Liberal Arts and Sciences
Duncan Purves Research Group
Led by Duncan Purves · Philosophy
What we study
Dr. Purves works on ethical questions about artificial intelligence and algorithms, such as predictive policing, as well as animal ethics. He leads an NSF-funded project on the ethics of predictive policing algorithms, with a co-investigator in computer science at Cal Poly.
What working here is like
- Reading, writing & theory
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Policing: An Ethical Analysis
NSF-funded project on the ethics of algorithms that predict where crime is most likely.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Against the causal account of algorithmic fairness
2026 · Synthese
Challenges the causal account of algorithmic fairness, arguing it mislabels redlining as unfair.
- A Debiasing Technique for Place-based Algorithmic Patrol Management
2025 · Criminal Justice Ethics
Develops a technique to remove demographic bias from police patrol algorithms.
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- Should Algorithms that Predict Recidivism Have Access to Race?
2023 · American Philosophical Quarterly
Examines whether recidivism algorithms should use race to improve outcomes.
- Emerging Ethical Considerations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology
2022 · Ophthalmology Science
Identifies ethical concerns in AI use for ophthalmology, including transparency and responsibility.
- Public Trust, Institutional Legitimacy, and the Use of Algorithms in Criminal Justice
2022 · Public Affairs Quarterly
Argues that opacity in criminal justice algorithms harms public trust.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Duncan Purves hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.