By Yuvan Rasiah

Mind and Machine is a series of interviews highlighting some of the human, machine, and AI pursuits that scientists and collaborators of the MIT Media Lab are actively pursuing to make our lives and world better.

Dr. Deb Roy, the Founding Director of MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication (CCC) and Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, has always believed in the power of effective communication. From studying the way we learn language through his son’s pronunciation of the word (and explaining that process and its importance in a 2011 TED Talk) to his work on an AI platform built to facilitate meaningful dialogue, Dr. Roy has brought a unique perspective to the world of communication.

Dr. Roy’s work with the Media Lab first began as a graduate student in 1993, eventually joining the faculty in 2000. Dr. Roy took the role of Media Lab Executive Director in 2019, but by 2021 found that he wanted to really hone in his focus on dialogue and communication technology. So, he founded and became Director of CCC (which is based within the Media Lab). He also serves as co-founder and CEO of Cortico, a nonprofit organization whose conversation platform utilizes AI technology to surface unheard voices within communities. Cortico works closely with CCC to explore ways of bringing people and technology together for constructive communication.