Lagrange Prize 2023

Artificial intelligence, ethics and privacy: toward a responsible data society.
ISI Foundation and Fondazione CRT present Lagrange Prize 2023 to Tina Eliassi-Rad from the United States.

It is the day of Lagrange Prize – Fondazione CRT, the highest international award for complex systems science, established by Fondazione CRT and coordinated by ISI Foundation – Institute for Scientific Interchange in Turin.

The prestigious prize is awarded to Iranian-born U.S. scientist Tina Eliassi-Rad, professor of Computer Science at Northeastern University, member of Institute for Experential AI and an external lecturer at Santa Fe Institute.

Professor Tina Eliassi-Rad is the recipient of Lagrange Prize – CRT Foundation 2023 for her important contributions in computer science, artificial intelligence and network science. Her work has demonstrated broad practical impact in diverse areas, from personalized web search to cybersecurity, transforming academic research into socially relevant applications. Professor Eliassi-Rad is a leading figure in shaping the debate on Artificial Intelligence and Ethics.

Her research on algorithm ethics, Network Science, and Machine Learning has fostered the development of multiple practical applications both in the private world and in government agencies active against fraud, cyber crime, the search for new therapeutic treatments, and data mining applied to the protection of democracy and networked dialogue.

Eliassi-Rad in 2021 was named among the 100 Most Influential Women in Artificial Intelligence Ethics by the international organization Women in AI Ethics (WAIE).

“I am really proud of this prestigious recognition and I thank ISI Foundation and Fondazione CRT for their contribution to the development of new knowledge networks in a field where the ability to work cross-disciplinarily is a necessary condition and no longer sufficient for the creation of the common good to which we all aspire to contribute,” said the winner of Lagrange Prize 2023.

Professor Alessandro Vespignani, among the world’s leading experts on epidemiological models and Forecasting Science and President of ISI Foundation since last October 2022, said, “Through her work, Professor Eliassi-Rad reminds us that technological development is not a neutral process, but a choice that will shape the future of our society. Her award not only celebrates her achievements, but underscores the importance of the ethical and conscious approach we all must take in the development and use of algorithms.

Massimo Lapucci Secretary General of Fondazione CRT says, “Lagrange Prize-Fondazione CRT 2023 looks to a future that is already present: Professor Eliassi-Rad’s research on the ethical implications of AI is the basis for using Data and algorithms in a responsible, inclusive, reliable, and safe way that respects people and the environment. This goal is at the heart of the established partnership between Fondazione CRT and ISI Foundation, who at OGR Turin are strategically guiding the digital transformation of AI to maximize its social benefits and minimize its negative effects.

LAGRANGE PRIZE – FONDAZIONE CRT HALL OF FAME

2008 Yakov Grigorievich Sinai (mathematician, Russia) and William Brian Arthur (economist, UK)
2009 Giorgio Parisi (physicist, Italy)
2010 James J. Collins (bioengineer, USA)
2011 Albert László Barabási (physicist, Hungary/USA)
2012 Lada Adamic (social network scholar, USA) and Xavier Gabaix (economist, France)
2013 Duncan J. Watts (sociologist and social network scholar, Australia)
2014 Mark Newman (physicist, UK)
2015 Panos Ipeirotis (computer scientist, Greece) and Jure Leskovec (computer scientist, Slovenia)
2016 John Brownstein (epidemiologist, Canada)
2017 Danielle S. Bassett (physicist and neuroscientist, USA)
2018 César Hidalgo (physicist, Chile/USA)
2019 Iain D. Couzin (biologist, UK) and David Gruber (biologist and explorer, USA)