Hi, my name is Shepard, and I’m a Junior at Tufts University studying Computer Science and STS (Science, Technology, and Society). I work at the intersection of computational technology and societal impact, with my academic and professional interests centered around:

1. Public Interest Technology (PIT): Building technology in a responsible and equitable way, while centering impacted communities, drawing from many disciplines, and putting public benefit ahead of profit incentives. Here’s why it matters.
2. AI Safety and Ethics: Understanding frontier AI models and the harms they produce to ensure responsible development while promoting trust, sociotechnical alignment, and oversight mechanisms. Here’s why it matters and here’s where it could be improved.

I’ve also been playing the drums for over 15 years, so I spend my free time performing with BEATs (Bangin’ Everything At Tufts) and my band Call From Earth.

My work

The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence is both a technical and societal shift, often driven by incentives that prioritize speed over public well-being. Ensuring this technology benefits us requires a sociotechnical approach, where we interrogate the underlying mechanisms of AI alongside its long-term structural risks. As the Technical Director for the Tufts AI Safety Group, I work to bridge the gap between engineering and ethics. Through our fellowships, I equip students with the technical fluency needed to engage in high-impact discourse, preparing them for both technical and policy roles. My goal is to foster a community that understands deep learning not just as code, but as a system of power that requires rigorous oversight and governance.

Beyond mitigating risks, I hope to reimagine how AI can serve the public interest rather than dominate it. In particular, I focus on the power of technology to democratize information. In my own work, this has meant using AI to make years of community meeting transcripts and city data accessible to local residents, breaking down historical communication barriers between the public and lawmakers. Projects like this demonstrate that we can build alternatives to the dominant applications of AI by moving away from surveillance and labor substitution toward tools that amplify community voices and foster civic engagement.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if my work interests you or if you’d like to chat! If you’ve read this far, you must at least be considering it :)