The Warren Center for Network & Data Sciences

The Game Theory of How Algorithms Can Drive Up Prices | Quanta Magazine Recent findings reveal that even simple pricing algorithms can make things more expensive.

Our paper on algorithmic collusion was featured in a Quanta article! www.quantamagazine.org/the-game-the...

Some fun work connecting no regret algorithms, pricing and collusion, with @aaroth.bsky.social , @ncollina.bsky.social , @jubaz.bsky.social and my advisor Sampath Kannan

“AI governance is a team sport.”

On Road to Accountable AI, Caroline Louveaux of Mastercard explains how trust, collaboration, and responsibility drive innovation in the AI era.

Listen now: apple.com/accountable
accountableai.net

a peek through fall foliage to some people at the University of Pennsylvania, photo by Eric Sucar

Seeking applications from recent PhDs in neuro, psych, ling, philo, comp sci, or other cog sci discipline, for our MindCORE Fellowship.

MindCORE is an interdisciplinary effort at Penn to understand human intelligence and behavior.

Apply by Dec 1: mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/post-doctora...

Whole-brain, bottom-up neuroscience: The time for it is now Applying new tools to entire brains, starting with C. elegans, offers the opportunity to uncover how molecules work together to generate neural physiology and how neurons work together to generate…

Cracking the worm would provide a test bed for how molecular recipes generate neural physiology. And it would allow us to understand how neurons work together to yield emergent brain functions, write @kordinglab.bsky.social and @eboyden3.bsky.social.

www.thetransmitter.org/computationa...

(1/2) University of Pennsylvania computational neuroscientist and @neuromatch.bsky.social co-founder @kordinglab.bsky.social shares his advice for career success in neuroscience.

“The field has so much of an appetite for new ideas,” he says.

#neurosociety #compsci #neuroscience

YouTube video by Annenberg School for Communication Making Sense of the World with Data

Since Klaus Krippendorff pioneered the study of content analysis, Annenberg has been at the forefront of computational social science. To this day, our scholars use data to inform decision making across industry, policy, and health care domains, and ultimately, to make sense of the world:

A bit belated, but happy to have our preprint, “An Ecological Theory of Democracy,” out.

We consider political party competition in light of classic ecological theory. Led by a talented former undergrad, Riley Fotis, in collaboration with Brendan O’Leary (neither on bluesky).

A 🧵 1/

Scientific Paper Planner - AI-Powered Research Planning Structure your scientific research with AI-powered guidance. From hypothesis to methodology, plan your research paper with intelligent mentoring.

Still beta-testing the app that helps people plan science, make it super clear, design their todos, and write a first version of the paper. Feeling overwhelmed by the countless aspects of doing science? Try this (for free): planyourscience.com

Dolores Albarracín Receives Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Congratulations to Amy Gutmann Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Dolores Albarracín, who has been honored with the 2025 Career Contribution Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP):

How should you use forecasts f:X->R^d to make decisions? It depends what properties they have. If they are fully calibrated (E[y | f(x) = p] = p), then you should be maximally aggressive and act as if they are correct --- i.e. play argmax_a E_{o ~ f(x)}[u(a,o)]. On the other hand

How has talking about politics changed in the last quarter-century? | Penn Today Penn researcher Diana Mutz finds that we’re having more political conversations now with like-minded people, and that political intolerance has increased as a result.

Political Science's Diana Mutz investigates the nature of today's political discussions, and whether political intolerance has increased as a consequence.

University of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sign a cooperative AI advising agreement | Penn Today The partnership leverages Penn's faculty experts and leadership to support AI policy and provide the Commonwealth with expertise related to AI organizational strategy, risk assessment, and governance.

University of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sign a cooperative AI advising agreement

@governor.pa.gov @pennengineering.bsky.social

Prof. Cary Coglianese (@cary-coglianese.bsky.social) weighs in on the EPA’s proposed TSCA rule, warning that it could leave the agency “with less information...on which to base its decision-making about risk management of toxic chemicals.” Read via Newsweek: https://penncareylaw.news/4nzXQ8a

What’s next for carbon removal? Companies have still drawn down only enough CO2 to cancel out a few hours of US emissions. Here’s what it will take to really scale up the sector.

Reliable assurance that a project’s declared ton of carbon savings equates to a real ton of emissions removed…is crucial,” write Prof. Cary Coglianese (@cary-coglianese.bsky.social) & Cynthia Giles in Science, cited by MIT Tech Review.
https://penncareylaw.news/4oskDUK

A reminder:

How Has Talking About Politics Changed in the Last Quarter-Century?

Annenberg Professor Diana Mutz finds that we’re having more political conversations now with like-minded people, and that political intolerance has increased as a result:

The world has its first AI government official Albania’s prime minister has installed a new minister. Only it isn’t human, it’s Artificial Intelligence. What does this signal for the evolution of government administration around the world?

“If an AI system can make an improvement, if we can demonstrate and verify and validate that it's working better, then this is how we hold it accountable and what we should be aspiring for,” says Warren Center faculty affiliate Cary Coglianese.

Applying new tools to entire brains offers the opportunity to uncover how molecules work together to generate neural physiology and how neurons work together to generate behavior, write Warren Center affiliate Konrad Kording and MIT Professor Edward Boyden. www.thetransmitter.o...

AI is no longer just advancing, it’s accelerating in ways that will redefine how humans and machines work together. For Warren Center faculty affiliate Chris Callison-Burch, this moment is both thrilling and pivotal. online.seas.upenn.ed...

Time to do the worm.

Today at 10:30 EST! Registration is still open!

Among other big questions facing media and democracy , we'll ask how the ongoing shift from TV news towards online media will impact filter bubbles/echo chambers and partisanship.

A recent study has important implications for smokers and policymakers, says Warren Center affiliate Emily Falk, “and for everyone, knowing how much the places we spend time might shape our decision-making is powerful.” penntoday.upenn.edu/...

How Tobacco Retail Exposure Impacts Smoking Behavior

Researchers from Annenberg's @falklab.bsky.social have found that smokers report higher levels of craving and smoked more cigarettes on days when their exposure to tobacco retail is higher:

12 years ago, the Warren Center celebrated its launch. Since then, we've continued to host events, support collaborative research, and highlight leading thinkers and cutting-edge developments, connecting researchers, students, and entrepreneurs across the spectrum of data science.

The First AI-Powered Minister Tests the Future of Government An AI system named Diella has joined Albania’s cabinet, testing how far governments are willing to trust machines with power.

“As AI becomes part of daily life, public demand for its use in government will grow,” Prof. Cary Coglianese (@cary-coglianese.bsky.social) tells TIME. But transparency & oversight are essential. https://penncareylaw.news/3WcsgC7

Technical Lead - Community for Rigor (C4R) - Penn Engineering University Overview The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school…

Join our team! We are seeking a Technical Lead to guide the development of our web-based educational platform.

See the job posting at:

"AI governance can’t be top-down—it has to be networked.”

On the Road to Accountable AI, former Acting US Secretary of Commerce Cam Kerry explains why flexible oversight is essential for AI, and what AI policy can learn from the long battle over privacy regulation.

Listen now: accountableai.net

In an interview with The Center Square, Warren Center Director Michael Kearns said that he’s less worried about autonomous machines becoming all-powerful than the challenges already posed by #AI. www.thecentersquare....

Good Conversations Don’t Require Everybody to Agree, Neuroscience Shows Brain imaging is illuminating the patterns linked to productive, positive dialogue, and those insights could help people connect with others

@falklab.bsky.social wrote a nice summary of our hyperscanning work on how people form social connection and find agreement through conversation: www.scientificamerican.com/article/good...