI that emerge globally. Some students’ research may be more on the technical side; others on the participatory theory and policy side. Although Prof Sieber encourages students from a variety of disciplines to apply, it is quite difficult if the student has no social sciences or humanities backgrounds.
Important: Prospective students need to apply before January 2024. Students will begin their studies in September 2024. Prospective students should contact Prof Sieber first — renee.sieber@mcgill.ca — before applying to the McGill University Department of Geography. McGill University is grade-conscious so transcripts are even more important if the student has been out of university for a while. Students also need a writing sample, preferably published in a social sciences journal or conference. Students will be getting a degree in Geography not in Computer Science.
Prof Sieber’s research is at the intersection of social theory and actual AI (civically enabled software architecture). Prof Sieber is a joint between the McGill University Department of Geography, the Bieler School of Environment, and cross appointed with the School of Computer Science.