Aaron Roth
@aaroth.bsky.social
Professor at Penn, Amazon Scholar at AWS. Interested in machine learning, uncertainty quantification, game theory, privacy, fairness, and most of the intersections therein
Pinned
Aaron Roth
@aaroth.bsky.social
· Sep 19
Aligning an AI with human preferences might be hard. But there is more than one AI out there, and users can choose which to use. Can we get the benefits of a fully aligned AI without solving the alignment problem? In a new paper we study a setting in which the answer is yes.
Reposted by Aaron Roth
The NSF has played a key role in American science, and risks being collateral damage in the war against science.
#econsky #academicsky #NSF #science
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/01/hist...
#econsky #academicsky #NSF #science
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/01/hist...
History of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
marketdesigner.blogspot.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:55 PM
The NSF has played a key role in American science, and risks being collateral damage in the war against science.
#econsky #academicsky #NSF #science
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/01/hist...
#econsky #academicsky #NSF #science
marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/01/hist...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
The paper is here: arxiv.org/abs/2601.05245 Its joint work with @ncollina.bsky.social, Jiuyao Lu, and George Noarov. Natalie and George are on the job market --- check them out. www.seas.upenn.edu/~ncollina/ noarov.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM
The paper is here: arxiv.org/abs/2601.05245 Its joint work with @ncollina.bsky.social, Jiuyao Lu, and George Noarov. Natalie and George are on the job market --- check them out. www.seas.upenn.edu/~ncollina/ noarov.com
Excited about a new paper! Multicalibration turns out to be strictly harder than marginal calibration. We prove tight Omega(T^{2/3}) lower bounds for online multicalibration, separating it from online marginal calibration for which better rates were recently discovered.
January 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Excited about a new paper! Multicalibration turns out to be strictly harder than marginal calibration. We prove tight Omega(T^{2/3}) lower bounds for online multicalibration, separating it from online marginal calibration for which better rates were recently discovered.
Yes. We already have a set of ingrained red flags for human written papers that signal a lack of care: not citing the relevant literature, not formatting or typesetting math correctly, etc. These don't mean the paper is wrong but they strongly correlate with lack of care. But...
I'd like to propose the following norm for peer review of papers. If a paper shows clear signs of LLM-generated errors that were not detected by the author, the paper should be immediately rejected. My reasoning: 1/ #ResearchIntegrity
December 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Yes. We already have a set of ingrained red flags for human written papers that signal a lack of care: not citing the relevant literature, not formatting or typesetting math correctly, etc. These don't mean the paper is wrong but they strongly correlate with lack of care. But...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Getting absurd over at the ACM…
Some may remember this ACM guidance on inclusive terminology. E.g., as advocated by an anon ICLR reviewer, it recommends against the technical term Byzantine.
It was recently updated, and suggests avoiding "binary classification" and "stable marriage" (incorrectly defined)
It was recently updated, and suggests avoiding "binary classification" and "stable marriage" (incorrectly defined)
December 29, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Getting absurd over at the ACM…
2025 was an eventful/disruptive year for computer science research, for two reasons: 1) a shock to federal funding, and 2) the arrival of AI models capable enough to assist mathematical research. 1) is unambiguously bad and 2) is probably mostly good. I'll write about AI first.
December 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
2025 was an eventful/disruptive year for computer science research, for two reasons: 1) a shock to federal funding, and 2) the arrival of AI models capable enough to assist mathematical research. 1) is unambiguously bad and 2) is probably mostly good. I'll write about AI first.
Reposted by Aaron Roth
📢 Our last TCS+ talk of the season will be Wed, Dec 3 (10am PT, 1pm ET, 19:00 CET): Natalie Collina (@ncollina.bsky.social), from UPenn, will tell us about "Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games"!
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
TCS+ RSVP: Natalie Collina (2025/12/03)
Title: Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games
forms.gle
November 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
📢 Our last TCS+ talk of the season will be Wed, Dec 3 (10am PT, 1pm ET, 19:00 CET): Natalie Collina (@ncollina.bsky.social), from UPenn, will tell us about "Swap regret and correlated equilibria beyond normal-form games"!
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
RSVP to receive the link (one day before the talk): forms.gle/utLgSxLpqvpx...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
I am recruiting PhD students at NYU Courant to conduct research in learning theory, algorithmic statistics, and trustworthy machine learning, starting Fall 2026. Please share widely! Deadline to apply is December 12, 2025.
November 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I am recruiting PhD students at NYU Courant to conduct research in learning theory, algorithmic statistics, and trustworthy machine learning, starting Fall 2026. Please share widely! Deadline to apply is December 12, 2025.
Did your fairness/privacy/CS&Law/etc paper just get rejected from ITCS? Oh FORC! Submit tomorrow and join us at Harvard this summer.
Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC) is a super exciting new conference focused on the intersection of mathematical research and society. It's also a fantastic and vibrant community.
