AlgorithmWatch will host a Mozilla Fellow

For this year's fellowship, Mozilla is particularly interested individuals whose expertise aligns with its impact goal: “better machine decision making,” or ensuring artificial intelligence is developed with ethics, responsibility, and accountability in mind. Read about AlorithmWatch's approach to that below and learn more about the other host organisations such as MIT, EDRi, Anti-Defamation League and Access Now and their plans here.

Focus: In which area will the Mozilla Fellow work at AlgorithmWatch?

Together with the Mozilla Fellow we’d like to address the problem of the lack of options to assess complex ADM systems from the outside. That’s why we suggest the creation of the Data Donation Platform (DDP).

Users can sign up to the platform and “donate” data to a variety of research projects, i.e. one looking into recommender systems. The DDP will work as a generic service via a browser plugin. We are convinced it would be helpful to have a platform that enables NGOs and researchers to ask users to donate data, e.g. from social media accounts. Through a DDP user account, the users will be able to have complete control over their data and the projects they participate in. A governance structure for the DDP will be established to guarantee data safety and to secure quality standards.

The fellow will focus on helping to develop and establish the Data Donation Platform.

Experience: What specific experiences should the fellow bring to the collaboration?

• Interoperability/open standards experience
• Web development
• Data collection, analysis, visualization
• Project management

Geographic Preference: Where will the fellow work?

We would prefer the fellow to work at least part-time in our Berlin office. If that’s not possible, the fellow would ideally be located in Europe so we can arrange face-to-face meetings more easily than with someone based on a different continent.

Support: How will AlgorothmWatch contribute to and support the fellow’s career growth?

The fellow would work on addressing one of society’s pressing issues, at the intersection of technology, policy and advocacy. AlgorithmWatch is one of the organizations at the center of discussion of the AI/ADM community, so there is a lot of attention, and the (high) expectations that come with it. We would strengthen the fellow’s capacity to manage a mid-size software project and provide the opportunity to present the project in public, give talks at conferences etc., making the fellow a face of the DDP. The fellow would have ample opportunity to meet and discuss the project with high-profile stakeholders: civil society representatives, policy makers (MPs at national and EU level), c-level executives, academics.

Further, a participation of the fellow in all of AW’s research and advocacy activities and in AW’s strategic development process is possible and desired.