Scott Robert Patterson

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at McGill University. My research focuses on developing methods for using AI to analyze political language, particularly in diplomatic contexts, while also engaging with the broader societal impacts of AI. I have seven years of experience working with AI research methods, including natural language processing and large language models. scott{dot}patterson@mail{dot}mcgill{dot}ca

Research on Language Models

My dissertation examines how language models can be used to analyze diplomatic discourse, with a particular focus on the UN General Assembly. Diplomatic language presents unique challenges for computational analysis due to its deliberate ambiguity and meaningful omissions. My work demonstrates new approaches for using AI to parse these subtle communication patterns while maintaining dialogue with traditional qualitative methods.

Publications

Current Projects

Social and Political Issues of Artificial Intelligence

I actively engage with AI policy and governance through both research and practical involvement. As the graduate student representative to McGill's AI Working Group, I contributed to developing institutional policies for generative AI in education. I have also designed and taught several workshops on AI methods at universities in Canada and Germany, working to make complex AI concepts accessible to diverse academic audiences.

My research examines how transformer-based language models are affecting machine translation in international organizations, particularly the UN system. I recently contributed to a publication in Études internationales discussing key elements of global AI governance.

Recent Activities