Oliver Smith, Forbes; A Huge Global Study On Driverless Car Ethics Found The Elderly Are Expendable
"Over the last year, 4 million people took part by answering ethical questions in Moral Machine's many scenarios – which include different combinations of genders, ages, and even other species like cats and dogs, crossing the road.
On Sunday, the day before the first pedestrian fatality by an autonomous car in America, MIT's Professor Iyad Rahwan revealed the first results of the Moral Machine study at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai."
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Feds: Pitt professor agrees to pay government more than $130K to resolve claims of research grant misdeeds; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 21, 2018
Sean D. Hamill and Jonathan D. Silver, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Feds: Pitt professor agrees to pay government more than $130K to resolve claims of research grant misdeeds
"A star researcher at the University of Pittsburgh has agreed to pay the U.S. government more than $130,000 to resolve allegations that he submitted false documents to the National Science Foundation to get more than $2.3 million in federal research grants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh announced Wednesday.
"A star researcher at the University of Pittsburgh has agreed to pay the U.S. government more than $130,000 to resolve allegations that he submitted false documents to the National Science Foundation to get more than $2.3 million in federal research grants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh announced Wednesday.
As part of the settlement, psychology professor Christian D. Schunn, 48, will not be allowed to apply for or be involved with any federal grants through Oct. 15, 2019, according to a press release. He will have to withdraw from any applications pending for federal funding, the government said."
It’s Time to Regulate the Internet; The Atlantic, March 21, 2018
Franklin Foer, The Atlantic; It’s Time to Regulate the Internet
"If we step back, we can see it clearly: Facebook’s business model is the evisceration of privacy. That is, it aims to adduce its users into sharing personal information—what the company has called “radical transparency”—and then aims to surveil users to generate the insights that will keep them “engaged” on its site and to precisely target them with ads. Although Mark Zuckerberg will nod in the direction of privacy, he has been candid about his true feelings. In 2010 he said, for instance, that privacy is no longer a “social norm.” (Once upon a time, in a fit of juvenile triumphalism, he even called people “dumb fucks” for trusting him with their data.) And executives in the company seem to understand the consequence of their apparatus. When I recently sat on a panel with a representative of Facebook, he admitted that he hadn’t used the site for years because he was concerned with protecting himself against invasive forces.
We need to constantly recall this ideological indifference to privacy, because there should be nothing shocking about the carelessness revealed in the Cambridge Analytica episode...
Facebook turned data—which amounts to an X-ray of the inner self—into a commodity traded without our knowledge."
"If we step back, we can see it clearly: Facebook’s business model is the evisceration of privacy. That is, it aims to adduce its users into sharing personal information—what the company has called “radical transparency”—and then aims to surveil users to generate the insights that will keep them “engaged” on its site and to precisely target them with ads. Although Mark Zuckerberg will nod in the direction of privacy, he has been candid about his true feelings. In 2010 he said, for instance, that privacy is no longer a “social norm.” (Once upon a time, in a fit of juvenile triumphalism, he even called people “dumb fucks” for trusting him with their data.) And executives in the company seem to understand the consequence of their apparatus. When I recently sat on a panel with a representative of Facebook, he admitted that he hadn’t used the site for years because he was concerned with protecting himself against invasive forces.
We need to constantly recall this ideological indifference to privacy, because there should be nothing shocking about the carelessness revealed in the Cambridge Analytica episode...
Facebook turned data—which amounts to an X-ray of the inner self—into a commodity traded without our knowledge."
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Ben Carson Defends Buying $31,000 Dining Set to Congress: ‘I Left It to My Wife’; New York Times, March 20, 2018
Glenn Thrush, New York Times; Ben Carson Defends Buying $31,000 Dining Set to Congress: ‘I Left It to My Wife’
[Kip Currier: HUD Secretary Ben Carson's statement in the excerpt below is the money quote take-away from this article.
Ethics is not only about the substantive impacts of actions but also about how those actions look to other people: The messages--both spoken and unspoken--that our actions communicate about our own values.
A phrase often heard regarding ethical issues is "air of impropriety", meaning that an action has a sense of not seeming "right", of not being "above board", of not looking good. Even if an action may technically be legal or ethical.
Good ethical decision-making includes consideration of our own internal compasses and the external signals that our actions send to other people. Not just in the current buzzphrase sense of "the optics" of something, but what we are communicating about our priorities and values.
