Book Review: Re-Engineering Humanity
Brett Frischmann and Evan Selinger warn that real freedom of will and human agency will require the ability to be “off.”
Google Becomes Evil
Counter to its positive mythology, Google manipulates search results to suit its own corporate purposes, quashing free access to information on the Web.
Undoing Dystopia: a Review of Douglas Rushkoff’s Team Human
A review of tech and social critic Douglas Rushkoff’s latest book, Team Human.
When Developers Can’t Explain Their AI, Laws No Longer Apply
The hows and whys of the decisions of machine-learning algorithms are increasingly opaque, even to their programmers. That makes laws and norms increasingly difficult to apply.
Spotify Automates; Humans Get Played
When Spotify’s music algorithms lead one writer to a band he can’t stand that he loves, he wonders about who’s programming who.
Podcast #14: Cathy O’Neil on the problem of algorithms
Mathematician Cathy O’Neil shares her insider’s look at how algorithms are gaming our world, with terrible consequences for those who can least afford them.
Superman and the Singularity
A recent discussion of the AI film Ex Machina brings up ideas about the desire for the perfectability of humans and our irresistable urge to play god.
Want to Borrow Money? Then Let a Credit Startup Read Your Email
New online lenders promise funds for previously-ignored groups. The catch? Borrowers have to allow them to spy on everything they do and everyone they associate with.
The Suicide Algorithm: Facebook’s Self-Appointed Role in Mental Health
Facebook’s invasive attempts to identify suicidal individuals, while collecting revenue from advertisers targeting them, may do more harm than good.
Speeding Towards a Potential AI Jobocalypse, Government is on Autopilot
A White House paper on AI betrays a stunning naivte about potential economic fallout, but few in government are interested in even acknowledging the issue.