email: kwamepr@wayne.edu github: robinsonkwame

substack: community-based economies linkedin: kporterrobinson

About

We all participate in the surrounding economy but what possibilities emerge when we design our own? Dr. Kwame Porter Robinson is a socio-technical action researcher whose work leverages artificial intelligence and automation to explore how these emerging technologies can support community-based economies, through two major research streams:

Computing in Community-based Economies examines how we can remake local economies to work for us rather than the other way around. Through collaborations with Detroit entrepreneurs, Dr. Robinson develops bespoke AI systems using his “Deliberative Evolution” framework. This approach enables local business owners to co-design computational systems that allow them to focus on their preferred work while envisioning and creating alternative economies they can actively participate in.

Supply Chain Making investigates how novel analytical systems can support the creation of new types of supply chains. By developing area-specific tools that integrate heterogeneous data, socio-technical frameworks, and AI-enabled systems, Dr. Robinson works with entrepreneurs and small businesses to source materials and stand up new industries in previously inaccessible ways. This research also considers alternatives to computational technology and develops bottom-up comprehensive approaches that promote resilience.

Dr. Robinson’s interdisciplinary theory development is grounded in case-based work across various domains. His primary investigative techniques include systems building, field studies, and quasi-experimental designs, primarily through mixed methods designs. Prior to academia, he gained valuable industry experience as a CEO, research engineer, data scientist, and machine learning engineer for both government and private corporations. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s School of Information. His dissertation committee included Dr. Eglash, Dr. Robert, Dr. Guzdial, and Dr. Bennett.

Publications

Accepted Journal Articles

J.3 Kwame Porter Robinson, Matthew Garvin, Ron Eglash, Lionel Robert, Mark Guzdial, Audrey Bennett “Making Exploratory Search Engines using Qualitative Case Studies: a content-aware mixed- methods implementation using interviews with Detroit Artisans”, Journal of Integrated STEM

J.2 Kwame Porter Robinson, Ron Eglash, Lionel P. Robert, Audrey Bennett, Mark Guzdial (2024; Accepted) “Computing for Community-Based Economies: A Sociotechnical Ecosystem for Democratic, Egalitarian and Sustainable Futures”, The Information Society. Pre-print.

J.1 Ron Eglash, Kwame Porter Robinson, Audrey Bennett, Lionel Robert, Matthew Garvin (2023) “Computational Reparations as Generative Justice: Decolonial Transitions to Unalienated Circular Value Flow”. Big Data & Society

Under Review Journal Articles

J.4 Kwame Porter Robinson, Ron Eglash, Mark Guzdial, and Lionel Robert (2024;Under Review) “Solidarity Pathways: Embedding Community-based Routing Practices for Generative Justice”, Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space

Conference Articles

C.5 Ron Eglash, Lionel Robert, Audrey Bennett, Kwame Robinson, Matthew Garvin, Deborah Hammond-Sowah (2022) “Navigating the open/closed spectrum: the need for layered access in platforms forgenerative justice”, ICA72

C.4 Robinson, K.P., Robert, L.P. Eglash, R. (2021). “Extrapolating significance of text-based autonomous vehicle scenarios to multimedia scenarios and implications for user-centered design”, RO-MAN 2021, 10.7302/1691

C.3 Robinson, K.P., Eglash, R., Bennett, A., Nandakumar, S. and Robert, L.P. (2020). “Authente-Kente: Enabling Authentication for Artisanal Economies with Deep Learning”, AI & Society, 10.13140/RG.2.2.27020.95362/2

C.2 Ron Eglash, Lionel P. Robert, Audrey Bennett, Kwame Porter Robinson, Michael L Lachney, William Babbitt. “Automation for the artisanal economy: enhancing the economic and environmental sustainability of crafting professions with human–machine collaboration”. September 2019. AI & Society. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-019-00915-w.

C.1 Ron Eglash, Lionel P. Robert, Audrey Bennett, Kwame Porter Robinson, Michael L Lachney, William Babbitt. “AI for a Generative Economy: The Role of Intelligent Systems in Sustaining Unalienated Labor, Environment, and Society”. August 2019. Conference: AAAI Fall 2019 Symposium on AI and Work At: Arlington, Virginia USA

Book Chapters

B.2 Matthew Garvin, Ron Eglash, Kwame Porter Robinson, Lionel P. Robert, Audrey Bennett (2023). “Counter-hegemonic AI: The Role of Artisanal Identity in the Design of Automation for a Liberated Economy”. In Algorithms and Society, Taylor & Francis.

