TeachAids is proud to congratulate one of our incredible advisors, Chelsea Barabas, on being published in the New York Times. Her collaborative piece, The Problems With Risk Assessment Tools, highlights the inaccuracies of crime prediction algorithms and their effects on incarceration in the United States.

“...They give judges recommendations that make future violence seem more predictable and more certain than it actually is. In the process, risk assessments may perpetuate the misconceptions and fears that drive mass incarceration.” -The Problems with Risk Assessment Tools

Barabas is currently a researcher at MIT where she studies how algorithms impact the criminal justice system. She started in the MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative as the Head of Social Innovation investigating cryptocurrencies and digital infrastructure.

Along with her interest in algorithm based incarceration, Barabas has also explored other fields where technology can be used for social good, including ed-tech in Peru, conservation drones in Kenya, and citizen data collection in Brazil. Additionally, she completed her graduate work at MIT’s Comparative Media Studies Program and the Center for Civic Media where she investigated the national struggle of hiring a diversified technical workforce.

"All too often, engineers and technologists 'build for,' rather than 'build with.' Creating technology to serve the public interest requires inviting people who tend to get left on the sidelines into the conversation. Lasting change won't come from silver bullet technologies. It comes from building shared understanding about the challenges we face today and the future we want to build together tomorrow."

TeachAids is proud to have such a driven advisor active in tech for social change. Congratulations!