The University has launched a new initiative, “,” to enhance civic engagement and civil dialogue during the 2024-25 academic year. The initiative, led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president for civic engagement and education; Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the ; and Tina Nabatchi, director of the Maxwell School’s , will focus on developing essential skills such as active listening, communication across differences, critical thinking and advancing mutual understanding.

The inaugural event, “,” will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center. University community members, representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives, will engage in facilitated dialogue on important issues related to democracy, civic engagement, economic opportunity and the political climate. The event will feature a moderated discussion among experts, followed by small group conversations led by trained facilitators. This approach will help inform students about important election issues, encourage civic engagement and build confidence in civil dialogue.

If you are a student interested in attending and participating in the event, please . The doors will open at 5:45 p.m., and a light dinner will be provided.

To support these small dialogue groups, the����is also seeking facilitators. Faculty, staff and graduate students are invited to serve as facilitators for these small-group discussions, ensuring that all voices are heard and that conversations are respectful and productive. Those who have not facilitated group conversations before will be asked to participate in a three-hour training and all volunteer facilitators will be asked to participate in preparation meeting. Complete this to become a facilitator.

For more information, visit the .

Chancellor Syverud speaks at the opening of the University’s new center in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24. (Photo by Shannon Finney)

The opening of a new ���ϲ����� center in Washington, D.C., was celebrated by members of the University community at a special event Sept. 24.

“This city is a place our students want to be. It’s a place they want to live. And it’s a place they want to build their futures and careers after they graduate,” said Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Our students studying away here benefit from ���ϲ�����’s academic strength and deep connections in policy, government, media and law.”

The center, located at 1333 New Hampshire Ave. in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, will serve students, faculty, staff and alumni. Building on an already thriving presence in the nation’s capital, the center will enhance the University’s global influence and impact.

Mike Tirico ’88, host and play-by-play commentator with NBC Sports, hosted the event. Speakers included Chancellor Syverud, Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Lois Agnew, and Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation J. Michael Haynie.

The centerpiece of the event was a panel discussion examining the changing landscape of collegiate sports and public policy. Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the ���ϲ����� Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, moderated the discussion. Panelists were James Phillips, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Felisha Legette-Jack ’89, ���ϲ����� women’s basketball coach, and Tirico.

From left: Mike Tirico, Felisha Legette-Jack, James Phillips and Margaret Talev participate in a panel discussion on the changing landscape of collegiate sports and public policy on Sept. 24. (Photo by Shannon Finney)

Expanded Opportunities

The Washington, D.C., center houses the and serves as a home base for study away programs offered by the , and , through which hundreds of students live, learn and work in the city every year. Washington is home to more than 15,000 alumni, many of whom connect with students as teachers, mentors and internship supervisors.

The center will support the continued growth of study away programming across the University’s schools and colleges, as envisioned in the academic strategic plan, “.”

“We now begin a new chapter in that already successful story,” Provost Agnew said. “This space is more than just a building. It is ���ϲ�����’s academic home in one of the most important cities in the world. It will serve as a hub for students, faculty and staff, positioning them as change makers and thought leaders on some of the most important issues of our time.”

Students joined alumnus broadcaster Mike Tirico (sixth from left, front) and Newhouse School Director of Washington Programs Beverly Kirk (fourth from right) to celebrate the opening of 1333 New Hampshire Ave., the University’s new dedicated space in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Shannon Finney)

The center will also enhance the work of the (IVMF), which has a satellite office in the building. Haynie noted that IVMF has contributed more than 1,750 research publications, engagements and products for public benefit, with much of that work focused on the federal level.

“I am confident that with a permanent presence in Washington, the institute’s impact will grow considerably and accrue to the benefit of those who have worn the nation’s cloth and their families,” he said.

The center includes classrooms, student lounges, conference and interview rooms and a multipurpose space, as well as satellite offices for the and the Division of Advancement and External Affairs. It features the Greenberg Welcome Center, named for alumnus and Life Trustee Paul Greenberg ’65, whose philanthropy supported the 1990 opening of Greenberg House, the University’s first outpost in Washington.

