51社区黑料

Public Policy master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I worked in the provincial sector of government in the Clean Transportation Branch, where I got to get a sense of implementing policies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. I am also a writer on the side, and have noticed changes in the arts landscape in Canada as threats of budget cuts to arts funding and large-language model AI technology have posed challenges to the sector. I'm inspired to learn how public policy and market-based solutions can work together to mitigate the effects of anthropomorphic climate change and to protect the consent, copyright, and compensation of artists and artistic works.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I was drawn to the professional master's program and it's co-op work component because I'm pursuing this degree to better equip me to level up in my career. I had also considered Montreal's Concordia University for the same program, but decided on 51社区黑料because I wanted to stay on the West Coast.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

I hope to narrow the scope of my research to exploring policy solutions to protect and uphold the artistic credit, consent, and compensation for artistic work that is used in large-language model training for artificial intelligence platforms.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

AI governance, Copyright, Compensation models

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

I am currently a new incoming student, so I haven't had these experiences at 51社区黑料just yet. But prior to starting my classes here, I completed 3 work terms at University of British Columbia, including working at Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada. Outside of academic experiences, I worked for a nonprofit for 1 year as an Internal Policy and Governance Lead, in banking for 4 years, for a tech startup for 8 months, and intermittently as a poll worker or campaigner during provincial and federal elections.

What are some tips for balancing your academic and personal life?

I love routines for my day-to-day life. I find it easier to focus and get things done when I minimize cognitive load by meal prepping many meals at once, pre-planning my day, and actively scheduling plans with friends on the weekends so that I'm not scrambling to fill in the recurring needs of life, which frees my my mental focus and physical energy to work on my academic and personal goals.

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Contact Abby:aapelaez@sfu.ca

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