Abstract: Steve Jobs once referred to the computer as a bicycle for the mind, but today’s software tools increasingly limit rather than empower users.  In this talk, we will explore the computer as a tool for the mind, one that mediates people’s interactions with the digital world.  I will present work on building a better bicycle by making software more malleable.  Along the way, we will take a pit stop to fight against money laundering with AI, and apply cutting-edge distributed systems research to facilitate personal and collective digital sovereignty in an increasingly hostile world.

Bio: James Eagan is a Visiting Professor in the Info Department for the current academic year.  He is an Associate Professor (Maître de conférences) and chair of the DIVA (HCI & Visualization) lab at Télécom Paris, a founding school of the Institut Polytechique de Paris.  He is chair of the Interaction, graphics, and design Masters program in Computer Science and former chair of the Big Data professional master’s program.  His research focuses on malleable systems and information sensemaking, and he publishes regularly in the ACM CHI (Human-Computer Interaction), UIST (User Interface Systems and Technologies), and IEEE VIS (Visualization) communities.  He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Mathematics/Computer Science from Lawrence University of Wisconsin.