Research from the project found that the millions paid for more than 24,000 ad buys and about 5,500 unique ads on Facebook and Instagram between Sept. 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024. This amounts to an estimated 869 million impressions in the months leading up to, and during, the presidential primaries. The majority of ads involved Biden or Trump, the report found.����

The Biden and Trump campaigns spent another roughly $10 million on paid social media content, drawing 303 million impressions, though the incumbent outspent Trump about 7-to-1 on these platforms.����

This is the produced via by a $250,000 grant from , the world’s leading graph database and analytics company. The grant allows ElectionGraph researchers to use Neo4j’s graph database and analytics software to identify misinformation trends in the U.S. presidential election and other top 2024 contests.��

The research team’s efforts focus on dissecting misinformation themes—pinpointing origins of messages and tracing misinformation by collecting and algorithmically classifying ads run on Facebook and Instagram, as well as social media posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. The project will also gather input from journalists and the public about the 2024 presidential election, and races for U.S. Senate and key congressional districts.��

The first set of findings released today demonstrate the importance of requiring social media platforms to disclose details about election advertising and messaging, says Jennifer Stromer-Galley, senior associate dean and professor at the School of Information Studies. An expert in political campaigns and misinformation, Stromer-Galley leads the IDJC ElectionGraph research team. ��

“Revealing details about ads and messaging on social media platforms is vital to provide the public with transparency and context,” Stromer-Galley says. “Failure to do so can make voters more vulnerable to manipulation without any sort of accountability.”��

Organizations that ran ads ranged from well-known political action committees, political party groups or other candidates, to obscure players with harder-to-trace ties and agendas, the report found. The analysis identifies the top 30 spenders that each mention Biden and Trump, and examines patterns in how groups apply the honorific of “President” when referring to either candidate.��

The report captures a fraction of overall U.S. election-related content across all social media platforms. While Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, currently allows approved organizations to access ad data, it is not required to be made available—and not similarly trackable—on TikTok, Google, YouTube or Snapchat.��

“These findings give us a glimpse at the firehose of information and misinformation coming at voters from groups with a jumble of motives, ties and trustworthiness ahead of the 2024 elections,” says Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the IDJC, professor of practice at the Newhouse School of Public Communications and a journalist.

The challenge faced by digital researchers and computational journalists in unearthing the consequences of AI-driven misinformation on democracy is enormous, says Jim Webber, chief scientist at Neo4j. ��

“Graph technology is an essential enabler to those seeking to uncover hidden patterns and networks of those looking to manipulate democratic populations,” Webber says.

“We at Neo4j are proud to support ���ϲ�����’s mission to help journalists and citizens separate fact from fake news so that the voting public can make informed decisions as they go to the polls.”��

Margaret Talev discusses the mission and vision for the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, how distrust in election results and politicians is at an all-time high and the challenges artificial intelligence poses.

can vividly recall the specific moment she knew journalism had failed to properly inform and educate a large portion of the American voting electorate.

It was Jan. 6, 2021. More than 1,000 citizens were protesting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Talev was working as managing editor at Axios, overseeing the outlet’s political coverage. During the events, one of her reporters became trapped in the chambers of the House of Representatives, while another was trapped in the Senate’s chambers.

A decorated and accomplished national political journalist, Talev prided herself on helping people understand the news, both in the short-term and big picture. Talev covered American politics and the White House for 30 years, including working the campaign trail for presidential elections in 2008, 2012 and 2016 as a White House correspondent for Bloomberg News and McClatchy Newspapers.

Talev watched the events unfold and was left wondering how thousands of her fellow citizens could stage a protest based on misinformation.

Unsure of her future in journalism, Talev wanted to focus her career efforts on the relationship between the news that was being produced and consumed by voters and how that was impacting their views on democracy and governance.