Ethical leadership--especially public service--is concerned with promoting trust in the integrity of our leaders, our institutions, our democratic values and ideals. Being mindful about how something looks--the example we set for others--is an integral component of ethical leadership. That's worth thinking about.]
[Kip Currier: HUD Secretary Ben Carson's statement in the excerpt below is the money quote take-away from this article.
Ethics is not only about the substantive impacts of actions but also about how those actions look to other people: The messages--both spoken and unspoken--that our actions communicate about our own values.
A phrase often heard regarding ethical issues is "air of impropriety", meaning that an action has a sense of not seeming "right", of not being "above board", of not looking good. Even if an action may technically be legal or ethical.
Good ethical decision-making includes consideration of our own internal compasses and the external signals that our actions send to other people. Not just in the current buzzphrase sense of "the optics" of something, but what we are communicating about our priorities and values.
Ethical leadership--especially public service--is concerned with promoting trust in the integrity of our leaders, our institutions, our democratic values and ideals. Being mindful about how something looks--the example we set for others--is an integral component of ethical leadership. That's worth thinking about.]
"On Tuesday, Mr. Carson defended that decision, saying that his son had not profited from his father’s government post.
“HUD’s ethics counsel suggested it might look funny, but I’m not a person who spends a lot of time thinking about how something looks,” Mr. Carson said."
Monday, March 19, 2018
Who stole 314 items from the Carnegie Library rare books room?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 19, 2018
Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Who stole 314 items from the Carnegie Library rare books room?
[Kip Currier: A very troubling story that will serve as a springboard for my 3/20/18 lecture/discussion of public relations crisis management in my Managing and Leading Information Services course. A few weeks ago, I gave a lecture I've been doing the past 10 years+ on "Managing Legal Issues in Libraries and Information Centers" that includes a geographically diverse "Rogues' Gallery" (props to DC Comics' The Flash comic book for the memorable appellation!) of persons identified over the past decade, who have been alleged to have committed library-related infractions and have been convicted of library-related crimes. The individual (or individuals) who perpetrated this brazen theft of rare books from the venerable Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Main Library and breach of public trust can be added to the Rogues' Gallery if/when apprehended and adjudicated.]
"Mr. Vinson believes that the thief may have been a library employee or employees because only a handful of people knew the security procedures.
[Kip Currier: A very troubling story that will serve as a springboard for my 3/20/18 lecture/discussion of public relations crisis management in my Managing and Leading Information Services course. A few weeks ago, I gave a lecture I've been doing the past 10 years+ on "Managing Legal Issues in Libraries and Information Centers" that includes a geographically diverse "Rogues' Gallery" (props to DC Comics' The Flash comic book for the memorable appellation!) of persons identified over the past decade, who have been alleged to have committed library-related infractions and have been convicted of library-related crimes. The individual (or individuals) who perpetrated this brazen theft of rare books from the venerable Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Main Library and breach of public trust can be added to the Rogues' Gallery if/when apprehended and adjudicated.]
"Mr. Vinson believes that the thief may have been a library employee or employees because only a handful of people knew the security procedures.
“The books were immensely valuable. But they were also across a wide variety of fields,” he said.” Only a few people have that knowledge — a general antiquarian bookseller, a librarian or a curator would know the value. It has inside written all over it.”"
Where's Zuck? Facebook CEO silent as data harvesting scandal unfolds; Guardian, March 19, 2018
Julia Carrie Wong, Guardian; Where's Zuck? Facebook CEO silent as data harvesting scandal unfolds
Regarding Facebook's handling of the revelations to date:
"The chief executive of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has remained silent over the more than 48 hours since the Observer revealed the harvesting of 50 million users’ personal data, even as his company is buffeted by mounting calls for investigation and regulation, falling stock prices, and a social media campaign to #DeleteFacebook...
Also on Monday, the New York Times reported that Facebook’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, would be leaving the company following disagreements with other executives over the handling of the investigation into the Russian influence operation...
Stamos is one of a small handful of Facebook executives who addressed the data harvesting scandal on Twitter over the weekend while Zuckerberg and Facebook’s chief operating officer, Shery Sandberg, said nothing."
[Kip Currier:
Scott Galloway, clinical professor of
marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, made some strong
statements about the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal on
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle show yesterday.
Regarding Facebook's handling of the revelations to date:
"This
is a textbook example of how not to handle a crisis."
He
referred to Facebook's leadership as "tone-deaf management" that
initially denied a breach had occurred, and then subsequently deleted Tweets
saying that it was wrong to call what had occurred a breach.
