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!
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.
Bring your lunch. Drinks and snacks will be provided!
Save the date! On October 17-18, 2024, the Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology,
and Law will host the 5th annual Tech Ethics Symposium: “How is AI Transforming Our
Communities?”. This 2-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, will focus on how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities.
It will also explore 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?
This 2-day symposium will include an undergrad and graduate student “AI in the Community”
poster competition. Poster submissions are due Thursday, October 03, with cash prizes
for the winners. The symposium will also include a faculty “AI Teaching Innovation” poster competition,
with proposals due by Monday, September 16.
Stay tuned for updates on the 2024 Tech Ethics Symposium by signing up for our email
list!
Poster submission deadline: Thursday, October 3, 2024
On October 17 and 18, Duquesne University will host a national conference that examines
how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities. Presenters
from the areas of policy, business, education, faith, and healthcare will offer thoughtful
perspectives on and practical responses to questions about AI’s impacts on our communities.
The conference will feature national speakers, student and faculty discussions, community
conversations, and a wide variety of research and teaching best practices on display.
All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit posters to present at
the symposium on any aspect of technology ethics! The best poster in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will receive a $400
cash prize! Runners-up in each category will receive $200, and two audience choice
winners will each receive $100. All accepted posters will receive a $75 award.
Rules & Eligibility
Complete this form and submit your poster to the designated box folder as a PDF by Thursday, October 3!
Submissions may come from individuals or groups. Only one poster per team.
Poster size must be 36”x44” (use a template to ensure you meet size guidelines).
Posters may come from any academic discipline.
Any current undergraduate or graduate student, from any university, is eligible to submit a poster.
If accepted, at least one author must be physically present to present the poster.
Poster Set Up & Design Resources
Gumberg Library has an excellent poster guide with many examples and tips to make great posters.
We encourage you to use one of the Poster Templates provided on the Library website
to ensure that you meet the 36”x44” measurement requirement.
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
