Project Mentor: Dominic DiFranzo, Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering
2026 Impact Fellows:
Project Description:
The massive growth in Generative AI use has led to a parallel rise in the AI industry, with Silicon Valley once again the hub of this growth. AI has already led to changes in the workforce and has affected existing job opportunities, but has also created new opportunities, such as hiring CS graduates for hourly data tagging jobs, which give rise to a host of new ethical questions. These questions go hand-in-hand with the larger area of Human-AI interaction and when, and how, there should be a "human in the loop" of AI.
As such, this project (new for 2026) will research current and emergent industry practices, focused on the Silicon Valley AI tech industry and its many startups, spinoffs, and corporate branches, in order to develop deliverables of training, curricula, and/or policies that can be responsive to these practices as they evolve. Project team members will work with CS faculty at Lehigh as well as industry engagement team members in the Bay Area.