Congratulations to Recent AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential Recipients
At the end of the Spring 2025 semester, the Grefenstette Center awarded its first Micro-credentials in AI & Digital Ethics to three 福利免费毛片 students: Katherine Johnson, Amani Mehr, and Araf Rahman. At the end of the Fall 2025 term, two more students joined the ranks of the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credentialed: Christian Moore and Carter Scholze. Congratulations to these students on this unique accomplishment!
When asked why she pursued the Grefenstette Center Micro-credential, Amani shared, 鈥淚 feel that our generation (Gen Z) is unable to function in most aspects of life without relying on artificial intelligence, and our dependence on it blinds us to its effects and even its nature. I wanted to understand it better to be able to make more conscious and informed decisions about how I use it.鈥�
The AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential is a three-course program open to all undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. Completion of the Micro-credential requires two core courses and one elective course. The program can be completed fully asynchronously online and can be applied in professional and educational contexts. Students who earn the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential receive a digital badge that verifies their accomplishment. The badge can be displayed in LinkedIn profiles and shared with potential employers.
Congratulations, again, to all students who have earned the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential, so far! We hope they continue to engage questions of tech ethics via sustained involvement in Grefenstette Center programming and also by pursuing those questions beyond their time at 福利免费毛片. Learn more about the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential.
Tech Ethics Symposium
How is AI Transforming Our Communities?
October 17-18, 2024
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law's most recent Tech Ethics Symposium: 鈥淗ow is AI Transforming Our Communities?鈥� on October 17 and 18, 2024! This two-day symposium, co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Albert P. Viragh Institute for Ethics in Business, focused on how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities and also explored how AI has already changed our region and will continue to alter our world in the next decade.
Special thanks to our panelists and moderators, who offered their diverse and engaging perspectives on the impacts of AI in and on their own communities and represented a wide range of publics, including journalism, education, tech, faith, politics, and gaming.
If you missed any part of the Symposium or would like to revisit the program, please visit the livestream links below and check out the .
Featured Speakers
Cynthia Alby, Professor of Teacher Education, Georgia College
Ravit Dotan, TechBetter.ai, Speaker, Advisor, Researcher
Miracle Jones, 1Hood Media
Jennie Ewing Liska, PublicSource
Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman, Sinai and Synapses
Kate Murphy, President & CEO of Campos, Pittsburgh-Based Marketing Research Firm
Rep. Napoleon Nelson, 154th District, PA
Annie Newman, Director of Digital Strategy, Gov. Josh Shapiro
Ehi Nosakhare, Microsoft
Chris Robinson, Creator, DeafGamersTV
Gayle Rogers, Andrew W. Mellon Professor and Chair of the English Department, University of Pittsburgh
Margie Ruttenberg, Producer
Kate S谩nchez, Recruiter, Iron Galaxy Studios and Editor-in-Chief, butwhytho.net
Steve Saylor, Creator and Host, Blind Gamer
Elise Silva, Director of Policy Research, Pitt Cyber
Grant Stoner, Gaming Journalist, Disability Advocate
Richard Zhang, Google
Student Poster Contest Winners
Graduate Students
- Grand Prize: Lynnette Hui Xian Ng 鈥�
- Runner-Up: Jocelyn Rodriguez 鈥�
- Honorable Mention: Kayla Houghton 鈥�
- Crowd Favorite: Aya Aliakparova 鈥�
Undergraduate Students
- Grand Prize: Violet Turri and Alex McElravy 鈥�
- Runner-Up: Fatima Zhantibiyeva 鈥�
- Honorable Mention: Zane Wooddell 鈥�
- Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Corbett 鈥�
- Crowd Favorite: Aiden Murphy, Olivia Gifford, Taylor Corcoran, Laila Cronin 鈥�
How Can We Create an Ethical World with Generative AI?
