The Methodology and Ethics of Targeting

David Stillwell, Jeffrey Skopek, Theresa Marteau, Adrian Weller, Nóra Ní Loideáin

Governments and companies can now model and predict the beliefs, preferences, and behaviour of small groups and even individuals - allowing them to “target” interventions, messages, and services much more narrowly. These new forms of targeting present huge opportunities to make valuable interventions more effective, for example by delivering public services to those most in need of them. However, the use of more fine-grained information about individuals and groups also raises huge risks, challenging key notions of privacy, fairness, and autonomy. 

On the evening of 9 May 2019 the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence will hold a public event on the methodology and ethics of targeting in the Winstanley Lecture Hall.

This evening event will commence with a lecture by David Stillwell (University Lecturer in Data Analytics & Quantitative Social Science and Deputy Director of the Psychometrics Centre), who will speak about the use of psychometrics in personalised targeting.

The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion, including:

Dr Nóra Ní Loideáin (Director and Lecturer in Law of the Information Law and Policy Centre at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies)

Professor Dame Theresa Marteau (Director of Behaviour and Health Research Unit)

Dr Jeffrey M. Skopek (Lecturer in Medical Law, Ethics, and Policy)

Dr Adrian Weller (Senior Research Fellow in Machine Learning and Programme Director for Artificial Intelligence at The Alan Turing Institute)