Harnessing the power of data and AI methods to tackle complex societal challenges requires transdisciplinary collaborations across academia, industry, and government. In this compelling book, Munther A. Dahleh, founder of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), offers a blueprint for researchers, professionals, and institutions to create approaches to problems of high societal value using innovative, holistic, data-driven methods. Drawing on his experience at IDSS and knowledge of similar initiatives elsewhere, Dahleh describes in clear, non-technical language how statistics, data science, information and decision systems, and social and institutional behavior intersect across multiple domains. He illustrates key concepts with real-life examples from optimizing transportation to making healthcare decisions during pandemics to understanding the media's impact on elections and revolutions. Dahleh also incorporates crucial concepts such as robustness, causality, privacy, and ethics and shares key lessons learned about transdisciplinary communication and about unintended consequences of AI and algorithmic systems.

‘I'm often asked by students what they should be studying in the modern era, and my standard response for some years has been ‘control theory, economics, and statistics.’ Munther Dahleh has been a living embodiment of this blend for as long as I have known him, in this book one accompanies Munther on his very fine adventure in bringing an entire institution into the fold. I hope and expect that many people will read this book, including future historians.’

Michael I. Jordan - University of California, Berkeley

‘Munther Dahleh’s breadth of knowledge is showcased in this discussion that ranges from the history of AI to the building of the world’s preeminent institute of data science. Munther provides fascinating insights on the challenges, promise, and successes of using data to improve societies, and delivers a must-read for everyone from budding data scientists to policy makers and institution builders.’

Matthew O. Jackson - Stanford University