Birthday Cake

A Message From the Publisher

It’s our 2nd birthday! Publisher Mo Lotman shares a few thoughts about where we’ve come and where The Technoskeptic is going.

Tomaso Poggio

Podcast #16: Tomaso Poggio on the State of AI

After a long so-called winter, artificial intelligence has recently made amazing gains. Tomaso Poggio, Director of MIT’s Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, explains why this success is still a long way from the dystopian fears of robot overlords, but that the threat to jobs is real.

Chatbot

Is Democracy Threatened by Chatbots?

Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated both in their ability to process language and gauge emotion. As social media increasingly influences our news and beliefs, this could be a big problem.

Back Door

US Intelligence Stockpiles Cybersecurity Flaws, Leaving Everyone Vulnerable

US intelligence agencies are still hoarding “zero-day” cybersecurity vulnerabilities, making everyone less safe online while creating a market for unethical hackers.

Podcast #6: Kentaro Toyama on the Fallacies of Tech in Development

Kentaro Toyama is Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan and the author of the book Geek Heresy. After spending five years in India attempting to deploy technology to aid international development, he came back disillusioned. He chats with the Technoskeptic about his experience there and in years of teaching that gave him an understanding of how technology often exacerbates, rather than levels, underlying disparities.