Galloway also said
that "Facebook has embraced celebrity but refused to embrace its
responsibilities". He contrasted Facebook's ineffectual current crisis management to how Johnson
& Johnson demonstrated decisive leadership and accountability during the
"tampered Tylenol bottles" crisis the latter faced in the 1980's.]
"The chief executive of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has remained silent over the more than 48 hours since the Observer revealed the harvesting of 50 million users’ personal data, even as his company is buffeted by mounting calls for investigation and regulation, falling stock prices, and a social media campaign to #DeleteFacebook...
Also on Monday, the New York Times reported that Facebook’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, would be leaving the company following disagreements with other executives over the handling of the investigation into the Russian influence operation...
Stamos is one of a small handful of Facebook executives who addressed the data harvesting scandal on Twitter over the weekend while Zuckerberg and Facebook’s chief operating officer, Shery Sandberg, said nothing."
Oscar Munoz's tough ride as United CEO; CNN, March 19, 2018
Julia Horowitz, CNN; Oscar Munoz's tough ride as United CEO
""There's something about the United culture that has employees making decisions that are not the right things to do," [John Strong, a professor of business administration at the College of William and Mary and an airline industry expert] said.
Another high-profile event could be the final straw, according to Reber. Even if Munoz isn't directly implicated, he could wind up taking the fall.
"History is littered with CEOs who have had to take a hit for a crisis that happened and was caused someplace else in the organization," Reber said."
""There's something about the United culture that has employees making decisions that are not the right things to do," [John Strong, a professor of business administration at the College of William and Mary and an airline industry expert] said.
Another high-profile event could be the final straw, according to Reber. Even if Munoz isn't directly implicated, he could wind up taking the fall.
"History is littered with CEOs who have had to take a hit for a crisis that happened and was caused someplace else in the organization," Reber said."
Data scandal is huge blow for Facebook – and efforts to study its impact on society; Guardian, March 18, 2018
Olivia Solon, Guardian; Data scandal is huge blow for Facebook – and efforts to study its impact on society
"The revelation that 50 million people had their Facebook profiles harvested so Cambridge Analytica could target them with political ads is a huge blow to the social network that raises questions about its approach to data protection and disclosure.
"The revelation that 50 million people had their Facebook profiles harvested so Cambridge Analytica could target them with political ads is a huge blow to the social network that raises questions about its approach to data protection and disclosure.
As Facebook executives wrangle on Twitter over the semantics of whether this constitutes a “breach”, the result for users is the same: personal data extracted from the platform and used for a purpose to which they did not consent.
Facebook has a complicated track record on privacy. Its business model is built on gathering data. It knows your real name, who your friends are, your likes and interests, where you have been, what websites you have visited, what you look like and how you speak."
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Can Higher Education Make Silicon Valley More Ethical?; Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14, 2018
Nell Gluckman, Chronicle of Higher Education; Can Higher Education Make Silicon Valley More Ethical?
"Jim Malazita, an assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, hopes to infuse ethics lessons into core computer-science courses."...
"Q. You mentioned you’ve been getting some pushback.
A. I’ve had to do a lot of social work with computer-science faculty. The faculty were like, This sounds cool, but will they still be able to move on in computer science? We’re using different, messier data sets. Will they still understand the formal aspects of computing?
Q. What do you tell faculty members to convince them that this is a good use of your students’ time?
A. I use a couple of strategies that sometimes work, sometimes don’t. It’s surprisingly important to talk about my own technical expertise. I only moved into social science and humanities as a Ph.D. student. As an undergraduate, my degree was in digital media design. So you can trust me with this content.
It’s helpful to also cast it in terms of helping women and underrepresented-minority retention in computer science. These questions have an impact on all students, but especially women and underrepresented minorities who are used to having their voices marginalized. The faculty want those numbers up."
"Jim Malazita, an assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, hopes to infuse ethics lessons into core computer-science courses."...
"Q. You mentioned you’ve been getting some pushback.
A. I’ve had to do a lot of social work with computer-science faculty. The faculty were like, This sounds cool, but will they still be able to move on in computer science? We’re using different, messier data sets. Will they still understand the formal aspects of computing?
Q. What do you tell faculty members to convince them that this is a good use of your students’ time?
A. I use a couple of strategies that sometimes work, sometimes don’t. It’s surprisingly important to talk about my own technical expertise. I only moved into social science and humanities as a Ph.D. student. As an undergraduate, my degree was in digital media design. So you can trust me with this content.
