Mike Skirpan

Who Am I?

I am a writer, entrepreneur, digital artist, educator, and ethicist based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Currently I serve as the executive director at Community Forge and as a special faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University. For the remainder of 2019, my interactive play on the ethics of AI, data, and our future - Project Amelia - is running on Pittsburgh's South Side.

If you are interested in booking me to speak at your event or run a workshop with your organization, for the speediest response, please fill out this contact form.

My goals are to support and create a just local economy, help create an ethical future with technology, and be an active member of my community. My PhD is in computer science where I focused on the use of socio-technical narrative as a way of communicating, comprehending, teaching, and debating the ethics of new and near-future technologies. My research spans topics such as design fiction, technology ethics, classroom design, engineering ethics pedagogy, futures, and risk. I am now continuing this work through a special faculty appointment in Carnegie Mellon's Department of Philosophy focused on designing curricula and iniatives to teach ethics in computing.

As the executive director at Community Forge, I am at the heart of a team that is converting a once-abandoned elementary school into a community centered focused on education, arts, civics, and local business development. I continue to do consulting and technical work with a other ethical engineers at, Probable Models. Please explore my website, which stays (somewhat) up-to-date with my current projects and writings.

Recent Work

Project Amelia

In partnership with Bricolage Production Company, I wrote and supported the technical implementation of an immersive theatre piece about our future with technology. The piece opens you into a world where an advanced AI is about to be launched as a product by the fictional global technology monolith, Aura. You are in control of the night as controversersies arise and you are asked to take part in deciding the fate of our future with AI. Read here for a full review on what to expect. Contact me if you think your organization may be interested in coming for an educational experience with the show or to bring it to your city.

September 2019 - Present

Community Forge at the former Johnston Elementary School

We are rehabbing a 45,000 sqft elementary school into a community center. Our tenants include education non-profits, arts organizations, an extreme sports company, local mission-driven businesses owners, individuals in our co-working spaces, and more. We are converting our building and organization into a non-profit over the coming 12 months where we will be developing business incubation, technology education, and community support programs.

Summer 2017 - Present

Quantified Self: Immersive Data Experience

We produced a pilot immersive theater piece that incorporated personal data shared by the audience to customize the narrative and personalize 10 interactive installations within the set.

Spring 2016

Flow

In collaboration with Maotik, I did data engineering for the interactive, immersive installation "Flow," presented at Ars Electronica 2016.

September 2016

Collaborative Laboratories - Tennessee Land Project

I put my free time into taking care of a beauitful piece of land in Tennessee with a community of artists and engineers called CoLab.

2013 - Present

Contact Me

Feel free to get in touch with me about my work or for collaboration or whatever else.

• Inquiries related to my consulting or contracting on ML, ethical engineering, design, or art: mike [at] probablemodels [dot] com
• Inquiries related to Community Forge: mike [at] forge [dot] community
• Inquiries related to my research or work with Carnegie Mellon: mskirpan [at] cmu [dot] edu