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

TL;DR

Four key factors influence how industry computing researchers grapple with the societal impact of their research: the relationship between industry researchers and product teams; organizational dynamics and cultures that prioritize innovation and speed; misconceptions about societal impact; and a lack of sufficient infrastructure to support researchers.

Abstract

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.

Figures (5)

• Figure 1: An overview of the first two contributions or our work. On the left side, we present the empirical findings on current perceptions, practices, and practical challenges (Section \ref{['empirical findings']}). On the right side, we present the design considerations for the impact assessment template content and structure (in blue; see Section \ref{['DC for template']}) and using the template within an organization (in green; see Section \ref{['DC for organization']}).
• Figure 2: Overview of our methods and how each study component maps to our research questions and results.
• Figure 3: Overview of the iterative co-design process. Version 7 is the SIA Template described in Section \ref{['SIA template']} and used in our user study. Version 1 and Version 7 are included in the supplementary materials.
• Figure 4: Overview of the SIA template's structure. Please refer to the SIA template included in the supplementary materials for more details on the questions we included in each section and how we guide researchers in thinking through these questions.
• Figure 5: Illustration included in the SIA template to guide researchers thinking through scenarios leading to potential negative societal impact.