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
📢 In case you missed it: the first-cycle deadline for FORC 2026 is *tomorrow*, November 11. Submit your best work on mathematical research in computation and society, writ large.
Too soon? We'll also have a second-cycle deadline on February 17, 2026.
CfP: responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
Too soon? We'll also have a second-cycle deadline on February 17, 2026.
CfP: responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
November 10, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Did your fairness/privacy/CS&Law/etc paper just get rejected from ITCS? Oh FORC! Submit tomorrow and join us at Harvard this summer.
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC) is a super exciting new conference focused on the intersection of mathematical research and society. It's also a fantastic and vibrant community.
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
📢 In case you missed it: the first-cycle deadline for FORC 2026 is *tomorrow*, November 11. Submit your best work on mathematical research in computation and society, writ large.
Too soon? We'll also have a second-cycle deadline on February 17, 2026.
CfP: responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
Too soon? We'll also have a second-cycle deadline on February 17, 2026.
CfP: responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
November 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC) is a super exciting new conference focused on the intersection of mathematical research and society. It's also a fantastic and vibrant community.
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
Check out the CfP, with two deadlines. Also follow the new BSky account @forcconf.bsky.social !
The first of two @forcconf.bsky.social 2026 deadlines is tomorrow, Nov 11! I hope everyone is putting finishing polishes on their submissions. For everyone else who doesn't want to miss out on the fun at Harvard this summer, there is another deadline in Feb. responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
FORC 2026: Call for Papers
The 7th annual Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC) will be held on June 3-5, 2026 at Harvard University. Brief summary for those who are familiar with past editions (prior to 2…
responsiblecomputing.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The first of two @forcconf.bsky.social 2026 deadlines is tomorrow, Nov 11! I hope everyone is putting finishing polishes on their submissions. For everyone else who doesn't want to miss out on the fun at Harvard this summer, there is another deadline in Feb. responsiblecomputing.org/forc-2026-ca...
If you work at the intersection of CS and economics (or think your work is of interest to those who do!) consider submitting to the ESIF Economics and AI+ML meeting this summer at Cornell: www.econometricsociety.org/regional-act...
2026 ESIF Economics and AI+ML Meeting - The Econometric Society
2026 ESIF Economics and AI+ML Meeting (ESIF-AIML2026) June 16-17, 2026 Cornell University Department...
www.econometricsociety.org
November 8, 2025 at 10:37 PM
If you work at the intersection of CS and economics (or think your work is of interest to those who do!) consider submitting to the ESIF Economics and AI+ML meeting this summer at Cornell: www.econometricsociety.org/regional-act...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
A few weeks ago everyone was super hype about Nano Banana. Meanwhile, I ask it to do super basic things and it fails. What am I doing wrong??
(why would I want a collage of these amazing researchers? Stay tuned CC @let-all.com 👀)
More fails in the transcript: gemini.google.com/share/5cc80f...
(why would I want a collage of these amazing researchers? Stay tuned CC @let-all.com 👀)
More fails in the transcript: gemini.google.com/share/5cc80f...
November 7, 2025 at 3:52 PM
A few weeks ago everyone was super hype about Nano Banana. Meanwhile, I ask it to do super basic things and it fails. What am I doing wrong??
(why would I want a collage of these amazing researchers? Stay tuned CC @let-all.com 👀)
More fails in the transcript: gemini.google.com/share/5cc80f...
(why would I want a collage of these amazing researchers? Stay tuned CC @let-all.com 👀)
More fails in the transcript: gemini.google.com/share/5cc80f...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Announcing the 7th Learning Theory Alliance mentoring workshop on November 20. Fully free & virtual!
Theme: Harnessing AI for Research, Learning, and Communicating
Ft @aaroth.bsky.social @andrejristeski.bsky.social @profericwong.bsky.social @ktalwar.bsky.social &more
Theme: Harnessing AI for Research, Learning, and Communicating
Ft @aaroth.bsky.social @andrejristeski.bsky.social @profericwong.bsky.social @ktalwar.bsky.social &more
November 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Announcing the 7th Learning Theory Alliance mentoring workshop on November 20. Fully free & virtual!
Theme: Harnessing AI for Research, Learning, and Communicating
Ft @aaroth.bsky.social @andrejristeski.bsky.social @profericwong.bsky.social @ktalwar.bsky.social &more
Theme: Harnessing AI for Research, Learning, and Communicating
Ft @aaroth.bsky.social @andrejristeski.bsky.social @profericwong.bsky.social @ktalwar.bsky.social &more
I've been enjoying learning about linear regression. This is a really cool machine learning technique with some really elegant theory --- someone should have taught me about this earlier!
November 4, 2025 at 11:33 PM
I've been enjoying learning about linear regression. This is a really cool machine learning technique with some really elegant theory --- someone should have taught me about this earlier!
