Duke University launches Tech for Open Minds training sessions promoting open-mindedness
Tech for Open Minds (TOM) will launch at Duke University, exploring how technology can shape open-mindedness.
TOM will provide a series of in-person events, an annual conference at Duke University and an open-source curriculum designed to equip the next generation of students with the skills needed to investigate technology’s role in fostering constructive dialogue.
The program expands on the 2024-25 initiative supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation that brought together researchers from 11 international sites to explore urgent questions.
TOM will host 11 free in-person training sessions across the world each year as part of the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science. It will also create an annual conference at Duke, supported by the Society-Centered AI Initiative.
Writing on LinkedIn, Duke Professor and Director of Society-Centered AI Initiative/Polarization Lab Christopher Ball said: “This builds on last year’s SICSS-Templeton World Charity Foundation collaboration, which connected 11 sites across 5 continents studying tech & society — from climate discourse in Brazil to influence campaigns in Nigeria.
“Now, TOM will provide funding for an additional 11 locations each year, expanding global collaborations, and growing a community of researchers exploring new solutions to address polarization using the tools of computational social science.”
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