It’s helpful to also cast it in terms of helping women and underrepresented-minority retention in computer science. These questions have an impact on all students, but especially women and underrepresented minorities who are used to having their voices marginalized. The faculty want those numbers up."
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Why Software Developers Should Take Ethics Into Consideration; InfoQ, March 8, 2018
Ben Linders, InfoQ;
"Most of the software that influences the behavior of human beings wasn’t created with strong ethical constructs around it. Software developers should ask themselves ethical questions like "who does this affect?", "who could get hurt by this?", and "who does this disadvantage or advantage?", try to answer them, and be comfortable with questions they can’t answer yet.
Theo Schlossnagle, CEO of Circonus, spoke about professional ethics for software developers atQCon London 2018. InfoQ is covering this conference with Q&As, presentations, summaries, and articles.
"Most of the software that influences the behavior of human beings wasn’t created with strong ethical constructs around it. Software developers should ask themselves ethical questions like "who does this affect?", "who could get hurt by this?", and "who does this disadvantage or advantage?", try to answer them, and be comfortable with questions they can’t answer yet.
Theo Schlossnagle, CEO of Circonus, spoke about professional ethics for software developers atQCon London 2018. InfoQ is covering this conference with Q&As, presentations, summaries, and articles.
InfoQ interviewed Schlossnagle about the importance of ethics, what developers can do to incorporate ethical considerations, and asked him what the consequences of unethical software should be.
InfoQ: What makes ethics important for software developers?
Theo Schlossnagle: If you look around, the vast majority of people that are working today in our industry, writing code, making decisions that impact users, haven’t had an intense ethics course in their life. They haven’t taken an ethics course in high school, they haven’t taken an ethics course in college. It doesn’t mean that they don’t know ethics, ethics are pretty innate in human beings. There’s a playbook for discussing ethics; there’s a playbook for contemplating them; there’s not a playbook for answering them.The question is what your mental model is for making yourself answer those questions instead of just avoiding them and pretend they don’t exist.We have 30 years of software development, and the last 10 to 15 of those have been hyper-accelerated software development. We have software all over the place that influences the behavior of human beings, and we didn’t create that software with strong ethical constructs around it."
The technology industry needs a set of professional ethics; Baltimore Sun, March 8, 2018
Adil E. Shamoo. Baltimore Sun; The technology industry needs a set of professional ethics
"In a wider view, using an ethical framework in scientific enterprise disperses ethical principles throughout society; patients and consumers adopt these ethical standards and come to expect and even extend these standards to other endeavors.
But we have failed to develop an ethical framework when it comes to technology or to understand the impact new media would have on our behavior and societal relationships.
We need to examine the current landscape of ethics within the rapidly expanding technology sector. Just as scientific research has added requirements for classes in ethics in research, the tech sector must develop widespread ethical educational efforts. The lack of firm ethical principles allowed a serious disruption to our 2016 political election and is changing the brains of social media users and rapidly changing the workplace and our economy. What has become commonplace has become acceptable. Robots replace humans in jobs; testing of consumer behavior without consent is unquestioned; acceptability of facial and voice recognition is rarely challenged even though misuse and privacy issues are frightening; and vitriolic, divisive missives are the norm on social media."
Exploring AI ethics and accountability; Politico.eu, March 5, 2018
Nirvi Shah, Politico.eu; Exploring AI ethics and accountability
"In this special report on the future of artificial intelligence, we explore the technology’s implications. Are people ready to trust their lives to driverless cars? What about an AI doctor? Who’s to blame when price-setting algorithms work together to collude?
We also spoke to Armin Grunwald, an adviser to the German parliament tasked with mapping out the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. Grunwald, it turns out, has an answer to the trolley problem.
This article is part of the special report Confronting the Future of AI."
"In this special report on the future of artificial intelligence, we explore the technology’s implications. Are people ready to trust their lives to driverless cars? What about an AI doctor? Who’s to blame when price-setting algorithms work together to collude?
We also spoke to Armin Grunwald, an adviser to the German parliament tasked with mapping out the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. Grunwald, it turns out, has an answer to the trolley problem.
This article is part of the special report Confronting the Future of AI."
UT computer science adding ethics courses to curriculum; KXAN, March 5, 2018
Alyssa Goard, KXAN; UT computer science adding ethics courses to curriculum
"Barbary Brunner, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, believes that what these ethics courses at UT are “a really valuable thing.” She explained that as companies in the tech world search for new ways to disrupt old ideas, it’s important to look at the human implications of what they’re setting out to do.