How should you use forecasts f:X->R^d to make decisions? It depends what properties they have. If they are fully calibrated (E[y | f(x) = p] = p), then you should be maximally aggressive and act as if they are correct --- i.e. play argmax_a E_{o ~ f(x)}[u(a,o)]. On the other hand
October 30, 2025 at 7:02 PM
How should you use forecasts f:X->R^d to make decisions? It depends what properties they have. If they are fully calibrated (E[y | f(x) = p] = p), then you should be maximally aggressive and act as if they are correct --- i.e. play argmax_a E_{o ~ f(x)}[u(a,o)]. On the other hand
If you are around Berkeley today stop by Evans 1011 for a talk: events.berkeley.edu/stat/event/3...
Neyman Seminar - Aaron Roth - Agreement and Alignment for Human-AI Collaboration
Speaker: Aaron Roth (UPenn) Title: Agreement and Alignment for Human-AI Collaboration Abstract: As AI models become increasingly ...
events.berkeley.edu
October 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM
If you are around Berkeley today stop by Evans 1011 for a talk: events.berkeley.edu/stat/event/3...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Congrats to @epsilonrational.bsky.social @ncollina.bsky.social @aaroth.bsky.social on being featured in quanta!
(Also do check out the paper, also involving Sampath Kannan and me that the piece is based on here: arxiv.org/abs/2409.03956)
(Also do check out the paper, also involving Sampath Kannan and me that the piece is based on here: arxiv.org/abs/2409.03956)
October 22, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Congrats to @epsilonrational.bsky.social @ncollina.bsky.social @aaroth.bsky.social on being featured in quanta!
(Also do check out the paper, also involving Sampath Kannan and me that the piece is based on here: arxiv.org/abs/2409.03956)
(Also do check out the paper, also involving Sampath Kannan and me that the piece is based on here: arxiv.org/abs/2409.03956)
Reposted by Aaron Roth
And now might be a good time to mention, I’m on the faculty job market this year! I do work in human-AI collusion, collaboration and competition, with an eye towards building foundations for trustworthy AI. Check out more info on my website here! Nataliecollina.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
And now might be a good time to mention, I’m on the faculty job market this year! I do work in human-AI collusion, collaboration and competition, with an eye towards building foundations for trustworthy AI. Check out more info on my website here! Nataliecollina.com
(And Natalie is on the job market..)
Our paper on algorithmic collusion was featured in a Quanta article! www.quantamagazine.org/the-game-the...
The Game Theory of How Algorithms Can Drive Up Prices | Quanta Magazine
Recent findings reveal that even simple pricing algorithms can make things more expensive.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
(And Natalie is on the job market..)
If you are at Johns Hopkins tomorrow stop by --- also on Zoom: hub.jhu.edu/events/2025/...
CS Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series: Agreement and Alignment for Human-AI Collaboration
Aaron Roth, a professor of computer and cognitive science in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania, will give a talk titled "Agreement and Alignment for ...
hub.jhu.edu
October 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
If you are at Johns Hopkins tomorrow stop by --- also on Zoom: hub.jhu.edu/events/2025/...
An interesting debate between Emily Bender and Sebastien Bubeck: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtIQ... ---Emily's thesis is roughly summarized as: "LLMs extrude plausible sounding text, and the illusion of understanding comes entirely from how the listener's human mind interprets language. "
CHM Live | The Great Chatbot Debate: Do LLMs Really Understand?
YouTube video by Computer History Museum
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:33 PM
An interesting debate between Emily Bender and Sebastien Bubeck: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtIQ... ---Emily's thesis is roughly summarized as: "LLMs extrude plausible sounding text, and the illusion of understanding comes entirely from how the listener's human mind interprets language. "
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Announcing (w @adamsmith.xyz @thejonullman.bsky.social) the 2025 edition of the Foundations of Responsible Computing Job Market Profiles!
Check out 40 job market candidates in mathematical research in computation and society writ large!
Link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zvsr...
Check out 40 job market candidates in mathematical research in computation and society writ large!
Link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zvsr...
October 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Announcing (w @adamsmith.xyz @thejonullman.bsky.social) the 2025 edition of the Foundations of Responsible Computing Job Market Profiles!
Check out 40 job market candidates in mathematical research in computation and society writ large!
Link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zvsr...
Check out 40 job market candidates in mathematical research in computation and society writ large!
Link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zvsr...
Reposted by Aaron Roth
Join us on October 23 for our next Gerald M. Masson Distinguished Lecture, featuring @upenn.edu’s @aaroth.bsky.social! Learn more here: www.cs.jhu.edu/event/gerald...
October 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Join us on October 23 for our next Gerald M. Masson Distinguished Lecture, featuring @upenn.edu’s @aaroth.bsky.social! Learn more here: www.cs.jhu.edu/event/gerald...