Data, Systems, and Society

Harnessing AI for Societal Good

Munther A. Dahleh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

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English

Cambridge University Press
27 March 2025

Databases

Harnessing the power of data and AI methods to tackle complex societal challenges requires transdisciplinary collaborations across academia, industry, and government. In this compelling book, Munther A. Dahleh, founder of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), offers a blueprint for researchers, professionals, and institutions to create approaches to problems of high societal value using innovative, holistic, data-driven methods. Drawing on his experience at IDSS and knowledge of similar initiatives elsewhere, Dahleh describes in clear, non-technical language how statistics, data science, information and decision systems, and social and institutional behavior intersect across multiple domains. He illustrates key concepts with real-life examples from optimizing transportation to making healthcare decisions during pandemics to understanding the media's impact on elections and revolutions. Dahleh also incorporates crucial concepts such as robustness, causality, privacy, and ethics and shares key lessons learned about transdisciplinary communication and about unintended consequences of AI and algorithmic systems.

By: Munther A. Dahleh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009446167
ISBN 10: 1009446169
Pages: 155
Publication Date: 27 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface: when problems get real; 1. The pitfalls, promises, and challenges of data; 2. A confluence of fields – some historical perspective; 3. Who – and what – should drive decision-making? Harnessing data for the good of society; 4. A transdiscipline is born; 5. Complexity versus relevance – the power of abstractions; 6. The care and feeding of a new discipline at MIT; 7. People, programs, and research – perpetuating a virtuous cycle; 8. Personal reflections on the journey; Acknowledgments; References; Index.

Munther A. Dahleh is William Coolidge Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Founding Director of the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is well known for his seminal contributions to the foundations of the field of decisions under uncertainty, impacting several application domains including transportation systems, power grids, and social, economic, and financial networks. He is a four-time recipient of the IEEE CSS George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Award for papers in the 'IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control' and the 1993 recipient of the Eckman Award for outstanding control engineers under thirty-five.

Reviews for Data, Systems, and Society: Harnessing AI for Societal Good

'I'm often asked by students what they should be studying in the modern era, and my standard response for some years has been 'control theory, economics, and statistics.' Munther Dahleh has been a living embodiment of this blend for as long as I have known him, in this book one accompanies Munther on his very fine adventure in bringing an entire institution into the fold. I hope and expect that many people will read this book, including future historians.' Michael I. Jordan, University of California, Berkeley 'Munther Dahleh's breadth of knowledge is showcased in this discussion that ranges from the history of AI to the building of the world's preeminent institute of data science. Munther provides fascinating insights on the challenges, promise, and successes of using data to improve societies, and delivers a must-read for everyone from budding data scientists to policy makers and institution builders.' Matthew O. Jackson, Stanford University