“This may be where the university leads the industry and the industry wakes up and says, ‘Wow that’s really smart,'” Brunner said. “For Texas to become a real tech powerhouse– which I think it can become — it needs to engage in the same sort of collaboration between higher education and the technology community that you see in California, that you see in the Seattle area.”
Brunner hasn’t heard many overarching discussions of ethics within the Austin tech world, but knows that individual discussions about ethics are going on at many companies, especially those related to security and artificial intelligence.
In the long run she thinks that ethics training may become one of many qualities tech companies look for in the recent graduates they hire."
"Barbary Brunner, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, believes that what these ethics courses at UT are “a really valuable thing.” She explained that as companies in the tech world search for new ways to disrupt old ideas, it’s important to look at the human implications of what they’re setting out to do.
“This may be where the university leads the industry and the industry wakes up and says, ‘Wow that’s really smart,'” Brunner said. “For Texas to become a real tech powerhouse– which I think it can become — it needs to engage in the same sort of collaboration between higher education and the technology community that you see in California, that you see in the Seattle area.”
Brunner hasn’t heard many overarching discussions of ethics within the Austin tech world, but knows that individual discussions about ethics are going on at many companies, especially those related to security and artificial intelligence.
In the long run she thinks that ethics training may become one of many qualities tech companies look for in the recent graduates they hire."
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
When it comes to this White House, the fish rots from the head; Washington Post, March 7, 2018
Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post; When it comes to this White House, the fish rots from the head
"“Make no mistake about it, if Trump does not fire Kellyanne Conway after THREE Hatch Act violations another redline will be crossed,” tweeted Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics counsel during the Obama administration. “He will be saying breaking the law does not matter — I will pardon away any sins.” Eisen added: “Well, it does matter, and the American people will not tolerate it.” Richard Painter, who was George W. Bush’s ethics counsel, weighed in as well. “In any other White House, a single major ethics violation would result in dismissal,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is her third, and all three within the same year. She needs to go.” But we surely know she won’t — at least not for this.
The expectation of compliance with the law and concern about the appearance of impropriety are entirely absent from this administration for one very simple reason: Trump has set the standard and the example. Don’t bother with the rules. If caught, just make up stuff."
"“Make no mistake about it, if Trump does not fire Kellyanne Conway after THREE Hatch Act violations another redline will be crossed,” tweeted Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics counsel during the Obama administration. “He will be saying breaking the law does not matter — I will pardon away any sins.” Eisen added: “Well, it does matter, and the American people will not tolerate it.” Richard Painter, who was George W. Bush’s ethics counsel, weighed in as well. “In any other White House, a single major ethics violation would result in dismissal,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is her third, and all three within the same year. She needs to go.” But we surely know she won’t — at least not for this.
The expectation of compliance with the law and concern about the appearance of impropriety are entirely absent from this administration for one very simple reason: Trump has set the standard and the example. Don’t bother with the rules. If caught, just make up stuff."
Top priest shares ‘The Ten Commandments of A.I.’ for ethical computing; internet of business, February 28, 2018
Chris Middleton, internet of business; Top priest shares ‘The Ten Commandments of A.I.’ for ethical computing
"A senior clergyman and government advisor has written what he calls “the Ten Commandments of AI”, to ensure the technology is applied ethically and for social good.
AI has been put forward as the saviour of businesses and national economies, but how to ensure that the technology isn’t abused? The Rt Rev the Lord Bishop of Oxford (pictured below), a Member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, set out his proposals at a policy debate in London, attended by representatives of government, academia, and the business world.
Speaking on 27 February at a Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: Innovation, Funding and Policy Priorities, the Bishop set out his ten-point plan, after chairing a debate on trust, ethics, and cybersecurity."
"A senior clergyman and government advisor has written what he calls “the Ten Commandments of AI”, to ensure the technology is applied ethically and for social good.
AI has been put forward as the saviour of businesses and national economies, but how to ensure that the technology isn’t abused? The Rt Rev the Lord Bishop of Oxford (pictured below), a Member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, set out his proposals at a policy debate in London, attended by representatives of government, academia, and the business world.
Speaking on 27 February at a Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: Innovation, Funding and Policy Priorities, the Bishop set out his ten-point plan, after chairing a debate on trust, ethics, and cybersecurity."
