ADAPT at Maynooth University is offering a four-year funded PhD studentship in ‘Governing Artificial Intelligence in Practice’. The PhD will be registered in the Department of Sociology, working with Prof. Aphra Kerr, and co-supervised via the Department of Law and Criminology by Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche.
Ireland has made significant progress in terms of digitalisation over the past decade. Ireland is well connected to advanced networks, and public sector services are increasingly available online. The next phase of digitalisation will increasingly involve the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as tools to support, or in some cases to automate, human activities in different areas of society. To develop an inclusive digital society, it will be important that we ensure that these AI technologies are not only developed ethically, but that they are also applied ethically. It will be important to develop systems of responsibility and accountability which facilitate the exercise of individual and collection rights.
Europe-wide high-level principles and legislation are providing ethical and legal frameworks to guide the development of AI and multiple bodies are involved in standards development. In 2021, Ireland published its national strategy for AI. These policies set high expectations for the development, use, and governance of AI in Ireland.
But how is AI being applied in everyday contexts in Ireland? How is AI being used by the media, the police, and other public sector bodies? Will AI exacerbate or help to mitigate inequalities? How can we ensure that the governance of AI is transparent and works in the public and citizen interests?
Within this topic the successful candidate may choose their theoretical approach (e.g., political economy, data justice, surveillance studies, digital policy) and their empirical case studies may come from different domains of interest. The project may include an international comparative element.
The candidate will be co-supervised by Prof. Aphra Kerr (Sociology and ADAPT) and Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche (Law and Criminology and ADAPT).
The candidate will be part of a structured PhD programme at Maynooth University where they can choose to follow a minimum of three postgraduate taught modules including theoretical and methodological modules appropriate to the thesis theme.
They will also be part of the Science Foundation Ireland funded ADAPT research centre within the Transparent Digital Governance strand. Via ADAPT they will have an opportunity to research alongside an interdisciplinary cohort of PhDs, postdocs and full-time staff across 8 Irish universities.
Each application should consist of the following 5 elements.
ADAPT is offering a funded PhD studentship. Specifically, we offer:
If you have informal questions, please contact aphra.kerr@mu.ie or Ciara.BrackenRoche@mu.ie
ADAPT is committed to achieving better diversity and gender representation at all levels of the organisation, across leadership, academic, operations, research staff and studentship levels. ADAPT is committed to the continued development of employment policies, procedures and practices that promote gender equality. On that basis we encourage and welcome talented people from all backgrounds to join ADAPT.