The FoW Institute consists of a core group of interdisciplinary researchers sharing passion and commitment to co-create research projects, planting seeds for larger research programs to pursue knowledge in four pillars:
Technology Design
The design and evaluation of systems that foster critical, participatory engagement with AI in individual and collaborative work. An emerging and dominant trend in the industry is the adoption of agentic AI, i.e., intelligent agents that can perform tasks for users on their behalf. Examples of research questions include: how do we design agentic AI systems that understand social norms, values and contexts, with guidance from humans? How can we design AI agents to facilitate psychological safety, equal participation, creativity, and value-based discourse in collaborative work? How can we leverage sophisticated AI models to create novel learning experiences and teaching tools?
Social Infrastructure and Well-Being
Investigation into strategies for maintaining well-being and social cohesion in hybrid and ever-changing work environments, including the design of social infrastructure. Examples of research questions include: How can we design virtual and in-person spaces to foster common goals (e.g., newcomers with shared career aspirations) and collective actions (e.g., environmental stewardship)? How can social connection be leveraged as a vehicle to foster strong localized economies? How does regular AI use impact our cognitive abilities, and what are the mitigation strategies?
Equity and Ethics
Pragmatic and critical examination of equity and ethical issues in the Future of Work. Examples of research questions include: How are current trends (e.g., AI, climate change) transforming employment in both white-collar and blue-collar sectors, standard employment vs gig work? Which populations are impacted disproportionately? How do advances in AI exacerbate problems of inequity in gig and non-traditional work? How can we judiciously leverage AI technology, including considerations of alternative technological or nontechnological solutions, in both for-profit and non-profit sectors? Can we characterize the geography of inequity related to computation, employment and social infrastructures?
Pedagogical Innovations
Scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research that investigates novel pedagogical strategies for preparing students to transition successfully from school to AIrich work environments. Examples of research questions include: How are students currently using AI tools in learning, job preparedness and during co-op, and what are the biggest gaps in the effectiveness of these tools? What foundational skills are most important for students to prepare for the future of work? What are the new paradigms and learning and teaching that can involve AI tools to foster deep learning and critical thinking? How can AI tools help students develop "combshaped" competencies, enabling them to operate at professional levels across a larger number of domains? How can we help students be comfortable with negotiating a sense of belonging in a career knowing it will probably change?
Educational Initiatives
The proposed educational initiatives aim to develop (1) new interdisciplinary and community engaged learning opportunities, (2) AI literacy modules that can be flexibly adapted to learners in different contexts (e.g., non-CS university students, K-12 students, workers in startups and small businesses), and (3) a new EDI-sensitive approach to teaching entrepreneurship, that presents a balanced perspective and involves equity deserving groups. The outcomes of these initiatives are anticipated to improve our Societal, Health and Economic Futures.
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iCapstone Course: an interdisciplinary capstone course where students work in teams with community partners to tackle a societal problem, while leveraging modern AI tools and reflecting on their AI use.
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Novel Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning Programs: experiential learning programs that transcend the current education formats, such as problem analysis co-op terms and social infrastructure practicums.
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AI Literacy Programs: flexible workshops that can be adapted to a wide variety of audiences to expose learners of all skill levels to foundational AI concepts, modern AI tools, and responsible innovation.
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Diversity in Entrepreneurship Initiatives: development of new workshops that train students to consider a broad spectrum of entrepreneurship activities, including social ventures and small businesses, instead of the one-size-fit-all, only VC-backed startups narrative, as well as providing entrepreneurial teaching and resources to women and racialized minorities.