Indian American sociologist Manisha Desai has received a $300,000 grant to investigate the intersection of artificial intelligence, democracy, and academic freedom at Stony Brook University.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into higher education, a team of scholars at Stony Brook University, led by Indian American sociologist Manisha Desai, has initiated a project aimed at ensuring that this technology upholds democratic values rather than undermining them.
Desai, who serves as the executive director of the Center for Changing Systems of Power, along with her colleagues, has been awarded a $300,000 Mellon Sawyer Seminar grant to support a multi-year initiative titled “The Practice of Democracy and Academic Freedom.” This project will explore how AI impacts academic freedom and social equity.
Joining Desai in this endeavor are Michael Rubenstein, a professor at the Humanities Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences; Abena Asare, an associate professor in Africana Studies; and Robert Chase, an associate professor in the Department of History. Together, they aim to address the pressing concerns surrounding the role of AI in educational settings.
“Technologies reproduce the inequalities of the society in which they’re created,” Desai stated. As the Empowerment Trust Endowed Professor of Global Citizenship at the State University of New York, she emphasizes the need to look beyond the technical aspects of AI. “We are looking at how these systems might mirror or even amplify the gendered, racial, and colonial hierarchies that already exist in our society,” she added.
The seminar will commence with a dedicated planning year, focusing on the establishment of a “collaborative commons” for faculty and students. Rather than concentrating solely on software efficiency, the team plans to host symposia and workshops aimed at fostering free inquiry and ensuring that AI implementation is firmly rooted in human rights principles.
Desai brings a global perspective to this project, shaped by her upbringing and foundational education in India. Her academic journey began in her home country before transitioning to the United States, where she has spent decades documenting grassroots resistance and social movements.
Her previous research has notably examined “subaltern” movements in Gujarat, analyzing how local communities navigate the challenges posed by neoliberal development. This ongoing work continues to inform her human-centric approach to research.
Currently, Desai is collaborating with over 2,000 women farmers in Maharashtra to study climate-resilient agriculture. By treating these women as co-researchers, she ensures that the knowledge generated directly benefits the community, embodying a philosophy of “co-produced knowledge” that will be a cornerstone of the Stony Brook AI project.
Through this research, the team aims to provide a roadmap for institutions to adopt AI in a manner that intentionally safeguards the democratic principles essential to modern universities. By examining the pervasive influence of digital tools, they hope to contribute to a more equitable and just academic landscape.
This initiative reflects a growing recognition of the need to critically assess the implications of AI in educational contexts, particularly as it relates to issues of equity and freedom. As the project unfolds, it promises to shed light on the complex relationship between technology and democracy in higher education.
According to The American Bazaar, the grant represents a significant investment in understanding and addressing the challenges posed by AI in academic settings.