Health Data Science Distinguished Speaker Series: Dr. Mary L. Gray

Speaker: Dr. Mary L. Gray, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research; Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

Talk Title: "Bridging AI Divides: Community-Driven Innovation for Equitable AI"

Abstract: In this talk, Mary L. Gray from Microsoft Research explores the critical role of community-industry partnerships in developing equitable AI solutions. The presentation highlights Project Resolve, a longitudinal case study that examines AI innovation through collaboration with community-based organizations (CBOs). By addressing the 'AI Divides' that exacerbate inequities within social ecosystems, the project aims to co-develop socially valuable AI models and applications that recognize the critical role community groups will play in the future of AI health applications and AI-driven scientific discovery. Key findings emphasize the importance of integrating community expertise, embracing productive disagreement, and ensuring accountability in engineering's Agile development processes. The talk also outlines the challenges and opportunities of conducting community-driven AI innovation that require public, private, and civil society partnerships, offering insights into the future of AI driven by strong community-industry partnerships.

Bio: Mary L. Gray is Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and Faculty Associate at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. She maintains a faculty position in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering with affiliations in Anthropology and Gender Studies at Indiana University. Mary, an anthropologist and media scholar by training, focuses on how people’s everyday uses of technologies transform labor, identity, and human rights. She sits on several boards, including Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research and the California Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, in addition to chairing the Microsoft Research Ethics Review Program—the only federally-registered institutional review board of its kind in the tech industry. In 2020, Mary was named a MacArthur Fellow for her contributions to anthropology and the study of technology, digital economies, and society.

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