GenAI, Communication, and Power BI: How A Diverse Skillset Generates Success in Consulting; The 2017 Equifax Breach: How Equifax and the Federal Government Failed Consumers

In my technical project, I had to construct a network of human and non-human actors utilizing actor-network theory (ANT) principles to develop the target demographics for the AI application I would design. Therefore, in order to build the most effective and impactful software for its intended user base, my research paper examines the unsuccessful network formation Equifax underwent that contributed to its 2017 breach and the breach’s aftermath. Through this analysis, I can understand how to properly recruit actors into my application’s network, interact with them, and then create strong bonds with them by avoiding the mistakes that Equifax made in their own network formation.

My technical capstone centers around my multi-faceted research into different technical systems that would serve to support the federal government, who are clients of the large, DC-based consulting firm that I worked for during a previous summer. Actions I took to help support these clients included researching the capabilities of Power BI and analyzing how it could support the consulting firm’s clients, as well as implementing a prototype of an AI model that could detect fraudulent property claims. Outcomes from this research and implementation of technologies included increased firm knowledge of technologies to assist federal clients, and the potential for the adoption of modernized systems to end the federal government’s reliance on more localized, legacy systems.

For my STS research, I used the ANT STS framework to analyze how consumers' forced participation in Equifax's credit system and a lax regulatory environment established by the federal government led to the 2017 data breach of Equifax and its aftereffects. To enhance readers' understanding of how this happened, I used Michael Callon's translation framework to detail how Equifax's actions diminished and dismissed consumers. Consumers are a key actor within the network that Equifax built, and their neglection facilitated Equifax's insufficient security practices that caused the breach.

Reflecting on both my STS research and technical project, it has become evident to me how much power engineers wield: through our technologies, we build societies, and we must do everything in our power to help build a just world. Consequently, in both my research and technical project, the tenets of ANT guided my approach. When we build a technology, we must start by assembling and recruiting identified actors who will help accomplish our sociotechnical network's goal, which embodies the foundational steps of translation. In my technical project, I ensured that I identified actors within my firm’s networks who could utilize innovative solutions and automations. Following that, in order to accomplish the interessement step of translation, I crafted educational materials to solidify their recruitment into my consulting firm’s network: whose goal is to present and implement solutions to enhance their client’s operations. As an engineer, the connection of my work to sociotechnical systems was enlightening, and improving these systems is the foundational goal of consulting. Therefore, in my future work, I will be sure to be cognizant of the complex bonds connecting clients’ networks and seek to repair those that have weakened.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Technical Advisors: Briana Morrison, Rosanne Vrugtman

STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli