Professor Bridgette Wessels
Professor in the Sociology of Inequalities (Sociological & Cultural Studies)
We asked Professor Wessels to answer a few questions about her background with data science and AI and her hopes for the future of the Centre for Data Science & AI.
Can you tell us about your background in Data Science and AI, and how your experiences have shaped your approach to the programme you'll be directing?
My research from PhD onwards has focused on the social dynamics of the innovation, development and use of digital technologies. My expertise is in the social shaping of technology and the ways in which it is developed and used in social contexts. These include health, education, work, media, inequalities and culture. A central part of my research is exploring new ways to work with data ranging back to the e-social science programme in the 2010s to more recent development of data ontologies in mixed methods research. The exciting and important topics social science addresses means it is always innovating in research methodologies. It is therefore important to ensure that AI and the data it work with is developed to meet the needs of social science research and its researchers. It is also important that social science informs the responsible and ethical use of AI in its research and in wider society.
What are your key goals and aspirations for the programme you're leading, and what do you hope and/or envision the Centre's impact on the wider University will be?
The Programme for Social Science and Economics aims to develop socially informed responsible and ethical AI that is fit for purpose, transparent and explainable. The programme will foster the social sciences to develop a research agenda that will inform research projects in various types of AI research and AI in social contexts. The research it will undertake will include critical analysis and applied research across the social sciences. In developing a research agenda and undertaking research till will train researchers at all levels in AI and related data practices. It will also seek to inform policy in the use of responsible and ethical AI.