Greetings! I am an Assistant Professor of Technology Policy at Purdue University’s Department of Political Science and the co-director of GRAIL, the Governance and Responsible AI Lab. It’s an exciting time for AI, and I’ve been fortunate to study AI policy and ethics since the late 2000s. One of my key goals has been to help establish and mature these fields that impact so many aspects of society so they can be rigorous, responsible, inclusive, and impactful. I enjoy collaborating with other individuals who share these goals.
As a policy scientist with a background in philosophy, I study the formal and informal governance of AI through policy and industry, as well as AI’s social and ethical implications in domains like education, manufacturing, finance, and criminal justice. My interdisciplinary and mixed methods research addresses topics such as industry standards and organizational practices for AI ethics, public and elite opinion and influence dynamics in the policy process, the development of social responsibility attitudes amongst future computing and engineering professionals, and the role of the public in governing emerging technologies.
At GRAIL, we focus on fostering interdisciplinary research collaborations to study AI’s social, policy, and ethical implications using diverse theoretical approaches and rigorous methods. We’re fortunate to work with many passionate and talented graduate students, research students, academics, and practitioners. I also do my best to advance Purdue’s work at AI generally, including in the liberal arts and as part of the Steering Committee for Purdue’s new Institute for Physical AI.
My work also includes the development of interdisciplinary coursework focused on technology, policy, and ethics, and I maintain a key interest in engaging with members of the public, stakeholders in civil society and industry, and policymakers to share best practices, learn from others, and have applied impact that can benefit society. I aim to make my research accessible and relevant.
For example, I served as the founding Responsible AI Lead at JP Morgan Chase & Co., the most Globally Systematic Important Bank (GSIB), largest company in the world per the Forbes 2000, and the top-rated AI bank. I also served as Secretary of the IEEE 7010-2020 standard, the first AI ethics industry standard, focused on the impacts of AI on human well-being and remain engaged in international, national, and subnational AI policy efforts. Before then, I worked for several years in the non-profit K-12 education sector as the Director of Research, Evaluation, and Planning at the Philadelphia Education Fund.
I studied Philosophy at Princeton University, focusing on robotics and intelligent systems, before completing a Master’s in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and PhD in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
You can see my work in venues across various disciplines, including Policy Studies Journal, Science and Public Policy, Public Administration, Technology in Society, Review of Policy Research, AI & Society, the International Journal of AI in Education, IEEE Transactions on Technology & Society, the Journal of Engineering Education, and Nanotechnology, and you can reach me at dschiff “at” purdue “dot” edu or at @dan_schiff.
My CV is here.
Daniel S. Schiff 