B.1 Ron Eglash, Audrey Bennett, Kwame Porter Robinson, Matthew Garvin, Lionel P. Robert, Mark Guzdial (2022). “Decolonization, Computation, Propagation: Phyto-human alliances in the pathways towards generative justice”. In Plants by Numbers, Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Conference Presentations

• 2023 Ethical AI Forum University of Michigan - From Extraction to Empowerment: Recent developments in Community-Based Computing (5/16/2023) 🏆 Press: UMSI News article

• RO-MAN 2021 - Extrapolating significance of text-based autonomous vehicle scenarios to multimedia scenarios and implications for user-centered design (8/10/2021)

🏆 - Recieved award for best student talk

Funding

• Rackham Merit Fellowship, stipend with full tuition
• Rackham Professional Development Grant, 2022 ($400)
• Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant, 2020 ($925)
• Rackham Conference Travel Grant, 2019 ($800)
• AWS Cloud Credits for Research, 2019 (~$1,000)

Industry Biography

Prior to becoming a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan, Kwame was lead data scientist at (Brighthive) where he designed scalable natural language processing systems and algorithms for workforce artificial intelligence applications, including unstructured taxonomy matching and multi-level semantic similarity. In 2015 Kwame created and led a data science consultancy that served a variety of private and public organizations, including the WKKF Foundation and the World Bank. Additionally, Kwame has worked on classified projects spanning data science, blockchain, cyber security and telecommunications research for the Department of Defense.

Academic Biography

Kwame holds a master’s degree in Computer Science (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), with a thesis on Slepian-Wolf probabilistic source code correlation, a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (New Mexico State University), with a specialization in control systems and a Bachelor’s of Fine Art (Boston University). Kwame is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan.

Ad-Hoc Review

• AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction
• Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) ‘58)
• Big Data & Society
• ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction 2024
• IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society
• New Media and Society Journal
• CHI’20, April 25–30, 2020
• ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO’22)

Courses Taught

• TISA 7290: Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity - Winter 2025; Graduate MBA students - This course examines blockchain, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence from a business and technologist perspective, beginning with an accessible overview of the cryptographic foundations that enable secure digital business. Students learn how these fundamentals support both blockchain’s decentralized ledgers and today’s essential cybersecurity infrastructure. Using virtual worlds and digital economies (e.g. the Metaverse) as an ongoing case study, students explore the business implications and opportunities created when these technologies converge - from AI-enhanced virtual experiences to digital asset markets. Through focused case study analysis, individual and an ongoing small-group whitepaper assignment, students develop the practical knowledge needed to ground strategic decisions about these transformative technologies.

• TISA 3630: (100+ students) - Introductory Technology, Information Systems and Analytics course, which establishes a foundation for understanding the value of information systems in organizations. Provides a management-oriented study of computer-based information systems in organizations and an overview of the manner in which information systems and technology supports business processes, managerial decision-making, and organizational strategy.

• SI 671/721: Data Mining: Methods and Applications - (98 students) Automatic, robust, and intelligent data mining techniques have become essential tools to handle heterogeneous, noisy, nontraditional, and large-scale data sets. This is a doctoral seminar course of advanced topics in data mining. The course provides an overview of recent research topics in the field of data mining, the state-of-the-art methods to analyze different genres of information, and the applications to many real world problems.

• SI 699: Big Data Analytics - (34 students) The big data analytics mastery course will require students to demonstrate mastery of data collection,processing, analysis, visualization, and prediction. To develop these skills students will work onsemester-long projects that deal with large or industry-scale data sets, and solve real-world problems.Aligned with best industry practices, students will be expected to work in a fast-paced, collaborativeenvironment, while demonstrating independence and leadership. Students must be able to create and usetools to handle very large transactional, text, network, behavioral, and/or multimedia data sets.

Service

• University of Michigan Doctoral Executive Committee (DEC) officer (2023 - 2024 Acacmdic year) - Canvas support for and help enact PhD programmatic changes benefiting UM School of Information Students through collaboration with adminstiration, faculty, and students. DEC is part of an organization, DSO, that includes all School of Information (SI) doctoral students. The mission of the DSO is to provide both academic and social support to all SI doctoral students.
• Advisory Search Committee, School of Information University of Michigan, Member - Appointed to the advisory search committee to support school search for next dean. Collaborated over multiple months, with search firm Heidrick & Struggles, School of Information faculty and staff, and contributed to committee recommendation to University Michigan Office of the Provost. Dr Andrea Forte recommended as School of Information dean.
• Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC) - Keynote for Big Data Day; Presented principles and questions for effective analysis of big data to Kalamazoo High School students. Introduced Information as a discipline, the importance of theory, and contextualized learnings with a brief introduction of Authene-Kente (Robinson et al 2021). Slides available here.
• Black at SI (B@SI) - One of several founding executive memebers. The Black@SI is an academic and social support network that serves Black students, alumni, and accomplices of the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI). Through our programming, we help ensure that underrepresented students can successfully contribute to both scientific research and the college’s learning environment, and positively impact our communities.

Contact

Feel free to reach out to Kwame and he welcomes focused collaboration across a variety of disciplines.