Without Guardrails, Generative AI Can Harm Education A new study co-authored by Hamsa Bastani reveals that using generative AI improves student performance, but also makes it harder for students to learn and acquire new skills. Operations Information and Decisions caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
University of Pennsylvania launches Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy The Center, led by co-PIs Christopher Yoo and Duncan Watts, will bring together six Schools at Penn with $10 million in support from Knight Foundation and the University. At the outset, the Center will propel research involving media, technology, and democracy within Penn. Communication Computer and Information Science Law caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
Court No-Shows: A Systemic Issue Sandy Mayson has found that failure-to-appear (FTA) is a systemic phenomenon that plays central role in criminal case processing in Philadelphia. Mayson’s academic work draws on her experience as a trial lawyer at Orleans Public Defenders, where she represented indigent clients in criminal proceedings. Law caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
Detecting Media Bias CSSLab's Media Bias Detector can “classify media content in somewhat close to real time,” says Duncan Watts, which he notes is “very unusual” in the world of academia where it often takes months to analyze data. Communication Computer and Information Science Operations Information and Decisions caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
Melding AI and RNA: $18M NSF AIRFoundry to Revolutionize RNA Research The U.S. National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA Foundry (NSF AIRFoundry) will use AI to design, optimize and synthesize RNA and delivery vehicles by augmenting human expertise. Zack Ives will serve as NSF AIRFoundry’s associate director of knowledge sharing. Computer and Information Science caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
Chatbots in Healthcare: The Ultimate Turing Test Lyle Ungar and Chris Callison-Burch joined Kevin Johnson's podcast, Informatics in the Round, to talk about what chatbots are, whether they present the markers of true artificial intelligence, what innovations we are looking forward to, and the benefits and barriers to integrating them into our healthcare settings. Computer and Information Science caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
Meta-Analysis Pinpoints What Vaccination Intervention Strategies Different Countries Should Adopt A new paper by Dolores Albarracín offers the first comprehensive meta-analysis examining what types of vaccination intervention strategies have the greatest effect, and whether different intervention strategies work better in different countries. Communication Health Management Nursing Psychology caret-arrow Consensus and Contagion in Society
Detecting Machine-Generated Text: An Arms Race With the Advancements of Large Language Models Today, many commercial detectors are claiming to be highly successful at detecting machine-generated text, with up to 99% accuracy, but are these claims too good to be true? Chris Callison-Burch and Liam Dugan aimed to find out in their recent paper. Computer and Information Science caret-arrow Ubiquity of Data
The Structure of Sound: Network Insights into Bach’s Music A recent paper by Dani Bassett in Physical Review Research sheds new light on the unique qualities of Bach’s music and demonstrates the potential for analyzing music through the lens of networks. Bioengineering Electrical and Systems Engineering caret-arrow Resilience in Networked Systems
Study Reveals Impact of Concern About Misinformation on Americans’ Media Consumption Habits A new study from Dolores Albarracín evaluates whether perceiving misinformation as a threat influences how partisan Americans’ media consumption is. Communication Health Management Nursing Psychology caret-arrow Consensus and Contagion in Society
