Sarah Williams: Urban Policy and Big Data for Public Good — IC2S2 2025 Keynote

Abstract:

Williams will explain how we can use data as a tool for empowerment rather than oppression, something Williams calls "Data Action," which is also the title of her recent book. Data Action seeks to provide guidance for using data toward the benefit of society, learning from the ways we have used data unethically in the past and illustrating ways we can use it more ethically and creatively in the future. Williams will illustrate the seven Data Action principles through her diverse research projects spanning topics of Central American migration, popular transit in Africa, ghost cities in China, and translating New York City’s zoning text. Williams will also show her most recent work on People Powered AI: How to use Gen AI for Civic Engagement.