Co-Opting AI: Public Conversations About Artificial Intelligence and Society
Co-Opting AI is a virtual public speaker series that interrogates and demystifies AI. Each episode takes a thematic focus—from food to space, intimacy to cars or debt—bringing together leading scholars and practitioners to critically reframe narratives about technology and our future. The series is curated by Mona Sloane and supported by NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, UVA’s Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, and Sloane Lab. Its corresponding Co-Opting AI book series is published in partnership with the University of California Press.
Latest Episode
Co-Opting AI: Debt
This event discussed how AI’s predictive properties are entangled with social classification and the allocation of resources.
Simone Browne, University of Texas at Austin
Erie Meyer, CFPB
Date: May 14, 2025
This episode was co-sponsored by NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, UVA’s Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, and Sloane Lab
Highlights
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Next Up: 9/17 • Ruth Braunstein, Ekkehard Ernst, Max Kasy
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May 14, 2025 • Simone Browne, Erie Meyer
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March 26, 2025 • Danielle Keats Citron, Jasmine E. McNealy
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February 24, 2025 • Jeff Steward, Sonja Thiel, Raul Zbengheci
Episodes
TAXES • Ruth Braunstein, Ekkehard Ernst, Maximilian Kasy • Fall 2025
DEBT • Simone Browne, Erie Meyer • May 14, 2025
PRIVACY • Danielle Citron, Jasmine E. McNealy • March 26, 2025
MUSEUMS • Jeff Steward, Sonja Thiel, Raul Zbengheci • February 24, 2025
CARS • Melissa Cefkin, Nathaniel Chodosh, MC Forelle • December 4, 2024
ANATOMY • Thomas H. Champney, Rachel Prentice, Jacqueline D. Wernimont • November 7, 2024
ARCHITECTURE • Phil Bernstein, Jay Cephas, Molly Wright Steenson • October 28, 2024
MATH • Aubrey Clayton, Theodore Porter, Alma Steingart • September 17, 2024
CRIME • Renée Cummings, Max Isaacs, Dillon Reisman • April 18, 2024
CAMPAIGNING • Cody Buntain, Bertrall Ross • February 29, 2024
ATHLETICS • George Atallah, Hannah Borenstein, Natalie Kupperman • December 6, 2023
ORIGINS • Stephanie Dick, Kevin Driscoll, Chris Wiggins • November 20, 2023
CLASSIFICATION • Sareeta Amrute, Dan Bouk, Geoffrey C. Bowker • May 9, 2023
LANGUAGE • Allison Koenecke, Sayash Kapoor • April 27, 2023
RECRUITING • Ifeoma Ajunwa, Joel Cheesman, Chad Sowash • February 22, 2023
AGRICULTURE • Kelly Bronson, Larissa Zimberoff • December 6, 2022
ROBOT LAW • Juyoun Han, Eric Hilgendorf • October 19, 2022
TRADE • Donald MacKenzie, Deniz Çoral • September 6, 2022
QUEER • Arjun Subramonian, Louise Hickman, Sara Morais dos Santos Bruss • April 7, 2022
PHOTOGRAPHY • Lorna Roth, Rashed Haq, Mikael Owunna • March 24, 2022
CLIMATE • Zane Griffin Talley Cooper, Victor Galaz, Jauna Vitale • March 9, 2022
PERSONALITY • Ifeoma Ajunwa, Merve Emre, Luke Stark • February 3, 2022
ADVERTISING • Roopali Mukherjee, Keith Andrew Wailoo, Matthew Crain • December 7, 2021
REPRODUCTION • Charis Thompson, Natali Valdez • November 11, 2021
RELIGION • Robert M. Geraci, Noreen Herzfeld, Damien Patrick Williams • October 25, 2021
SPACE • Janet Vertesi, Kimberley D. McKinson • October 12, 2021
MUSIC • Thomas Irvine, Robin James, SAMMUS (Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo) • May 4, 2021
IDEOLOGY • Anna Lauren Hoffmann, Sabelo Mhlambi, Ahmed Ansari • April 15, 2021
INTIMACY • Gabriella Garcia, Hannah Zeavin • March 16, 2021
GAMES • Kishonna L. Gray, Bo Ruberg, Julian Togelius • February 23, 2021
SECURITY • Laura Norén, Ram Shankar Siva Kumar, Newton Campbell • February 2, 2021
TRUTH • Joan Donovan, Javad Shabani, Sharon Traweek • December 1, 2020
FICTION • Danya Glabau, Sheena C. Howard, Malka Older, Beth Singler • November 16, 2020
CHINA • Shazeda Ahmed, Silvia Lindtner, Graham Webster • October 19, 2020
JOURNALISM • Kara Swisher, Hilke Schellmann, Sidney Fussell, Angèle Christin • September 22, 2020
GENDER • Sareeta Amrute, Dr. Lisa M. Coleman, Catherine D’Ignazio, Mar Hicks, Lauren Klein • May 14, 2020
GDPR • Ira Rubinstein, Sandra Wachter • April 21, 2020
FINANCE • Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra, Sarah Quinn, Rumman Chowdhury • April 6, 2020
FOOD • Gillian Gualtieri, Zenia Kish, Wythe Marschall • March 10, 2020
WHITENESS • Jessie Daniel, William R. Frey, Mutale Nkonde, Natasha Stovall • February 28, 2020
DIPLOMACY • Maroussia Lévesque, Barry O’Sullivan, Thomas Streinz • February 11, 2020
CONFLICT • Peter Asaro, Liz O’Sullivan, Meredith Whittaker • November 11, 2019
BODY • Laura Forlano, Danya Glabau, Karen Levy • October 28, 2019
RACE • Ruha Benjamin, André L. Brock, Charlton McIlwain • September 30, 2019
DATA COLONIALISM • Nick Couldry, Ulises Ali Mejías • September 4, 2019
JUSTICE • Sasha Costanza-Chock, Virginia Eubanks, Amanda Levendowski, Alondra Nelson • May 13, 2019
WORK • Elizabeth Cobbs, Madeleine Clare Elish, Eduardo Porter, James Shelley • April 23, 2019
MACHINES • Solon Barocas, Meredith Broussard, Finn Brunton • April 1, 2019
