Data Systems and Society

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.