Research

Values & Value Chains of Artificial Intelligence

Years: 2020 – Present

Research Questions: 

• What are the most common interpretive approaches to understanding what “AI” is?
• What downstream effects might different interpretations of “AI” have on AI development, use, and governance?
• What ethical concerns and governance implications can be identified by analyzing the value chains of AI systems?

Activities:

• Review of influential interpretations of “intelligence” and “artificial intelligence” across multiple disciplinary and stakeholder perspectives.
• Value chain analysis of ethical concerns and governance implications of an AI system.
• Interviews with stakeholders in Canada’s AI governance ecosystem.

Outputs:

• Seminar slides: “The ethics of AI value chains: Implications for policy & practice” (2022)
• Conference slides: “The new ontologies of AI: A dilemma for AI governance” (2022)
• Research paper & research summary: “The ethics of AI business practices: A review of 47 AI ethics guidelines” (2022)
• Conference slides: “Queering intelligence: A theory of intelligence as performance and a critique of individual and artificial intelligence” (2021)

Collaborators: 

• Andrés De los Ríos & Deneille R. Walters on “The ethics of AI business practices: A review of 47 AI ethics guidelines”

The Governance of Artificial Intelligence in Canada

Years: 2019 – Present

Research Questions: 

• What are the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of Canada’s system of governing artificial intelligence? What opportunities for improvement exist?
• What comparative advantages and disadvantages does Canada’s AI governance system have relative to other nations?

Activities:

• Knowledge synthesis of 80+ Canadian AI governance initiatives.
• Interviews with stakeholders in Canada’s AI governance ecosystem.
• Thematic analysis, value network analysis, innovation system analysis, and service system analysis of primary and secondary data.

Outputs:

• Conference slides: “AI Governance and Worker Protections in Canada” (2022)
• Commentary: “Comments on the 3rd Review of the Directive on Automated Decision-making” (2022)
• Essay: “Public service, public-as-a-service, and public self-service” (2022)
• Opinion article in The Globe and Mail: “Once a promising leader, Canada’s artificial-intelligence strategy is now a fragmented laggard” (2022)
• Research paper: “Emerging national artificial intelligence innovation systems in Canada and China” (2020)
• Conference poster & conference abstract: “AI governance systems: Ontological explorations in the Canadian context” (2020)

Collaborators: 

• N/A

Service Systems Analysis Framework

Years: 2016-2019

Research Questions: 

• What theories and methods of service system analysis have been discussed in the recent literature?
• How might existing analysis frameworks be synthesized, improved, and applied to solving system design problems?

Activities:

• Systematic review and synthesis of literature on service science, engineering, management, and design.
• Development of a multilayer framework for service system analysis.
• Application of the service system analysis framework to a specific business case.

Outputs:

• Research paper: “A multilayer framework for service systems analysis.” (2019)
• Research paper: “Service systems analysis methods: A systematic literature review.” (2017)

Collaborators:

• Kelly Lyons & Michael Cheng

Information Audit & Evaluation Framework

Years: 2016-2018

Research Questions: 

• How might information auditing frameworks be synthesized with information management evaluation frameworks?
• What components would be required of a synthesized information auditing and evaluation framework, and how might such a framework be applied in practice?

Activities:

• Systematic review and synthesis of literature on information auditing and information management evaluation.
• Development of a synthesized framework for information auditing and evaluation.
• Application of the information auditing and evaluation framework to projects at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, University of Toronto, and Toronto Metropolitan University.

Outputs:

• Research paper: “Revisiting the information audit: A systematic literature review and synthesis” (2017)
• Research paper: “iVal: An information evaluation framework for knowledge workers” (2016)

Collaborators:

• Chun Wei Choo on “Revisiting the information audit: A systematic literature review and synthesis”

Workforce Services Design & Innovation

Years: 2018

Research Questions: 

• What are the best practices for service design in Ontario’s employment services & training sector?
• How can the services delivered by Ontario’s employment services & training sector be improved?

Outputs:

• Research report: “Employment Sector Council’s Common Assessment Process: A case study of a collaborative community approach to service delivery, access, and excellence.” (2018)
• Research report: “Intergenerational healing and growth: A case study of the Aboriginal Skills Advancement Program.” (2018)

Collaborators:

• Cayley Bower on “Employment Sector Council’s Common Assessment Process”
• S. Kathleen Bailey on “Intergenerational healing and growth”