Margaret Talev

She was immediately interested in serving as the Kramer Director of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC), a joint effort of the . Based in Washington, the institute promotes nonpartisan, evidence-based research and dialogue in the public interest, striving to create new knowledge, foster a more informed and engaged citizenry and better equip students for success.

“I cared about focusing on the governance and the information piece of this, which is, how is democracy working for people? What do people believe democracy is? And why are a segment of Americans so upset with the process that they’re willing to resort to violence or willing to believe conspiracy theories? That became the central question that I was interested in reporting on, and the chance to build an institute that would really be dedicated to looking at the connection between news and government, between journalism and politics, between how people perceive the way their country is working and the news they’re ingesting,” Talev says of the IDJC, which will formally open its headquarters in Washington later this spring.

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Talev discusses the mission and vision for the IDJC, how distrust in election results and politicians is at an all-time high, the role citizens can play to address issues facing our democracy and the challenges artificial intelligence poses.

Check out episode 158 of the featuring Talev. A transcript [PDF] is also available.

Jennifer Stromer-Galley

The (IDJC) has been awarded a $250,000 research grant from and use of the company’s graph database technology as part of an initiative to identify misinformation trends in the U.S. presidential election and other top 2024 contests.

, senior associate dean and professor at the and a nationally recognized expert in political campaigns and misinformation, will lead a team of researchers across the University and work with the Washington-based IDJC to illuminate hidden trends and actors spreading and influencing inaccurate information targeting U.S. voters through social media.

“Millions of Americans’ voting decisions are shaped by what they see on social media or hear from friends basing their own information on non-news sources,” says Kramer Director of the IDJC and a professor of practice in the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“These areas are ripe for misinformation and disinformation campaigns from domestic and foreign actors,” Talev says. “Neo4j’s technology can allow us to see commonalities and hidden connections in a way that can shed light on these practices and help the public make fact-based decisions.”

Margaret Talev

The Neo4j award represents the first competitive grant for IDJC, a joint University initiative of the and .

The research team’s efforts focus on dissecting misinformation themes, pinpointing origins of messages and tracing misinformation by collecting and algorithmically classifying ads run on Facebook and Instagram as well as social media posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. The project will also gather input from journalists and the public about the 2024 presidential election, and races for U.S. Senate and key congressional districts.

“One of the things we want to know is how the information environment and misinformation might be making people doubt the electoral process and whether it’s working properly,” says , research director for IDJC and a political science professor in the Maxwell School.

“Misinformation could not just affect whether voters turn out in the current election, but whether they turn out in future elections,” Dunaway said.

Johanna Dunaway

Stromer-Galley’s previous work on the project cataloged social media ad campaigns during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. The Neo4j award is intended to collect similar data and to enhance the visual display for user interactions.

“I don’t think these kinds of opportunities would be possible without the institute to coalesce and bring together a set of scholars from across the university who all share a common passion and concern about the health and state of our democracy and journalism,” Stromer-Galley says.

Story by Emma Hudson

The two-day AI Policy Symposium that begins today in the nation’s capital is organized by the (IDJC) and the (ASPI).

The event also serves as the venue to launch the Academic Alliance for AI Policy, an academic advisory body formed to serve as a resource for lawmakers, policymakers and others seeking to regulate and better understand AI.

“AI is affecting more and more aspects of daily life in America and beyond,” says , director of ASPI and a University Professor. He will lead the alliance.

“Unlike the early decades of its development, when it was the intellectual curiosity of a small number of academics, AI is nobody’s monopoly anymore,” Ekbia says. “If there is a benefit from AI, it should apply to everyone, and if there is harm, someone should be held accountable. This needs oversight and regulation.”

The new alliance and AI policy will be the focus of discussions Thursday at the symposium. How AI will affect the future of work, and its impact on the 2024 presidential election are topics to be discussed Friday.

