Georgetown University

Georgetown University’s public interest technology efforts are led through our Initiative on Technology & Society which strengthens the intersection of technology, ethics, and governance. We forge university collaborations at this nexus while also equipping the world’s next generation of leaders to navigate complex, interdisciplinary challenges by collaborating on research; driving policy and social change; expanding interdisciplinary curricula; and, building, strengthening, and promoting the field of technology and society.

Robert Groves, Executive Vice President and Provost

Educational Offerings

Bridging Communities and Development in Senegal and Washington, D.C.

This project will develop an experimental pedagogy that connects students in Washington and Senegal and teaches them to respond to global inequalities in technological systems. International affairs students from Georgetown University and undergraduate engineering students from the Dakar American University of Science and Technology will collaborate to address the needs of local, marginalized communities through a course, a summer internship, a workshop, and a final presentation with policymakers about how to create technological designs for people in both the United States and Senegal.

Principal Investigators

Katherine Chandler, Associate Professor, Culture and Politics Program.

Rajesh Veeraraghavan, Associate Professor of Science Technology and International Affairs (STIA) Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Career Pipeline and Placement

Piloting a Potential Technology and Society Impact Clinic/Practicum

We will develop a pilot for a potential new course, in which students will work together in interdisciplinary teams on high impact projects aimed at bending the path of technological progress toward human flourishing, justice, and equality, and away from suffering, injustice, and bias. Students will consult with and serve partners such as nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and individuals, selected to maximize both pedagogical value and societal and individual impact. Students will develop, lead, organize, and execute hands-on projects with close guidance from professors and fellows.

Principal Investigator

Paul Ohm, Professor, Georgetown Law and Institute for Technology Law & Policy

Career Pipeline/Placement

360 Tech: Innovation, Security, & Governance

The interplay between technology, innovation, and national security has never been more complex. Emerging technology allows us to create new life forms and killer robots. Brobdingnagian social media companies capture what you read, what you believe, and what you do, creating the risk of surveillance, microtargeting, identity theft, and the ability to disrupt society. The United States has shied away from oversight, leaving members of society vulnerable. How should we address these risks, while promoting innovation? Georgetown’s 360 Tech project will bring together a multidisciplinary Task Force in a series of Innovation Labs to develop viable cross-sector governance solutions to address some of the most serious risks posed by social media.

Principal Investigators

Anna Cave, Executive Director, Center on National Security & the Law, Georgetown Law Center, and Laura K. Donohue, Agnes N. Williams Research Professor and Professor of Law, Georgetown Law Center

Career Pipeline/Placement

Embedding Ethics for Career Training in the Governance of AI 

We will pilot innovative, replicable workshops on AI & Ethics for 3 nationally recognized D.C. fellowship programs that provide training and work placements for government careers in technology policy, so that those building AI policy have an actionable commitment to its socially responsible use.

Principal Investigators

Margaret Little, PhD, Director of Ethics Lab & Jason Matheny, PhD, Director Center for Security & Emerging Technology (CSET)

Strengthening the Public Interest Tech University Network

Building Bridges: Strengthening Cross-Disciplinary Connections in Computer Science and Law 

Georgetown will co-host two convenings bringing together people building bridges between law and computer science. The goal will be to produce a seminal white paper outlining how universities can create courses, degrees, research, and other forms of collaboration between scholars in CS and law.

Principal Investigator
Paul Ohm, Professor & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs