Metrics Makerspace
A recap of the November 6–7, 2025 event at the University of Pittsburgh, part of the ACM EAAMO Conference
About the Event
The Metrics Makerspace was a two-day interactive workshop held on November 6–7, 2025 at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the 2025 ACM EAAMO Conference. The workshop explored how values are translated into metrics across key areas like AI procurement, social indicators, and responsible research.
Together, participants identified shared principles, surfaced tensions, and sparked collaborations — with the goal of co-authoring papers or white papers based on the findings.
What We Learned
Perspective Shapes Measurement
The choice of metrics depends heavily on who is doing the choosing. What counts as a "good" metric is rarely neutral.
Principles vs. Practice
Each group surfaced a tension between high-level principles and the practical difficulty of operationalizing them.
Accountability as Process
All three domains pointed toward accountability as a process rather than a checkbox — requiring sustained engagement.
Breakout Groups
Responsible Research in Academia
How do institutions define and demonstrate responsible research? Examining whether principles like integrity and accountability are being meaningfully measured.
Read more →Measuring Social Indicators
What challenges arise in choosing metrics to assess the well-being of a population? Exploring the gap between measurement and lived experience.
Read more →Public Sector AI Procurement
When a city procures an AI system, what principles should govern the process? Examining metrics and evidence for accountable procurement.
Read more →What's Next
The Metrics Makerspace is now moving into a working-group phase. Participants are organizing into groups to develop ideas further, produce papers, and write reports based on the themes that emerged during the event.
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