“Connecting top AI researchers with policymakers��and journalists thinking about AI regulation and impacts on society is key to informing regulation, news coverage and the public’s understanding of these emerging issues,” says , Kramer Director of the Washington-based IDJC. “The symposium also is an opportunity to bring journalists from a range of news organizations together as they navigate coverage and use of AI.”

Still in formation, the alliance will be comprised of academic leaders representing K-12 schools, community colleges and research universities. It is guided by a steering committee that includes representatives from Cornell University, Duke University, Indiana University, Oregon State University, Purdue University, The Ohio State University, the University of California and the University of Illinois.

Joining Ekbia in representing ���ϲ����� is , assistant professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ekbia, who joined the University in January 2023, says the alliance will serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas among academics from various backgrounds and as an advisory body for lawmakers as they grapple with the increasing number of challenges arising from AI.

The alliance will also connect AI experts with journalists reporting on related issues to help distill the implications for greater public understanding.

Ekbia says the regulation of AI in the U.S. is lagging and has enabled rampant gaps in information, knowledge and accountability. This, he says, has allowed the economic agendas of a few to take priority over public interest. “Academics can, and should, help correct this state of affairs,” adds Ekbia. “The Academic Alliance for AI Policy is a step in that direction.”

Based at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, ASPI is a Universitywide initiative focused on the intersection of technology, policy and society that boasts dozens of affiliated faculty researchers across disciplines.

The IDJC engages in nonpartisan research, teaching and public dialogue aimed at strengthening trust in news media, governance and society.��It is a joint initiative of the and the .

In addition to the symposium, the institutes are co-sponsors of the Axios-Generation Lab-���ϲ����� AI Experts Survey. The found that a majority of computer science experts at top U.S. research universities wanted to see the creation of a new federal agency or global organization to govern artificial intelligence.��The next wave of findings is to be released in November.

The Axios-Generation Lab-���ϲ����� of computer science professors found that 37% favored a new “Department of AI” to regulate AI, while 22% thought a global organization or treaty was the best option. These findings compared with 16% of respondents who said Congress was the best entity to regulate AI, while 4% said the responsibility falls on the White House and 3% mentioned the private sector. About 14% of respondents said AI cannot be regulated, while 3% said AI should not be regulated.

The survey results were released Tuesday.

A new survey co-sponsored by two ���ϲ����� institutes finds that a majority of computer science experts at top U.S research universities want to see the creation of a new federal agency or global organization to govern artificial intelligence.

Generation Lab conducted the survey for Axios in partnership with ���ϲ�����’s (IDJC) and the (ASPI).

Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the IDJC, says the survey offered a different and important perspective on the expanding conversation about the uses and proliferation of AI.

“While larger general-population surveys can provide broad insights into most Americans’ hopes, fears and understanding of AI, this new survey offers an in-depth look at how computer science professors with significant subject-matter expertise are thinking about the same issues,” says Talev, who is also an Axios senior contributor.

“This survey provides valuable information about the current state of AI because it is based on the views of those who are closely involved in the development of AI techniques and systems. We are glad to be part of this effort, which also informs our own initiatives, including our plan to launch the Academic Alliance on AI Policy next month in Washington, D.C.,” adds Hamid Ekbia, director of the ASPI.

IDJC is a joint initiative of and the , while ASPI is a Universitywide initiative housed in the Maxwell School that focuses on the intersection of technology, society and policy.

Some other key survey findings:

• About 62% predict AI will increase racial, gender and economic disparities.
• Respondents also predict that customer service; art, design or content creation; and administrative and support services are most likely to experience job losses due to AI over the next five years.
• No single person is highly trusted to deal with AI issues; President Biden ranked higher than individual tech CEOs.

The Axios-Generation Lab-���ϲ����� AI Experts Survey was conducted July 15 – Aug. 6. Results are based on interviews with 213 computer science professors from 65 of the top 100 computer science programs in America, as defined by . Experts from ���ϲ����� were among those surveyed.

A listing of the participating institutions and additional details about the methodology may be found on the .

For more information, contact Margaret Talev at metalev@syr.edu.