Since its inception, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) has hosted dozens of visioning workshops to envision, discuss, and catalyze the future of computing and its role in addressing societal needs. The Computing Research: Addressing National Priorities and Societal Needs Symposium will draw these topics into a program designed to illuminate current and future trends in computing and the potential for computing to address national challenges. The two days are organized around four main themes:
- Intelligent Infrastructure for our Cities and Communities: Intelligent infrastructure is already transforming our nation’s cities and communities, but the technological revolution is just now beginning. This session will highlight some of the major advances taking place now, while at the same time emphasizing the substantial body of research, much of it crossing disciplinary boundaries, that still needs to be done.
- Security and Privacy for Democracy: Computing research enables new technology to help society cope with information security and privacy risks. This session will explore how differential privacy enables new understanding of the population while protecting privacy.
- AI and Amplifying Human Abilities: This session will examine the emerging role of AI in augmenting human abilities in new and powerful ways. Speakers will also ground their remarks in application areas ranging from health, transportation, universal access, data analysis, and education.
- Data Algorithms and Fairness: Data-driven and algorithmic decision-making increasingly determines how businesses target advertisements to consumers. As data-driven decisions increasingly affect every corner of our lives, there is an urgent need to ensure they do not become instruments of discrimination, barriers to equality, and threats to social justice.
The symposium will be held in Washington D.C. on October 23-24, 2017. It is aimed at those interested in the social and policy implications of computing research, and members of the computing community who wish to learn more about current trends in computing and its implications for addressing societal needs.
Please see the agenda and symposium website for more information. The event will be livestreamed here starting at 8:30AM EDT on Monday, October 23rd. Make sure to tune in then! You can also join the twitter conversation using #CCCsymposium!
