Reporting on the Rise of AI: A RAND-Poynter Masterclass

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Reporting on the Rise of AI: A RAND-Poynter Masterclass

This free, one-day, in-person workshop will give Washington, D.C.,-area journalists a chance to connect with RAND’s top AI experts in sessions that examine AI and social bias, the workforce, misinformation, and the industry interests that will shape government regulation.

June 28, 2024– June 28, 2024

Overview

  • Spend a full day with leading AI experts for a full day on June 28.
  • Each session will be a mix of presentation and moderated Q&A.
  • Come with story ideas and explore them with RAND analysts.
  • Network with other D.C.-based journalists.
  • This event is free, but you must apply by June 14.
  • All sessions are at the RAND office in Arlington, Virginia.
  • This event is possible thanks to the generous support of RAND.

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SKU: RAND-24

Learning Outcomes

After this workshop, you will:

  • Have a clearer picture of the arenas where AI poses the greatest risk of social bias.
  • Be able to better identify the jobs and types of tasks that could be upended by AI.
  • Understand options for government regulation and how those intersect with the interests of private firms.
  • Have a better grasp of the counter measures against foreign misinformation actors and the scope of their activities.

$0.00

Application is closed

Overview

  • Spend a full day with leading AI experts for a full day on June 28.
  • Each session will be a mix of presentation and moderated Q&A.
  • Come with story ideas and explore them with RAND analysts.
  • Network with other D.C.-based journalists.
  • This event is free, but you must apply by June 14.
  • All sessions are at the RAND office in Arlington, Virginia.
  • This event is possible thanks to the generous support of RAND.

Training five or more people?
Check out our custom training.

RAND has a long history of producing cutting-edge analysis of the big issues of the day. Poynter aims to fortify journalists with the understanding to serve the public interest. This free day-long workshop takes on generative AI by addressing questions like:

  • How well can people prevent social bias from creeping into an AI algorithm? 
  • What if AI picks up research tasks that today rely on trained professionals? 
  • How can we minimize the confusion and mistrust that comes from the ease with which AI can produce and spread fabrications that look real?

There’s a role for government oversight, but there are many industry players who want to shape it according to their needs, not necessarily the public’s. 

RAND researchers have been working on these topics and will share their insights with up to 25 journalists who work in or are able to travel to the Washington, D.C., area for a workshop at RAND headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. With a group this small, there will be plenty of opportunity to ask the questions that connect to each journalist’s target audience.

Lunch is included, along with a post-workshop happy hour.

What insights do policymakers need to make decisions that minimize the risks of AI while maximizing the benefits? As AI is implemented across different sectors, how might it increase inequities or transform the workforce? Will generative AI revolutionize U.S. adversaries’ ability to manipulate content on social media? 

RAND experts will tackle these questions and more in a one-day masterclass designed for journalists. Attendees will deepen their knowledge of AI technologies and applications; learn more about some of the top policy considerations related to AI; and get expert insights into the ways this fast-evolving technology could transform the way we work, live, and interact.

The following schedule is tentative and subject to change.

9-9:15 a.m. — Welcome and Introductions 

9:15-10:30 a.m. — AI and Inequity | Benjamin Boudreaux, Jessica Paige

From criminal justice to schools to health care, AI has already shown that it can exacerbate social bias and inequality. Boudreaux and Paige will go through several case studies and offer a framework that focuses on the way the data used to train AI interacts with the algorithm to produce unfair outcomes for vulnerable communities. They will discuss how AI is being used in a wider circle of social contexts and what can be done to minimize its negative impacts.

10:30-10:45 a.m.:  Break

10:45-11:30 a.m. — The AI Governance Ecosystem | Benjamin Boudreaux, Casey Mahoney, Carter Price

The AI ecosystem includes many stakeholders with interests that don’t always align with each other, including chipmakers, cloud computing providers, software companies, AI/ML researchers, regulators, end-users and others. AI will have significant impacts on geopolitics and virtually every industry, including health care, manufacturing, energy, finance and services. RAND analysts will discuss the risks associated with existing and prospective AI models, as well as options to mitigate these risks, including government regulation, the role of multilateral governance and how certain choices could impact the public interest.

11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. — Crafting an AI policy for your newsroom | Fernanda Camarena

Every newsroom needs to adopt an ethics policy to guide the use of generative artificial intelligence. Why? Because the only way to create ethical standards in an unlicensed profession is to do it shop by shop. Poynter’s AI Policy Starter Kit, created by Kelly McBride, Alex Mahadevan and Tony Elkins, roots AI experimentation in the principles of accuracy, transparency and audience trust, followed by a set of specific guidelines.

12:15-1:15 p.m. — Lunch (provided)

1:15-2:15 p.m. — AI and the Future of Work | Tobias Sytsma, Melanie Zaber

Will AI be the fifth industrial revolution in the world of work? This talk will highlight RAND research on which jobs are most exposed to technological change, with a special focus on AI. The presenters will discuss how exposure to AI is measured; whether and which jobs are likely to be replaced, reshaped or expanded by technology; and the types of workers who will be most exposed. They will also highlight promising practices to help smooth the “AI revolution” for workers and employers alike.

2:15-3:15 p.m.: Generative AI’s Potential Role in Information Warfare | Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, William Marcellino

The rise of generative AI could revolutionize bad actors’ ability to conduct social media manipulation. This talk will review the technical foundations of generative AI, highlight applications for social media manipulation, and examine the threat to the democratic process via astroturfing. Presenters will explore these issues through a case study — how the Chinese military may adopt generative AI to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy — and apply that to domestic actors’ potential misuse of this emerging technology.

 3:15-3:30 p.m. — Closing

3:30-4:30 p.m. — Happy hour nearby (location TBD)

Who should enroll

Applicants should be working journalists who live in or are able to travel to the Washington, D.C.,-area to attend this training. The program is geared toward early-to-mid-career journalists.

 

Cost

This training is free, thanks to funding from RAND.

 

Application/enrollment/registration process

The process to apply is straightforward and simple. No letter of recommendation or reference is required. Please be prepared to answer questions about your professional experience, areas of interest and basic demographic information.

The deadline to apply is June 14 .

Instructors

  • Benjamin Boudreaux
    Benjamin Boudreaux (he/him) is policy researcher at RAND and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School working at the intersection of ethics, emerging technology, and...
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  • Fernanda Camarena
    Faculty
    Fernanda Camarena is an award-winning TV and radio reporter and editor who was most recently a manager on NBC News' Standards and Practices team, where...
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  • Jon Greenberg
    Faculty
    Jon is the lead Faculty for the Beat Academy webinar series at Poynter. Beat Academy is a series of expert-led and resource-packed webinars that will...
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  • Jessica Paige
    Jessica Welburn Paige is a social scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include...
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  • Casey Mahoney
    Associate Political Scientist in RAND’s Defense and Political Sciences (DPS) department
    Casey Mahoney is an Associate Political Scientist in RAND’s Defense and Political Sciences (DPS) department. His research focuses on the international governance of AI, U.S.-China...
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  • Bill Marcellino
    Bill Marcellino is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND, professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University...
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  • Carter C. Price
    Carter C. Price (he/him) is the research quality assurance manager for the Homeland Security Research Division, and a senior mathematician at RAND. He was previously...
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  • Tobias Sytsma
    Tobias (Toby) Sytsma is an associate economist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research focuses on...
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  • Melanie Zaber
    Melanie Zaber (she/her) is an economist at RAND, codirector of the Middle-Class Pathways Center, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate...
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