Rachel Freedman

Rachel Freedman is a PhD student advised by Professor Stuart Russell. Her research focuses on reinforcement learning and reward modeling as paths toward value aligned AI. She’s particularly interested in integrating methodologies and expertise from computer science, statistics, cognitive science and economics to resolve the inherently interdisciplinary challenge of ensuring that AI is beneficial for humanity.

In her undergraduate thesis, Rachel adapted a kidney exchange algorithm to align with societal values by isolating the underlying moral frameworks in human responses to moral dilemmas. The resulting paper was awarded “Outstanding Student Paper Honorable Mention” at AAAI 2018, and will be published in the AI Journal in 2020. Rachel’s past work on this morally vital and complex topic makes her a great fit for CHAI’s long-term goal of benefiting society.

Prior to joining CHAI, Rachel studied computer science, neuroscience, and philosophy at Duke University through the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, and at Oxford University as a Registered Visiting Student. At Oxford she cofounded and ran an interdisciplinary existential risk discussion society that met at the Future of Humanity Institute. More details about her work are available at her website

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