Ethics and AI conference launched by CMU, K&L Gates; Pittsburgh Business Times, March 6, 2018
Patty Tascarella, Pittsburgh Business Times; Ethics and AI conference launched by CMU, K&L Gates
"The inaugural Carnegie Mellon University-K&L Gates Conference on Ethics and Artificial Intelligence is slated for April 9-10.
Leaders from industry, academia and government will explore ethical issues surrounding emerging technologies at the two-day event in Pittsburgh."
"The inaugural Carnegie Mellon University-K&L Gates Conference on Ethics and Artificial Intelligence is slated for April 9-10.
Leaders from industry, academia and government will explore ethical issues surrounding emerging technologies at the two-day event in Pittsburgh."
ABA Webinar: Thursday, March 8, 2018
|
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Here’s how Canada can be a global leader in ethical AI; The Conversation, February 22, 2018
The Conversation; Here’s how Canada can be a global leader in ethical AI
"Putting Canada in the lead
"Putting Canada in the lead
Canada has a clear choice. Either it embraces the potential of being a leader in responsible AI, or it risks legitimating a race to the bottom where ethics, equity and justice are absent.
Better guidance for researchers on how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedomsrelates to AI research and development is a good first step. From there, Canada can create a just, equitable and stable foundation for a research agenda that situates the new technology within longstanding social institutions.
Canada also needs a more coordinated, inclusive national effort that prioritizes otherwise marginalized voices. These consultations will be key to positioning Canada as a beacon in this field.
Without these measures, Canada could lag behind. Europe is already drafting important new approaches to data protection. New York City launched a task force this fall to become a global leader on governing automated decision making. We hope this leads to active consultation with city agencies, academics across the sciences and the humanities as well as community groups, from Data for Black Lives to Picture the Homeless, and consideration of algorithmic impact assessments.
These initiatives should provide a helpful context as Canada develops its own governance strategy and works out how to include Indigenous knowledge within that.
If Canada develops a strong national strategy approach to AI governance that works across sectors and disciplines, it can lead at the global level.
The tyranny of algorithms is part of our lives: soon they could rate everything we do; Guardian, March 5, 2018
John Harris, Guardian; The tyranny of algorithms is part of our lives: soon they could rate everything we do
"The tyranny of algorithms is now an inbuilt part of our lives.
These systems are sprawling, often randomly connected, and often beyond logic. But viewed from another angle, they are also the potential constituent parts of comprehensive social credit systems, awaiting the moment at which they will be glued together. That point may yet come, thanks to the ever-expanding reach of the internet. If our phones and debit cards already leave a huge trail of data, the so-called internet of things is now increasing our informational footprint at speed...
Personal data and its endless uses form one of the most fundamental issues of our time, which boils down to the relationship between the individual and power, whether exercised by government or private organisations."
"The tyranny of algorithms is now an inbuilt part of our lives.
These systems are sprawling, often randomly connected, and often beyond logic. But viewed from another angle, they are also the potential constituent parts of comprehensive social credit systems, awaiting the moment at which they will be glued together. That point may yet come, thanks to the ever-expanding reach of the internet. If our phones and debit cards already leave a huge trail of data, the so-called internet of things is now increasing our informational footprint at speed...
Personal data and its endless uses form one of the most fundamental issues of our time, which boils down to the relationship between the individual and power, whether exercised by government or private organisations."
WHAT IF ‘STAR TREK’ WERE FREE? HOW THE STORIED SCI-FI FRANCHISE COULD INSPIRE COPYRIGHT REFORM; Newsweek, March 5, 2018
Andrew Whalen, Newsweek;
"CBS and Paramount are unlikely to see things the same way. While Star Trek: Discovery press releases trumpet the “ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers,” plans for streaming market domination depend upon exclusivity. The metaphor equating artistic expression and property has become so ingrained that companies regularly reduce their consumers to provisional licensees, subject to whatever controls the copyright holder decides upon, even long after the point of purchase.
“Star Trek stands on the shoulders of giants. It exists because they plundered some of the most interesting stories and memes of science fiction, just as all science fiction writers do, to tell their own story. And to argue that when they did it that was the legitimate progress of art and whenever anyone else does it, it's theft, is pretty self-serving and kind of obviously bullshit,” Doctorow said. “It's a ridiculous thing for a law to ban something that ancient and fundamental to how we experience art.”
