Todd L. Pittinsky

Professor, Technology & Society,

Psychology (by courtesy), Business (by courtesy)

Ph.D., Harvard University

I research and teach about the intersection of technology and society, exploring how technological change shapes—and is shaped by—human behavior, institutions, and values.

My current research centers on (1) AI-driven discrimination in online spaces, in particular, antisemitism; (2) the future of work, in particular how healthcare professionals understand, trust, and adopt decision-making AI; and (3) the public’s understanding of, and engagement with, generative AI.

My latest book– Understanding Technology and Society: Seminal Questions and Enduring Insights (Cambridge University Press, 2025)– is a multidisciplinary exploration of grand questions and debates in Science, Technology, and Society Studies (STS).

Past research has been featured in The Economist and The Boston Globe and cited in Science, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and The Wall Street Journal. I enjoy writing for popular audiences through editorials, letters, and the occasional blog post.

I am a faculty affiliate (at large) of the Program on Antisemitism Studies at Gratz College. I have served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center (2020-2022) and as a Faculty Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College (2019-2021). 

 

Dr. Pittinsky earned a A.B. in psychology from Yale University, an M.A. in psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Business School. Prior to joining the Stony Brook faculty he was an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he served as Research Director of the Harvard Center for Public Leadership and the Principal Investigator of the Allophilia Project.

Office: 1417 Computer Science
Email: todd.pittinsky@stonybrook.edu

Office hours sign-up online here and Zoom room for meeting here.

Articles (select)

Taking Care with Caregiving Robots by Todd L. Pittinsky (IEEE Technology and Society)

Algorithms and Ethical Diversity: Developing a More Holistic View of Technology and Society by Todd L. Pittinsky (IEEE Technology and Society).

Books