Aviv Ovadya (@metaviv) researches and supports tractable processes for technology governance and alignment, building on validated methods from offline deliberative democracy and innovative AI-augmented deliberation technology. He is affiliated with Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center (RSM), a visiting researcher at Cambridge University’s Center for the Future of Intelligence, and consults for technology companies, civil society organizations, and funders.

Aviv’s related work explores how we can make our information ecosystem and decision-making systems robust in the face of new technologies. This has involved measurement, mapping harm dynamics, identifying potential levers, navigating limitations (e.g. of generative AI detection), and ensuring that social media ranking systems can bridge divides instead of fomenting division.

After receiving his BS and MEng degrees in computer science from MIT, Aviv provided engineering, product design, and product management support for companies near San Francisco and internationally. In mid-2016, Aviv transitioned to focusing exclusively on the societal implications of technology, through academic fellowships, working in roles such as the Chief Technologist for the Center for Social Media Responsibility (University of Michigan), and consulting for and advising organizations including the Partnership on AI, the Civic Health Project, Meedan, and Cohere.

Aviv’s work has been covered regularly, including by the BBC, NPR, the Economist, and The New York Times and his writing has been published by Bloomberg, HBR, the MIT Technology Review, and the Washington Post.