November 9-10, 2023
In the 2023 symposium, we examined how generative AI like ChatGPT has changed the world and what we can do to ensure an ethical future. We heard from national speakers, entered into community and expert discussions, browsed a wide variety of new research on display, and experimented with the latest generative AI apps! This event was co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media at 福利免费毛片, featuring a journalism keynote on November 9. You can download the full or watch the symposium at the links below!
Keynote Speakers
Rebekah Tweed, Executive Director, All Tech is Human
Alka Patel, Director of the Technology Security Policy Team, International Information Communications
Policy Office, Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. Department of State
Annie Newman, Director of Digital Strategy, Office of Governor Josh Shapiro, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Patrick Lee Plaisance, PhD, Penn State
April Barton, Dean, Thomas R Kline School of Law, 福利免费毛片
Hon. Conor Lamb, U.S. Representative, 2018-2023
Student Poster Contest Winners
Graduate Student Winners
Grand Prize: Christine Sowa Lepird -
Honorable Mention Award: Morgan A. Gray and Kyle R. Buettner -
Crowd Favorite Award: Madison Eidemueller, Taylor McClure, and Aizlynn Michel -
Undergraduate Student Winners
Grand Prize: Kayla Kraeuter -
Honorable Mention Award: Samiya Henry -
Honorable Mention Award: Liam Hill -
Crowd Favorite Award: Lena Schneider -
Crowd Favorite Award: Adelaide Stark -
How Can Algorithms Be Ethical?
Friday, October 29, 2022
The 2022 symposium was highlighted by a conversation between Dr. Alondra Nelson, Deputy Assistant to the President, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Bishop Paul Tighe, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education. This conversation was highlighted . You can download the and you can view the details of the .
Keynote Speakers
Alondra Nelson, Deputy Assistant to the President, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Bishop Paul Tighe, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education
Anima Anandkumar, Director of Machine Learning, NVIDIA; Bren Professor of Computing, Caltech
Philip Butler, Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Posthuman Artificial Intelligence Systems,
Partner Director of AI Institute, Iliff School of Theology鈥�
Abhishek Gupta, Founder and Principal Researcher at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute
Irina Raicu, Director of the Internet Ethics Program, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa
Clara University
Beth Schwanke, Executive director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy,
and Security
David Wasieleski, Albert Paul Viragh Professor of Business Ethics in the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business
at 福利免费毛片
Student Poster Contest Winners
Graduate Student Winners
Grand Prize: Alicia DeVos -
Honorable Mention: David Gray Widder -
Undergraduate Student Winners
Grand Prize: Aine Heron, Tamara Sioui, Maria Intong, and Rachel Burkholder -
Honorable Mention: Caitlyn Brannon -
Biometric Ethics
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Biometric technologies are integrated into the fabric of our lives. All with a single
fingerprint or facial scan you can access everything from your heart rate to your
online banking services. They are here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity
as they make our lives easier, but at what cost? 福利免费毛片鈥檚 Grefenstette annual symposium
not only delved into the technological or political issues surrounding biometric technologies
but also the ethical and theological implications that require further exploration.
Besides multiple panel sessions, in-person attendees also viewed 福利免费毛片 undergraduate
and graduate student research posters and participated in one of two workshops on
International Governance Ethics or Corporate Ethics.
Keynote Speakers
Reid Blackman - CEO, Virtue
Clare Garvie - Senior Associate, Center on Privacy & Technology, Georgetown University Law Center
Brianne Jacobs - Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies at Emmanuel College
Liz O'Sullivan - CEO, Parity
Arun Ross - Professor; John and Eva Cillag Endowed Chair in the College of Engineering and
a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Michigan State
University
Elizabeth Rowe - Irving Cypen Professor of Law, Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Professor of Law,
Director, Program in Intellectual Property Law at University of Florida Levin College
of Law
Stephanie Schuckers - Paynter-Krigman Endowed Professor in Engineering Science / Director of the Center
for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) at Clarkson University
Andrea Vicini - Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics, Professor of Moral Theology, Boston College
Theology Department
Student Poster Contest Winners
Tina Nguyen:
Dina Siniora:
Disinformation, Misinformation and Technology: New Ethical Challenges and Solutions
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
The inaugural event for the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law was a half-day symposium on Disinformation, Misinformation and Technology: New Ethical Challenges and Solutions. The symposium positioned the Center and 福利免费毛片 University in a promising collaboration with significant centers and initiatives at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. The symposium convened leading thinkers from each institution to address the complex ethical challenges posed by and solutions for the problem of misinformation and disinformation.
