Podcast
Data Science for Public Policy — Ethical AI, Climate Justice & Impact Projects
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Data Science for Public Policy — Ethical AI, Climate Justice & Impact Projects
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Episode Overview
How can data science meaningfully shape public policy without becoming a tech-first solution or creating new ethical harms? In this episode, Christine Cepelak, a writer and researcher of tech and social issues who’s studying Data Science for Public Policy and has years of experience managing social programs, walks through the practical realities of data science for public policy. We cover career paths and sector differences, a community organizing case study on electronics recycling, and real-world use cases like.
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Chapter Summary
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- 0:00 - Episode Intro & Guest Christine Cepelak
- 1:33 - Career Journey: Program Management to Data Science for Public Policy
- 4:07 - Private vs Public Sector: Differences for Data Work
- 5:25 - Public Policy Defined: Laws, Governance & Social Impact
- 8:27 - Community Organizing Case Study: Electronics Recycling Campaign
- 10:14 - Policy vs Political Science: Theory, Practice & Implementation
- 12:10 - Education Landscape: Data Science for Public Policy Programs & DSSG
- 14:22 - Domain Nuances: Data Science for Social Impact vs Typical Industry Work
- 17:12 - Use Cases: Drone Computer Vision for Refugee Aid & Rooftop Sustainability
- 21:06 - Ethics & Regulation: Ethical AI, EU AI Act and Social Scoring Risks
- 26:21 - Project Design: Long-term Impact, Iteration & Avoiding Tech-First Solutions
- 28:06 - Stakeholder Collaboration: NGOs, HR Use Cases & Mining Domain Knowledge
- 30:32 - Data Challenges: Building Pipelines with Limited IT Infrastructure
- 36:49 - Public Data Gaps: Recycling Programs, Corporate Transparency & Access Issues
- 39:27 - Future Focus Areas: Climate Justice, Gender Equality & Responsible Tech
- 40:19 - Gender Inequality Solutions: Salary Transparency & Inclusive Hiring Policies
- 43:38 - Corporate Responsibility: CSR Data Needs & Demand for Impact Data Scientists
- 46:25 - Public Sector Roles: Chief Data Scientist and Government Data Strategy
- 48:19 - Getting Started: Volunteer Projects, SDGs & Finding a Cause
- 51:23 - Project Marketplaces & Career Advice: DSSG Projects and 80,000 Hours
- 54:16 - Research Applications: Satellite Imagery for Poverty Estimation & Census
- 56:22 - Community Discussion: Ethics in AI Coffee Chats and Emerging Debates
- 58:06 - Connect with Christine: Website, LinkedIn & Twitter
- 58:23 - Episode Wrap-up & Resource Links