Countering the monopoly exercised by copyright holders will require a broader social realignment, under which people come to understand art as a shared cultural endowment, rather than product—a mindset beyond capital."
WHAT IF ‘STAR TREK’ WERE FREE? HOW THE STORIED SCI-FI FRANCHISE COULD INSPIRE COPYRIGHT REFORM
"CBS and Paramount are unlikely to see things the same way. While Star Trek: Discovery press releases trumpet the “ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers,” plans for streaming market domination depend upon exclusivity. The metaphor equating artistic expression and property has become so ingrained that companies regularly reduce their consumers to provisional licensees, subject to whatever controls the copyright holder decides upon, even long after the point of purchase.
“Star Trek stands on the shoulders of giants. It exists because they plundered some of the most interesting stories and memes of science fiction, just as all science fiction writers do, to tell their own story. And to argue that when they did it that was the legitimate progress of art and whenever anyone else does it, it's theft, is pretty self-serving and kind of obviously bullshit,” Doctorow said. “It's a ridiculous thing for a law to ban something that ancient and fundamental to how we experience art.”
Countering the monopoly exercised by copyright holders will require a broader social realignment, under which people come to understand art as a shared cultural endowment, rather than product—a mindset beyond capital."
Manhattan teen cartoonist prompts review of Scholastic awards’ copyright rules; amNewYork, March 5, 2018
Nicole Brown, amNewYork; Manhattan teen cartoonist prompts review of Scholastic awards’ copyright rules
"“How come the @Scholastic @artandwriting award requires kids to sign over ‘irrevocable copyright’ if they win?! And why is it hidden in the ‘Terms & Conditions’ link that no one reads? Is it weird that I think that’s wrong?” [Sasha Matthews] wrote in December...
...[T]he ability to display the work could be granted through a license, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said.
“Once you enter into a license to promote the work, you have all the permissions you need,” he told amNewYork. “That’s exactly what they could have done here, but rather than entering a license, they just grabbed the copyright.”
Matthews wrote about the copyright issue for a school assignment and got it published in February on the blog Boing Boing."
"“How come the @Scholastic @artandwriting award requires kids to sign over ‘irrevocable copyright’ if they win?! And why is it hidden in the ‘Terms & Conditions’ link that no one reads? Is it weird that I think that’s wrong?” [Sasha Matthews] wrote in December...
...[T]he ability to display the work could be granted through a license, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said.
“Once you enter into a license to promote the work, you have all the permissions you need,” he told amNewYork. “That’s exactly what they could have done here, but rather than entering a license, they just grabbed the copyright.”
Matthews wrote about the copyright issue for a school assignment and got it published in February on the blog Boing Boing."
The dangers of digital things: Self-driving cars steer proposed laws on robotics and automation, ABA Journal, March 2018
Victor Li, ABA Journal; The dangers of digital things: Self-driving cars steer proposed laws on robotics and automation
"Some states are standing in a legal gray area. Pennsylvania, for example, is a training ground for Uber’s collaboration with Carnegie Mellon to deploy autonomous vehicles throughout Pittsburgh. At press time, Pennsylvania did not have a statute that speaks to the legality of driverless cars.
However, Roger Cohen, policy director at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, says the state has long operated under the assumption that autonomous cars are allowed on public roadways—as long as a human driver is at the steering wheel ready to take over. PennDOT has taken the lead in promulgating policies relating to autonomous vehicles with the goal of their formal adoption into law.
“That policy was deemed to be a more effective tool for the public oversight of testing operations because of its ability to be flexible and nimble and rapid in responding to what are fast-moving, unpredictable, hard-to-anticipate new developments,” Cohen says.
As with Michigan, Cohen says time is of the essence, adding that although Pennsylvania’s regulatory structure has an important purpose, it generally takes one to two years to process feedback and review the rules. “That was deemed to be ineffective for emerging technology,” Cohen says.
Instead, PennDOT has been freed up to develop policies while collaborating with a wealth of stakeholders—including academics, sister agencies, lawyers, technology companies and members of the automotive industry. Cohen says bills are pending in both state legislative houses, and he is optimistic that they’ll be passed.
“When it comes to car accidents, we must drive down the death rate toward zero, which is our goal,” Cohen says. “We have a technology that gives us our best chance to do that. I think there are real issues concerning data ownership, data privacy and cybersecurity. But there’s every reason to be optimistic.”"
