In 2018, Joan Donovan started working at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center, under the John F. Kennedy School of Government, leading the Technological and Social Change Research Program and overseeing studies on media manipulation campaigns. However, Donovan claims Harvard informed her last year that the program would be terminated.
Donovan's revelations, shared with Harvard University leadership and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona last month and released publicly on Monday, point to a 500-million-dollar donation by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to fund a new campus-wide center. Per Donovan, the CZI's spending began limiting its artificial intelligence research funding after the investment.
News outlet The Washington Post initially reported on the details, with CNN requesting comment from both Harvard and Meta. In response to The Washington Post, Harvard dismissed Donovan's fundamental allegations.
At Whistleblower Aid, CEO Libby Liu stated, "This is a shocking betrayal of Harvard's academic integrity and the public interest." Liu noted how powerful entities such as Big Tobacco, Big Energy, and Big Pharma have manipulated, undercut, and co-opted research in the past, protecting their lies, profits, and escape from accountability. She added that a powerful ally like Meta ended up following the same strategy, undermining enterprise research and academic freedom to favor the public.
Developing story – to be updated.
Despite the controversy surrounding her dismissal, Joan Donovan remains a prominent figure in the tech and business sectors. Her accusations of corporate influence in academia brought wider discussions to light.
Regarding its funding, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative primarily supports scientific research, particularly in the fields of neuroscience and biology, through grants and initiatives.
- Neuroscience Research: The CZI recently awarded a $500,000 grant to the Institute for Protein Innovation (IPI) for developing breakthrough protein-based research tools for neuroscience. These advances will include the creation of antibody panels targeting neurexins and neuroligins and the generation of antibody panels for glial cell surface proteins.
- Biology and AI: The CZI also launched the Billion Cells Project – an initiative aiming to create the largest-ever single-cell dataset to boost AI model development in biology. This project will uncover cellular behavior and gene function.
These initiatives indicate the CZI's focus on supporting scientific research, particularly in biology and neuroscience, rather than the sectors Donovan's allegations concern, such as social media or academic politics.
