AI, Money & Power: Career Landscape Map

This quarter, six researchers working at the intersection of AI, money, and power shared what their days actually look like. This map shows the emerging careers in behavioral science, technology policy, financial regulation, and investigative research. None of these roles looked the same five years ago. Many will evolve completely in five more.

Guest Indicators

Berkeley Dietvorst — Algorithm Trust

Jathan Sadowski — Tech & Power

Kentaro Toyama — Tech & Society

Aaron Klein — Financial Policy

Sayan Bhuyan — Behavioral Science

Alex Rosenblat — Sociotechnical Research

Decision Science & Trust in AI

Why we trust (or don't trust) algorithms

Behavioral / Decision Scientist

Studies how people make predictions and decide whether to trust an algorithm's recommendation — research that shapes how banks, hospitals, and companies design AI tools people will actually use.

Research / Academia Statistics + experimental design ↪ Take econ, psych & stats classes; read decision-science papers

Human-AI Trust Researcher

Designs the interfaces and controls that determine whether people accept or reject an AI recommendation — figuring out how much control to give users so they trust tools that are already better than they are.

UX / Applied Research User research + product design ↪ Study human-computer interaction basics

Political Economy of Technology

Who owns AI, and who it works for

Science & Technology Studies Scholar

Researches the relationship between technology, capitalism, and power — asking who benefits from "smart" systems, who is controlled by them, and whether a given technology should exist at all.

Research / Academia Critical theory + writing ↪ Take a philosophy or STS class; read widely on tech & power

Tech Policy Podcaster / Public Intellectual

Translates dense research on technology and power into accessible books, essays, and podcasts that shape public debate about how AI and data-driven business models should be regulated.

Media / Public Scholarship Writing + broadcasting ↪ Start a newsletter or podcast on a topic you care about

Technology & Society

Does the tech actually help — and who for?

Technology & Community Researcher

Studies digital technology's real-world impact on marginalized communities — and why tools that work in a lab often fail once real institutions, incentives, and people get involved.

Research / International Development Fieldwork + program evaluation ↪ Volunteer or intern with a community tech program

AI Ethics & Education Professor

Teaches and researches how AI should (and shouldn't) be used in schools and public institutions — questioning whether new technology solves problems or just amplifies whoever already has power.

Education / Policy Teaching + research writing ↪ Read about ed-tech's real-world track record

Financial Policy & Algorithmic Credit

Who gets a loan, and why

Financial Regulation Economist

Researches how AI credit-scoring models decide who gets a loan and at what rate — and pushes for policy that makes those systems more accurate and less biased.

Policy / Think Tank Economics + policy writing ↪ Learn how credit scores & FICO work

Consumer Financial Protection Analyst

Investigates whether lenders are using illegal or discriminatory data in automated credit decisions, and works to enforce consumer protection law as algorithms take over more of the process.

Regulation / Public Service Legal literacy + data analysis ↪ Read the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; follow the CFPB

Applied Behavioral Science

Designing nudges that actually help

Behavioral Science Consultant

Designs and tests small interventions — reminders, defaults, simplified forms — that help governments and organizations get better real-world outcomes from programs people already qualify for.

Research / Consulting Field experiments + economics ↪ Read abstracts in the Journal of Economic Perspectives

Field Experiment Program Manager

Runs real-world studies with cities and agencies — like a Philadelphia summer jobs program — turning behavioral science insights into programs that actually reach the people they're meant for.

Program Management / Public Policy Project management + data analysis ↪ Look for local behavioral-science or policy labs

Sociotechnical Investigation

Holding algorithms accountable

Investigative Tech Researcher / Journalist

Rides along, interviews, and audits real systems — from gig-work apps to hospital consent forms — to document the gap between what companies claim their algorithms do and what actually happens to real people.

Journalism / Research Ethnography + investigative writing ↪ Read The Markup; practice a records request

Data Ethics & Dark Pattern Auditor

Tests consent forms, apps, and platforms for manipulative design ("dark patterns") that make it hard for people to actually exercise the choices they're legally entitled to make about their own data.

Auditing / Consumer Protection Policy analysis + close reading ↪ Learn to spot dark patterns in apps you use daily

Supporting & Emerging Roles

The people who make change stick

AI Policy Researcher

Produces evidence-based research on how AI affects money, trust, and daily decisions — building the knowledge base that drives better laws and better-designed products.

Research / Policy Research design + statistics + writing ↪ Read policy research papers; learn data analysis

Algorithmic Auditor

Tests AI systems used in lending, hiring, and gig work to find bias, discrimination, and unintended harms — then reports findings to regulators, journalists, and the public.

Auditing / Testing Data science + fairness + legal knowledge ↪ Study fairness in machine learning; learn audit frameworks

Behavioral Design Communicator

Translates research on nudges, dark patterns, and algorithmic trust into stories that help everyday people recognize when — and how — their choices are being shaped.

Media / Education Writing + storytelling + subject expertise ↪ Start a podcast or newsletter; tell real stories

How to Start — Pick Your Spark

If you care about how people think and decide

Take a statistics and psychology class. Read academic papers on judgment, decision-making, and behavioral economics. Notice your own decisions and ask why you made them.

If you care about who holds power over technology

Read a book connecting technology, capitalism, and power. Study philosophy or science-and-technology studies. Ask who profits from a tool before you ask what it does.

If you care about fairness in money and credit

Learn how credit scores and financial regulation actually work. Follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Ask who a "neutral" system was actually built to serve.

If you're fascinated by uncovering how systems really work

Practice requesting your own data from a company. Read investigative tech journalism. Learn to spot dark patterns and manipulative design in the apps you already use.