Introduction to Dan Huttenlocher
Dan Huttenlocher, a renowned figure in the field of computer science, has had a diverse career spanning academia, industry, and philanthropy. As a graduate student at the MIT AI Lab, Huttenlocher worked under the guidance of Professor Victor Zue, a pioneer in speech recognition. This experience not only deepened his understanding of speech recognition but also sparked his interest in engaging with companies and industry alongside academic research.
A Career of Interdisciplinary Pursuits
Huttenlocher’s professional journey is marked by his PhD in computer vision from MIT, followed by 12 years at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center. He then co-founded a financial technology company, demonstrating his ability to bridge technological innovation with industrial applications. Additionally, he has served on the boards of prestigious organizations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Amazon.com, and Corning, Inc. His role in founding Cornell Tech, a campus focused on integrating technology, business, law, and design, further underscores his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches.
The Era of Computing and Its Implications
As the inaugural dean of MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, Huttenlocher emphasizes the transformative impact of computing on various industries and disciplines. He believes that computing, encompassing software, hardware, algorithms, and machine learning, is redefining problem-solving across the board. This shift is not merely about technological advancement but about how it reshapes our reality and understanding of the world.
The Mission of MIT Schwarzman College of Computing
Under Huttenlocher’s leadership, the college aims to support and lead technological changes through a bidirectional, interdisciplinary approach. The goal is to infuse computing with other disciplines and vice versa, fostering collaborations between computing and a wide range of fields at MIT. This includes education and research initiatives across all five schools, departments, and programs at both graduate and undergraduate levels.
Initiatives and Programs
Several programs have been initiated under Huttenlocher’s oversight, including the creation of 50 new faculty positions, with 25 in computer science and artificial intelligence, and 25 shared positions in other departments. The college has also developed the Common Ground for Computing Education platform, which brings together experts from various departments to teach new courses that blend computing with other disciplines. Furthermore, the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) initiative encourages responsible technology development by incorporating insights from the humanities and social sciences.
Reflections and Future Directions
Huttenlocher reflects on the progress made by the college, citing the enrollment of over 2,100 students in subjects that incorporate social and ethical issues into their syllabus. He co-authored "The Age of AI: And Our Human Future," exploring how artificial intelligence is changing human perspectives and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. While acknowledging the achievements, Huttenlocher emphasizes that the work is far from over, with the aspiration being a broad impact that infuses computing across the Institute.
Conclusion
Dan Huttenlocher’s vision for MIT Schwarzman College of Computing represents a significant step towards harnessing the power of computing to redefine problem-solving across disciplines. Through its initiatives and programs, the college is poised to make a profound impact on how technology is developed, deployed, and understood, ensuring that the future of computing is both innovative and responsibly guided. As the college continues to grow and evolve, its mission to integrate computing with other disciplines will play a crucial role in shaping the future of technology and its implications for humanity.
