S. Craig Watkins

S. Craig Watkins is the Executive Director of the IC2 Institute and E Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor (Moody College of Communication) at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of six books and several published articles that probe the social and behavioral impacts of computer-mediated technologies including the internet, social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. His specific expertise is in the relationship between race, equity, and technology. His research examines, for example, the digital and data divides, the adoption of technologies in marginalized populations, digital media and human behavior, and the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence. Craig is one of the Principal Investigators for UT Austin’s Good Systems Grand Challenge, a University funded research initiative that examines the social, technical, and ethical implications of artificial intelligence. More specifically, Craig leads a team that is exploring the future of more equity-centered artificial intelligence. In his role as Executive Director of the IC2 Institute, a “think and do tank” at UT-Austin, Craig is leading a new initiative that focuses on health equity. This project, for example, is exploring the rise and transformation of telehealth, empirical analysis of the social determinants of health, and computational systems that enhance a sharper understanding of the structural factors that drive the mental health crisis in the U.S.