Digital Ethics

AI can be kind of useful, but I'm not sure that a "kind of useful" tool justifies the harm.

Exciting News from #FAccT2024! Our latest research paper explores "AI" anthropomorphism and its impact on user trust. Do terms like "intelligent" enhance trust…

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a key gas for electrification and data centers. It remains potent for 3,200 years, in comparison to 100 years for CO2. It has a…

[Identities of people quoted in this piece have been changed. Sources are linked at the bottom.

Only 5 weeks ago I warned Facial Recognition Technology bias in the Foodstuffs trial was technically likely and not a matter of if, but when and that Māori women would likely be discriminated against. That same week Māori Television first reported "Māori women and women of colour will be targeted’ i

We are potentially encroaching on a water supply crisis if data center operators, utilities, and the government don't implement preventative measures now.

Nine of the top ten US electric utilities attribute growth in demand to data centers

As deepfake nude scandals hit schools around the U.S., tools that can be used to manipulate girls’ images are being advertised across major social media platforms.

The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour

Microsoft Copilot is a powerful asset for companies, but with it comes an increased risk of data exposure. In this article, Varonis demonstrates prompt-hacking examples that can expose sensitive data.

Once praised for its generous social safety net, the country now collects troves of data on welfare claimants.

A new study shows systemic issues in some of the most popular models.

A new result casts serious doubt on the viability of scaling

Mining for clean energy minerals could put one-third of Africa’s ape population at risk.

Some amount of chatbot hallucination is inevitable. But there are ways to minimize it

The urgent issue of digital waste as outlined in a UN report

Stanford study found AI detectors are biased against non-native English speakers

🚨EXCELLENT AI PAPER ALERT: "Theory Is All You Need: AI, Human Cognition, and Decision Making" by Teppo Felin & Matthias Holweg is all you need to read about…

OpenAI’s chatbot offers paraphrases, whereas Google offers quotes. Which do we prefer?

Addressing ethical and security concerns in AI usage, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and responsible governance frameworks.

A Brooklyn couple got a call from relatives who were being held ransom. Their voices—like many others these days—had been cloned.

Search giant back in talks about building in Bissen

Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian mining company, is facing legal claims that it contaminated lakes with harmful levels of uranium and lead.

E-waste is soaring five times faster than recycling capabilities worldwide. Despite 2022's record 62m tonnes of e-waste, only 22.3% was officially recycled. For a sustainable future, recycling and reuse rates have to be improved.

Now that data is mostly out there, in the cloud, it seems easy to imagine that it’s “clean.” Time to think again.

Legal scholars, lawmakers and at least one Supreme Court justice agree that companies will be liable for the things their AIs say and do—and that the lawsuits are just beginning.

The Microsoft-powered bot says bosses can take workers’ tips and that landlords can discriminate based on source of income

In 2019, the Public Policy Programme, in collaboration with the UK’s Office for Artificial Intelligence and the Government Digital Service, published the UK Government’s official Public Sector Guidance on AI Ethics and Safety. This document provides public sector organisations with the Process-Based-Governance (PBG) Framework, a framework for applying principles of AI ethics and safety to the design, development, and deployment of algorithmic systems.

On July 24, 2020, Tesla’s Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that a second U.S. “government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people.” Someone responded to Musk soon after, “You know what wasn’t in the best interest of people? The U.S. government organizing a coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia so you could obtain the lithium there.” Musk then wrote: “We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it.”

‘We won’t have electric cars,’ say local communities in South America ravaged by lithium mining for car batteries.

National Grid says "foundational technologies" like AI and quantum computing are driving power demand.

Portugal's data regulator has ordered Sam Altman's iris-scanning project Worldcoin to stop collecting biometric data for 90 days, it said on Tuesday, in the latest regulatory blow to a venture that has raised privacy concerns in multiple countries.

In a Q&A, MIT PhD student and recent Design Fellow Jonathan Zong discusses a new proposed framework to map how individuals can say “no” to technology misuses.

Ambient clinical documentation was the talk of the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Florida, this year.

The computing centers use vast amounts of power and water. That’s led to a battle over a bill meant to lure the lucrative operations into Colorado.

The ChatGPT phrase “As of my last knowledge update” appears in several papers published by academic journals.

Updates for old friends, and for new followers some links back to where we've been

New report on AI regulation in Africa! It’s the first I've seen and it's excellent. Some highlights and reflections. ➤ The report, by the Tech Hive Advisory,… | 40 comments on LinkedIn

The AI Industry’s Creation Myth

The discrepancies between the companies’ public promises — and their execution — raises questions about their commitment to providing accurate information during this high-stakes election year.

For years I’ve been interviewing data annotation workers who are the lifeblood of the AI industry. For years I’ve heard the same story: the platforms they work… | 13 comments on LinkedIn

“Nordic states are letting go of values and infrastructure resources that are dear to the welfare state", writes Julia Velkova, adding: "Rather than bending to Big Tech values and modes of operation, we should have them bend to comply with our Nordic, public values, if they are to operate in the region".

Firms like OpenAI and Meta use strict protocols to keep bad actors from abusing AI systems. But researchers argue these rules are chilling independent evaluations.

Impelled by the intertwined expansion of capitalist institutions and fossil-fueled industry, human activity has made devastating impacts on ecosystems and earth...