Session Description
Research in the FAccT community often engages directly with questions of real-world impact in sociotechnical systems. These findings are typically communicated through academic publications at FAccT or similar venues, which are integral to advancing interdisciplinary knowledge and allow researchers to share and build on each other’s work. At the same time, this work is often not accessible to affected communities, policymakers, and practitioners who could act on these findings, limiting its potential to inform policy and practice. As a result, even policy-relevant research may have limited influence on real-world decision-making without additional forms of engagement with these critical stakeholders.
This tutorial introduces policy briefs as one practical mechanism for translating research findings into formats that can reach these audiences to bridge this gap. Policy briefs synthesize evidence for pressing policy-relevant issues and support decision-making by offering clear options and recommendations. These briefs are written in a very specific style, which is counterintuitive for academics. Instead of leading with the scientific method, hypothesis formulation and assessment, and uncertainty (as we do in academic papers), policy briefs require confident, upfront, and concise descriptions of policy solutions.
The tutorial is structured as an interactive, hands-on session. By the end of the session, participants will have a concrete starting point for a policy brief and a clearer understanding of how to translate FAccT research into forms that can inform policy and practice. More broadly, this tutorial aims to build capacity within the community to engage more effectively with policy processes while maintaining the rigor and values that define FAccT research.
Agenda
This tutorial session will run for 60 minutes.
- Motivation: Why translate your research into policy recommendations?
- Work time: Start writing your own policy brief (with guidance from policy mentors)!
- Discussion: Share-out, reflections
Please bring your laptops or a device to type on, if possible. Links will be shared for all materials.
Policy Mentors
- Cynthia Bailey: Cynthia Bailey is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. In 2023-2024, she served as an AI Policy Fellow in the United States Senate through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Cynthia earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego.
- Serena Booth: Serena Booth is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science department at Brown University. She previously served as an AI Policy Advisor through a AAAS Fellowship in the U.S. Senate and worked for the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to legislate, regulate, and govern AI systems in these high-stakes and high-risk areas. Serena earned a PhD in Computer Science at MIT CSAIL in 2023.
- Anna Lenhart: Anna Lenhart was previously a senior advisor in the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy. Also served on the House of Representatives as the senior technology legislative aide to Rep Lori Trahan (117th Congress) and as a Congressional Innovation Fellow for the House Judiciary Digital Markets Investigation (116th Congress). Anna is currently a Ph.D. candidate at University of Maryland.
Organizers
- Serena Booth, Brown University
- Ro Encarnación, University of Pennsylvania
- Danaé Metaxa, University of Pennsylvania
- Nari Johnson, Carnegie Mellon University
- Cynthia Bailey, Stanford University