$750,000
2020 • 3 years • Technology in the Public Interest
Upturn works to advance justice and equity in the design, governance and use of technology. Based in Washington, DC, the organization combines expertise in computer science, data science, law and public policy to address current and emerging public interest technology policy challenges. It drives policy change through rigorous research, legal and policy advocacy, and collaborations. Upturn’s partnerships are wide ranging, spanning local and national civil rights and community advocates, litigators, defense lawyers, regulators, academics, journalists, and others. The organization’s work sits within two broad areas: 1) Safety and Justice, which seeks to ensure technology does not exacerbate or entrench mass incarceration and racial inequality in the criminal justice legal system in the U.S.; and, 2) Economic Opportunity, which seeks to ensure technology helps expand opportunities for vulnerable individuals and communities and supports longstanding civil rights protections. The award provides general operating support to Upturn.
$750,000
2017 • 3 years • Technology in the Public Interest
Upturn promotes equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of digital technology. Based in Washington, DC, the organization combines expertise in computer science, engineering, law and public policy to address current and emerging public interest technology policy challenges. Much of its work is done in partnership with civil rights and social justice organizations. The award provides general operating support to Upturn as it expands its work, particularly in relation to studying and addressing the public interest impacts of artificial intelligence. This will be achieved through producing evidence-based research reports; driving multi-organization outputs such as statements of principles; engaging with major technology companies driving AI development; producing policy-informed scholarly publications that create durable, authoritative understandings of problems and solutions; and writing for broad audiences in order to make the community and conversation around AI more expansive and inclusive.