Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology and Law
What does it mean to be ethical in a world of AI?
The Carl G. Grefenstette Center leverages Duquesne University’s commitment to ethics in order to promote partnerships
with leading institutions and to become a transformational force for both Duquesne
and the global community. The Grefenstette Center is the first in the world to bring
Catholic, Spiritan values and ideals in an ecumenical framework to grapple with the growing challenges
presented by science and technology in society. Our vision is to enrich the conversations
and practical implementations of ethics in digital technology by incorporating religious
ethics into future discussion and development. The Grefenstette Center hosts an annual symposium each Fall, a student-focused hackathon (hacking4humanity) every Spring and regularly hosts scholars at the intersection of ethics, technology
and faith on campus.
Stay up to date on all Grefenstette Center happenings by signing up for our email
list!
There are many ways to connect with the Grefenstette Center throughout the year, whether
you're a student, faculty, or member of the public!
Recent Colloquia
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.
Tuesday, September 17, 12 p.m. Student Union, Room 119
How do social media algorithms contribute to online radicalization and extremism?
How do search algorithms contribute topolitical 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.
Announcing the First Annual Young Ethicist Essay Competition
We invite high school students to submit essays based on the following prompt:
How is Generative AI Transforming Our Communities? The Ethics, Impact, and Future
of Generative AI
AI has already changed our region and will continue to alter our world in the next
decade. We each belong to numerous communities based on our beliefs, identities, and
locations. What is a community that you think is being impacted by generative AI?
What is the role of politics in responding to AI’s influence on our communities? What
can each of us do to utilize –or avoid– AI to ensure strong, healthy human communities?
Eligibility and Rules:
Submitting student must turn 17 before January 1, 2025.
Student must attend a high school in Western Pennsylvania.
Essays must be no longer than 750 words in length.
Essays must be submitted by December 13, 2024.
Essays must be written by the student alone. No part of the essay may be written by
a generative AI.
Prizes:
First prize will receive $250, second $150, third $100, and honorable mention $50.
In addition to the cash prizes, winning students will be featured guests at Duquesne University in Spring 2025,
where they will present their essay and participate in a half-day seminar on the future
of ethics and technology alongside Duquesne students and faculty. They will also be
invited as special guests at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
in April. Finally, all winning essays will be published online through Duquesne University.
The submission portal for essays is now closed. Details of next year's competition
coming soon!
Each Fall, Duquesne University hosts a national conference on one aspect of technology
ethics, the Grefenstette Center's annual Tech Ethics Symposium. All undergraduate
and graduate students are invited to submit posters on any aspect of responsible AI
or technology ethics! The Symposium will cover the cost of printing for all accepted
posters, and the best posters in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will receive
cash prizes, as well as extra prizes for crowd favorites!
The Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law hosted the fifth annual Tech Ethics Symposium: “How is AI Transforming Our Communities?”
on October 17 and 18, 2024. This two-day symposium, co-sponsored by theInstitute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, theCenter for Teaching Excellence, and theAlbert P. Viragh Institute for Ethics in Business, focused on how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities.
It also explored how AI has already changed our region and will continue to alter
our world in the next decade.
How do major stakeholders like journalists, educators, and tech workers use AI to
shape our community? How have professional communities in tech, journalism, and education
been impacted already by AI? What is the role of politics in responding to AI’s influence
on, and through, these impactful stakeholder communities? What has AI changed for
communities of faith, artists, people with disabilities, and historically marginalized
communities? What can each of us do to utilize –or avoid– AI to ensure strong, healthy
human communities?
Thank you for helping to make the 2024 Tech Ethics Symposium a success! 2025 Tech
Ethics Symposium details coming soon!
Interested in the ethics and responsible use of technology? Want to gain real-world
experience outside of a classroom setting? The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law is proud to
offer an undergraduate scholarship program for four Duquesne University students each academic
year!
Scholarship recipients work closely with center staff to build their research interests,
present a poster, enter the hackathon, and engage in monthly conversations on tech
ethics throughout the year! No previous experience with tech or tech ethics necessary.
Students from ALL disciplines are welcome! Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are closed. Applications for the 2025-2026
academic year will open in Spring 2025.
The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne
University invites any faculty (full time or part time) from any college or university
in the United States to apply for the Grefenstette Faculty Scholars program for Academic
Year 2024-2025. The Grefenstette Center seeks scholars from all academic areas and
all backgrounds to contribute to the conversation around the responsible use of digital
technology and its intersection with religious and/or theological studies, broadly
construed. In keeping with the central mission of the Center to interrogate modern
technologies through the lens of the Catholic faith tradition, the Center is particularly
interested in Catholic theological responses to modern technologies, such as generative
AI, but also welcomes applications from scholars of other Christian traditions, scholars
of non-Christian traditions, as well as scholars of the sociology or philosophy of
religion.
The goal of the program is to cultivate a research cohort, to provide peer support,
and to generate new and innovative research paths in the intersection of technology
and religious studies, especially given the recent development of generative AI. All
Scholars will receive a stipend of $2000 for the year, participate in monthly discussions,
and be part of a year-end virtual public roundtable.
Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort are closed. Applications for the 2025-2026 academic
year will open in Spring 2025.
How does AI affect those in poverty? How can AI help create a more equitable world?
On April 17, theologians Levi Checketts and Elonda Clay, machine learning scientist
Ehi Nosakhare, and Grefenstette Center director John Slattery, came together on campus
to discuss Dr. Checketts' latest book, "Poor Technology: Artificial Intelligence and
the Experience of Poverty'!
The Grefenstette Center takes an unflinching look at the ethical intersections of
science and technology by working with partners at Duquesne, in Pittsburgh, and across
the world.
Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law
