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Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Equity Research Group

Today there is virtually no aspect of our society that is untouched by generative artificial intelligence—and AI more broadly. In the meantime, big tech companies scramble to maintain their dominance in AI innovation. Start-ups rush to develop applications for GenAI. Government agencies seek to understand the wide-ranging implications of and strategize how to regulate GenAI. And they all acknowledge—along with scholars and researchers in the academy—that artificial intelligence raises a whole host of complex ethical and equity issues.

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The Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Equity (AIEE) Research Group is unique in the landscape of efforts to address ethics and equity within AI. It brings together experts from the humanities, social sciences, and computer science to grapple with the ethical and equity implications of AI—through mutual learning, exchange of disciplinary perspectives, and energetic debate. We have been engaged in this cross-disciplinary discussion since 2023.

The AIEE Research Group seeks 1. to apply a radically interdisciplinary and integrative approach to known questions and identifying new questions at the nexus of AI, ethics, and equity; and 2. to undertake collaborative research projects that offer meaningful interventions in the training of future AI developers, the direction of AI applications for and with community, the next generation of large language models (LLMs), and the regulatory frameworks governing AI innovation. By asking new questions and offering new interventions, we aim to shape the narrative around AI, as well as the development and use of AI in practice, aligning with the stated mission of the University of Michigan to “challenge the present and enrich the future.”

Who We Are

  • An older man with short white hair and glasses, wearing a blue button-down shirt, smiling outdoors with a blurred background.

    John Carson

    Associate Professor of History, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

  • Woman with straight dark hair wearing a black jacket and light earrings, smiling slightly in front of a plain gray background.

    Joyce Chai

    Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

  • A man with short dark hair wearing a yellow shirt and light brown blazer stands in front of a brick wall, facing the camera and smiling slightly.

    H V Jagadish

    Bernard A. Galler Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Edgar F. Codd Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

  • A bald man wearing clear glasses and a suit smiles at the camera with an urban background of blurred tall buildings.

    Nigel Melville

    Associate Professor of Technology and Operations; Associate Professor of Information Systems, Ross School of Business; Associate Professor of Integrative Systems and Design, College of Engineering (courtesy)

  • A woman with long dark hair, wearing a red shirt, is looking at the camera and smiling slightly against a blurred indoor background.

    Rada Mihalcea

    Janice M. Jenkins Collegiate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering; Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering

  • An older man with curly gray hair, glasses, and a striped shirt looks at the camera with a slight smile.

    Peter Railton

    Gregory S. Kavka Distinguished University Professor; John Stephenson Perrin Professor; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Philosophy, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

  • A middle-aged woman with blonde hair smiles at the camera against a neutral background.

    Colleen Seifert

    Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Past Members

  • A woman with straight blonde hair and light eyes sits indoors, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a light-colored jacket.

    Silvia Lindtner

    Professor of Information, School of Information; Professor of Art and Design, Penny Stamps School of Art and Design; Professor of Digital Studies, Digital Studies Institute, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

  • A woman with long curly black hair, wearing a blue top and a jeweled necklace, smiles while sitting in front of a wooden background.

    Shobita Parthasarathy

    Professor of Public Policy, Ford School of Public Policy; Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies (by courtesy)

Blue graphic with the text: "Trust and Trustworthiness in Generative Artificial Intelligence. Why Interacting with GenAI Feels So Safe Yet Remains So Risky." Circular dot pattern on the right.

Trust and Trustworthiness in Generative AI

This paper marks the first release in our Working Paper Series. Based on collective discussions of common readings that took place in our interdisciplinary monthly seminars during the 2024-2025 academic year, it addresses one of four crucial issues at the nexus of AI, ethics, and equity identified by the AIEE Research Group. Future papers will take up the topics of Political Economy and Power, Culture and Context, Agents and Agency.