Keynote Speakers
Kathleen Carley, Director of the Center for Computational Analysis of Social and Organizational Systems
and Director of the Center for Informed Democracy and Social Cybersecurity, Carnegie
Mellon University
Michael Colaresi, William S. Dietrich II Chair of Political Science and Academic Director of Pitt Cyber,
University of Pittsburgh
David Danks, L.L. Thurstone Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
Brian Green, Director of Technology Ethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University
Beth Hoffman, Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine
Jane Moriarty, Carol Los Mansmann Chair in Faculty Scholarship, 福利免费毛片
Michael Quinn, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering and Executive Director of the Initiative
in Ethics and Transformative Technologies, Seattle University
Pamela Walck, Assistant Professor of Multiplatform Journalism, 福利免费毛片
Hacking4Humanity
Hacking4Humanity 2025 took place January 24-February 7, 2025, beginning with a Zoom Kickoff on January 24, and culminating with final Tech and Policy presentations, which were held at 福利免费毛片 on February 7.
Additionally, H4H 2025 finalists and organizers were invited to participate in a mini-hackathon competition at the PA Governor鈥檚 Residence in Harrisburg on March 21. This was the second year in a row that H4H teams traveled to the state capital to present their policy and tech solutions for countering online hate to a panel of expert judges, including First Lady Lori Shapiro and other members of the Governor鈥檚 administration. Many thanks to First Lady Shapiro for hosting H4H, to the panel of judges who took the time to engage with our finalists' presentations, and to everyone who welcomed H4H so graciously to the Residence!
Congratulations to the H4H 2025 winners!
Policy Track First Place: Facilo - Andre Washington and Daniel Terrero, 福利免费毛片, "Complementary Policy to COPPA: Promoting Restorative Justice in Gaming Platforms"
Policy Track Honorable Mention: Green Eggs and Hamlet - Ruby Scupp, Josephine Cantelmo, and Piper Narendorf, University of Pittsburgh, "Community Journalism Initiative to Address Information Deserts"
Tech Track First Place: Parakeet Clouds - Sarah Cross, Carnegie Mellon University, Makayla Chang, University of Pittsburgh, and Sal DeFilippo, 福利免费毛片, "Parakeet Cloud: Your Content, Your Mind, Take Control"
Tech Track Honorable Mention: Team BarnieDinosaur - Shin Young Kang and Ansel Gunther, University of Pittsburgh, "!factbot"
Tech Track Honorable Mention: The Code Breakers - William V. Fullerton, Robert Morris University, Remy Sedlak, University of Pittsburgh, and Devon Smith, University of Pittsburgh, "The Inquisitor"
H4H 2025 Judges
Chad Heitzenreiter, Senior Information Scientist, RAND
Annie Latsko, Senior Software Engineer, Microsoft
Eleanor Mattern, Director, Sara Fine Institute, University of Pittsburgh
Sadie Smiles, Digital Services Director, Governor's Office of Digital Strategy
H4H 2025 Advisors
Jacob Beeders, Senior Research Specialist (PA State Lead), Bridging Divides Initiative, Princeton
University
Cavwell Edwards, Diverse Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor of Computer Information Technology,
Community College of Allegheny County
Jessica L. Ghilani, Pitt Cyber Affiliate Scholar, Associate Professor of Communication, Pitt-Greensburg
Rachael Miller Neilan, Professor, Mathematics, 福利免费毛片
Eric Schulte, Software Engineer, Engineering Productivity, Google
Elise Silva, Director of Policy Research, Pitt Cyber
Jason Westman, Director of IT and Project Management Office, FedEx
Michael Yoder, Teaching Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Information, University of
Pittsburgh
Organizers
Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law
