Sarah Myers West

Dr. Sarah Myers West has over a decade of experience critically examining the political economy of the tech industry. Her award-winning research and writing blends social science, policy, and historical methods to address the intersection of technology, labor, antitrust, and platform accountability. Her forthcoming book, Tracing Code (University of California Press), draws on years of historical and social scientific research to examine the origins of data capitalism and commercial surveillance. 

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Her writing is published in journals including Social Studies of Science, New Media & Society, the International Journal of Communication, Policy & Internet and Business and Society, and her research is featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, PBS, CBS, the Associated Press, and Vox, among others.

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Dr. West is the Managing Director of the AI Now Institute and a Visiting Research Scientist at the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University. She recently served a term as a Senior Advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission. She holds Doctoral and Masters Degrees in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, and a Masters in Public Diplomacy from Annenberg and the Dornsife School of International Relations. She is also a graduate of the University of Virginia's Media Studies program. 

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Short Bio: 

Dr. Sarah Myers West is the Managing Director of the AI Now Institute and recently served a term as a Senior Advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission. She holds a decade of policy and research experience in the political economy of the tech industry, and her forthcoming book Tracing Code (University of California Press) examines the origins of commercial surveillance. 

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