"Some states are standing in a legal gray area. Pennsylvania, for example, is a training ground for Uber’s collaboration with Carnegie Mellon to deploy autonomous vehicles throughout Pittsburgh. At press time, Pennsylvania did not have a statute that speaks to the legality of driverless cars.
However, Roger Cohen, policy director at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, says the state has long operated under the assumption that autonomous cars are allowed on public roadways—as long as a human driver is at the steering wheel ready to take over. PennDOT has taken the lead in promulgating policies relating to autonomous vehicles with the goal of their formal adoption into law.
“That policy was deemed to be a more effective tool for the public oversight of testing operations because of its ability to be flexible and nimble and rapid in responding to what are fast-moving, unpredictable, hard-to-anticipate new developments,” Cohen says.
As with Michigan, Cohen says time is of the essence, adding that although Pennsylvania’s regulatory structure has an important purpose, it generally takes one to two years to process feedback and review the rules. “That was deemed to be ineffective for emerging technology,” Cohen says.
Instead, PennDOT has been freed up to develop policies while collaborating with a wealth of stakeholders—including academics, sister agencies, lawyers, technology companies and members of the automotive industry. Cohen says bills are pending in both state legislative houses, and he is optimistic that they’ll be passed.
“When it comes to car accidents, we must drive down the death rate toward zero, which is our goal,” Cohen says. “We have a technology that gives us our best chance to do that. I think there are real issues concerning data ownership, data privacy and cybersecurity. But there’s every reason to be optimistic.”"
Monday, March 5, 2018
Elon Musk quits AI ethics research group; BBC, February 22, 2018
BBC; Elon Musk quits AI ethics research group
"Technology billionaire Elon Musk has quit the board of the research group he co-founded to look into the ethics of artificial intelligence.
In a blog post, OpenAI said the decision had been taken to avoid any conflict of interest as Mr Musk's electric car company, Tesla, became "more focused on AI".
He has been one of AI's most vocal critics, stressing the potential harms."
"Technology billionaire Elon Musk has quit the board of the research group he co-founded to look into the ethics of artificial intelligence.
In a blog post, OpenAI said the decision had been taken to avoid any conflict of interest as Mr Musk's electric car company, Tesla, became "more focused on AI".
He has been one of AI's most vocal critics, stressing the potential harms."
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Don’t forget how the movement that changed Hollywood started: With great reporting; Washington Post, March 4, 2018
Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post; Don’t forget how the movement that changed Hollywood started: With great reporting
"The world has changed since last year’s Oscars — and for the better.
So let’s not forget what got us there: great journalism.
Legacy media companies may be under constant criticism, and trust in the press may be at a low point.
But less than six months after the New York Times broke its first story about abusive film mogul Harvey Weinstein in early October — quickly followed by more revelations from the New Yorker magazine — American culture has been flipped on its head.
Nothing is the same: Not awards shows, not the corporate workplace, not national politics."
"The world has changed since last year’s Oscars — and for the better.
So let’s not forget what got us there: great journalism.
Legacy media companies may be under constant criticism, and trust in the press may be at a low point.
But less than six months after the New York Times broke its first story about abusive film mogul Harvey Weinstein in early October — quickly followed by more revelations from the New Yorker magazine — American culture has been flipped on its head.
Nothing is the same: Not awards shows, not the corporate workplace, not national politics."
Bendis’ Take on Superman’s Truth, Justice & The American Way; Comic Book Resources, March 3, 2018
Anthony Couto, Comic Book Resources; Bendis’ Take on Superman’s Truth, Justice & The American Way
"Talking all things Superman at his spotlight panel for Emerald City Comic Con, Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Michael Bendis offered a renewed approach to a classic Superman motto: Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Bendis said he’s found new relevance in Superman’s “truth, justice and the American way” adage, which helped inspire him to take on the Man of Steel. “Truth is under siege in our society today,” Bendis continued. “Justice — we see it every day on video, justice is not being handed out to everybody. The American dream, that is also under siege. These things, that seemed cliche just five years ago, are now damn well worth fighting for.”"
"Talking all things Superman at his spotlight panel for Emerald City Comic Con, Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Michael Bendis offered a renewed approach to a classic Superman motto: Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Bendis said he’s found new relevance in Superman’s “truth, justice and the American way” adage, which helped inspire him to take on the Man of Steel. “Truth is under siege in our society today,” Bendis continued. “Justice — we see it every day on video, justice is not being handed out to everybody. The American dream, that is also under siege. These things, that seemed cliche just five years ago, are now damn well worth fighting for.”"
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