Winners
Policy Track Grand Prize Winner:
Myles Cramer - University of Pittsburgh - Protecting Youth from Hateful Conduct &
Sexual Harassment Online
Policy Track Runner Up Prize Winner:
Rachael Harris 鈥� Carnegie Mellon University - Tackling Hate Speech on 鈥淴鈥� with Hate
Speech
Tech Track Grand Prize Winner:
Rory McCann, Chase Lahner, Ivan Puri, Holden Gent - University of Pittsburgh - HateBot
Tech Track Runner Up Prize Winner:
Alex McElravy, Emily Brozeski, and Tessa Datte 鈥� 福利免费毛片 - Tone Tagged
Commenting
Tech Track Honorable Mention:
Paul Doherty, Sam Houpt, and Ryan Bloch - University of Pittsburgh - HateBlocker
Judges
Chad Heitzenrater, Senior Information Scientist, RAND
Jess Kuntz, Policy Director for Pitt Cyber, University of Pittsburgh
Annie Newman, Director of Digital Strategy, Gov. Josh Shapiro
Ashique KhudaBukhsh, Assistant Professor at the Golisano College of Computing and
Information Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology
Advisors
Clarke Bacharach, Independent Consultant
Jay Carroll, RAND
Florence Chee, Loyola University Chicago
Kevin Hanshaw, Google
Abi Hunter, Google
Morgan Gray, 福利免费毛片
Daniel Little, InvolveMINT
Rachael Miller Neilan, 福利免费毛片
Katherine Norton, 福利免费毛片
Ehi Nosakhare, Microsoft
Eric Schulte, Google
Elise Silva, University of Pittsburgh
Richard Zhang, Google
Organizers
Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law
The Sara Fine Institute
Tech Ethics Colloquium Series and Other Events
Defining Humanity in the Age of AI
A Virtual Roundtable Presented by the '25-'26 Grefenstette Center for Ethics National Research Scholars
How is the rise of AI affecting ... Human relationships? Religion and faith? Human decision-making? Life in virtual worlds? What it means to be human?
Join this year's cohort of National Research Scholars as they offer a variety of viewpoints and address questions and concerns about the ways in which AI is impacting human life. Moderated by Executive Director Dr. John Slattery, this event is formatted as an interactive roundtable with multiple ways for attendees to join the conversation! The discussion will be hosted on Zoom and is free to attend.
Assessing the Assessor: A Study of GenAI's Evaluative Responses to Writing
Presented by Dr. Jim Purdy and Samir Nadra, MS, MBA
Tuesday, December 09, 1:30 p.m.
Student Union, Room 119
- Do AI tools actually make your writing better?
- What is the future of writing with GenAI?
Jim Purdy and Samir Nadra discuss what really happens when we ask GenAI to assess writing! What are the potentials and pitfalls? Associate Provost Dyan Jones and CTE Assistant Director Jeff Lambert offer a response to start the conversation.
The Future of the Humanities in a World of AI
Adaptability and AI in Medical Education
Dipu Patel is a board-certified, doctoral-trained PA passionate about medicine and education. She has over 24 years of clinical, operational, and leadership experience which has inspired her to lend her talent to the education of the next generation of PAs. Having worked in various settings, including emergency medicine, urgent care, and hematology/oncology, has allowed her to fully embrace her practice and skillset to provide patient-centered care. Dr. Patel currently serves as Vice Chair for Innovation and Professor at the University of Pittsburgh DMSc program. She brings her leadership skills to further the PA profession and its impact by teaching and developing skills in quality improvement, innovation, digital health, and artificial intelligence.
Explore the future of healthcare education with Dr. Dipu Patel as she delves into the applications of Generative AI in healthcare curricula and the central role that AI is already playing in various healthcare fields.
