Supporting Industry Computing Researchers in Assessing, Articulating, and Addressing the Potential Negative Societal Impact of Their Work

• Main Authors: Deng, Wesley Hanwen, Barocas, Solon, Vaughan, Jennifer Wortman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 02-08-2024
• Subjects: Computer Science - Human-Computer Interaction
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2408.01057

Recent years have witnessed increasing calls for computing researchers to
grapple with the societal impacts of their work. Tools such as impact
assessments have gained prominence as a method to uncover potential impacts,
and a number of publication venues now encourage authors to include an impact
statement in their submissions. Despite this push, little is known about the
way researchers assess, articulate, and address the potential negative societal
impact of their work -- especially in industry settings, where research
outcomes are often quickly integrated into products. In addition, while there
are nascent efforts to support researchers in this task, there remains a dearth
of empirically-informed tools and processes. Through interviews with 25
industry computing researchers across different companies and research areas,
we first identify four key factors that influence how they grapple with (or
choose not to grapple with) the societal impact of their research. To develop
an effective impact assessment template tailored to industry computing
researchers' needs, we conduct an iterative co-design process with these 25
industry researchers and an additional 16 researchers and practitioners with
prior experience and expertise in reviewing and developing impact assessments
or broad responsible computing practices. Through the co-design process, we
develop 10 design considerations to facilitate the effective design,
development, and adaptation of an impact assessment template for use in
industry research settings and beyond, as well as our own ``Societal Impact
Assessment'' template with concrete scaffolds. We explore the effectiveness of
this template through a user study with 15 industry research interns, revealing
both its strengths and limitations. Finally, we discuss the implications for
future researchers and organizations seeking to foster more responsible
research practices.