Digital Ethics

scientific article published in November 1983

The fossil fuel industry is obsessed with AI. Chatbots and other ...

The wet dreams of our overlords

People across the country are pushing for moratoriums, and electeds who approve projects are being punished

Journalists using LLMs should know about the implications for their First Amendment protections.

archived 13 May 2026 18:47:27 UTC

Emily M. Bender and Nanna Inie In our op-ed for Tech Policy Press ("We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI'"), we made the case against the...

Across Europe and beyond, higher education is being reshaped by the converging pressures of financial austerity, political interference, and AI driven managerial systems. These forces increasingly influence how uni- versities function from governance structures and research agendas to staffing practices and everyday academic life. As institutional stability erodes, academics and staff face the challenge of upholding their core missions within environments marked by uncertainty and change. This pocket guide addresses a critical paradox: while scholarly work on threats to academic freedom is rapidly expanding, individual academics often lack practical, accessible support when confronting these pressures firsthand. The guide offers a grounded framework for recognizing early warning signs, understand- ing their structural roots, and identifying proportion- ate responses. It draws on 15 years of analysis of institutional flashpoints in which academic freedom and autonomy were undermined, revealing recurring patterns in how small procedural shifts or informal pressures can accumulate into deeper institutional transformation. Rather than assuming bad faith or prescribing rigid solutions, the guide equips readers to sharpen their perception, maintain awareness of available resources, and strengthen their capacity to act. It emphasizes that academic freedom anchored in international human rights frameworks requires not only institutional pro- tection but also individual attentiveness and prepar- edness. Knowing whom to contact and whether some- one will listen can be decisive when operating under strain. Designed as a flexible service guide, it addresses diverse institutional roles and political contexts, including faculty, early-career researchers, administrative staff, academic leaders, and advocates. Readers may consult sections as needed. Complementing the guide, the authors offer a two-hour online introduction and an eight-module Academic Resilience Training program that focus on legal, digital, mental-health, practical, and research-related challenges in hostile environments. Together, these resources help build sustainable resilience across the academic community.

A phenomenon I've noticed recently is people trying to occupy some untenable middleground wrt to the use of systems sold as "AI" -- this is a position where people try to recognize the harms of this tech but also hold space for "responsible" or "ethical" use. 🧵

A blog by Anuj Ahooja

Tech sector says only carbon-emitting gas plants are reliable enough today to power the EU’s AI goals.

Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.

More than 200 of the world's elites registered for a retreat whose agenda runs from panels on cult-building and sex to prepping for World War III. An associated app offers matchmaking.

What if Bain had been born at Atari computer camp instead of in darkness

The Algorithmic Justice League is gathering these stories to help bolster the case. Our stories together can make a difference, we can fight back against coerced consent.

On the Right to Obscurity

Homeland Security is making “smart glasses” to collect intelligence on Americans

The US government has issued an export control directive to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States.

Even as they create and enable expansive virtual worlds, data centers are physical buildings in real communities around the nation and the globe.

In 1999, a farmer gave away 87 acres of land to a small Texas city to use as a park. The city sold to a data center developer for $10 million.

Artificial Intelligence is not only responsible for worrying amounts of earth-warming greenhouse gases: the technology's environmental footprint is also expanding at a pace that could strain the planet’s natural resources.

Looks closely and you’ll see that everything is equally off.

Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.

As East Bay communities raise concerns about civil liberties and immigration enforcement, the license plate camera company is seeking support from its customers — law enforcement officers.

The Card Players by Maria Helena Viera da Silva (1948)

We Have A Transparency Problem When It Comes To Data Center Construction

From South Africa’s historic policy withdrawal to $1.2 million Deloitte reports in Canada, AI hallucinations are infiltrating official documents. Inside the global crisis of institutional trust.

International academics, victims, social media companies and industry bosses have come together to discuss how to tackle tech-enabled abuse.

An article from the Tuesday, April 9, 1985 issue of The Tech - MIT's oldest and largest newspaper and the first newspaper published on the Internet.