Dr. Patel鈥檚 presentation will begin by demystifying Generative AI through providing a shared language and understanding, followed by hands-on demonstrations of AI-driven learning activities and assignments. Dr. Patel will highlight the significant benefits for student learning and the ongoing impact of AI on healthcare professionals and clinical practice.
Data Privacy in Digital Health Technologies: Lessons from Menstrual Cycle Tracking
Presented by Dr. Theresa Stujenske and Dr. Lauren Sugden
Monday, December 09, 2:15 p.m.
Student Union, Room 109
-
What constitutes privacy when it comes to health data?
-
Is it safe to use menstrual cycle tracking apps?
Dr. Stujenske and Dr. Sugden will offer answers to these questions, using menstrual
cycle tracking apps as a case study. They will highlight common privacy risks associated
with menstrual tracking apps and discuss the lack of regulatory oversight.
Bias, Bots, and the Misinformation Crisis
Presented by Dr. Wenqi Zhou
Thursday, November 07, 12:15 p.m.
Student Union, Room 119
- How prevalent are bots in social media?
- What are the main causes of misinformation today?
- What role do cognitive biases play in the misinformation we encounter everyday?
Dr. Zhou will offer answers to these questions and discuss the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the damaging influence of automated accounts in public discourse.
Algorithms & Extremism
- How do social media algorithms contribute to online radicalization and extremism?
- How do search algorithms contribute to political violence, like the January 6 riot at the U.S. capitol?
In our first Tech Ethics Colloquium of the year, Dr. Scheid will offer practical suggestions to curb online radicalization and to advocate for legislation that requires responsible social media algorithms.
Artificial Intelligence and the Experience of Poverty: A Tech Ethics Discussion
The Artifice of Intelligence with Dr. Noreen Herzfeld
AI is becoming ubiquitous. Whatever its arrival portends for our future, whether riches or ruin, it cannot be avoided. The Artifice of Intelligence explores two questions at the heart of a theological response to AI. Is it possible for human beings to have authentic relationships with an AI? How does the increasing presence of AI change the way humans relate to one another? In pursuing answers to these questions, Herzfeld explores what it means to be created in the image of God and to create AI in our own image. It utilizes and expands Karl Barth's relational understanding of the imago Dei to examine humanity's relationship both with AI and, through it, with one another. Barth's injunctions--look the other in the eye (embodiment), speak to and hear the other (communication), aid the other (agency), and do it gladly (emotion)--provide the basis for the main chapters, each of which concludes with a case study of a current AI application that exemplifies the difficulties AI introduces into human relationality. The Artifice of Intelligence concludes with an examination of the incarnation, one that points toward the centrality of embodiment for full relationality.
Join Beatrice Institute and The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law as Noreen Herzfeld (St. John's University, Theology) shares her research and talks about her new book, The Artifice of Intelligence. Her presentation will begin at 4:30pm, followed by a brief response by John Dolan (CMU Robotics, Principal Systems Scientist). Herzfeld will then welcome questions during a Q and A and end the evening by signing books.
2025-2026 Young Ethicist Essay Competition
We were delighted to host this year's high school essay contest winners on campus in Spring 2026. These Young Ethicists provided unique insight into the ethical concerns that AI raises across a variety of timely and important topics. During the campus visit, our winners discussed AI ethics research & scholarship with Grefenstette Center Student Fellows and Staff, chatted with Student Ambassadors over lunch, and enjoyed a beautiful spring day on the Bluff! See the full list of winners below and click the links to read their essays.
2025-2026 Young Ethicist Essay Competition Winners
First Place - Caroline Boothby, Avonworth High School,
Second Place - Lily Stefanik, Avonworth High School,
Third Place - Camila Intriago, Avonworth High School,
Honorable Mention - Julia Doherty, Avonworth High School,
Honorable Mention - Tessa Burens, Avonworth High School,
Submissions for the 2026-2027 Young Ethicist Contest will open in Fall 2026.