The internet Then and Now

A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry BarlowJohn Perry Barlow wrote this Cyberspace manifesto in 1996.

Reflect on whether his points are still tenable. Consider fake news, cyber crime, echo chambers, etc. Where do his arguments fall short and where do they still  ring true?

The Intelligence Age: Blog post by Sam Altman

Biden issued a non binding blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights

Let’s think about governance when it comes to AI and the internet. What should we consider when thinking about regulations and technology and what role should governments have?

  • anti-trust laws versus tech development
  • equity and civil rights
  • fake news and democracy
  • safety for youth

Let’s consider the environmental impact of LLMs: Move Aside, Crypto AI Could Be The Next Climate Disaster.

AI’s Growing Carbon Footprint

How do we balance the potential ways that AI could help with the climate crisis and how it could hurt?

Midterm Project: The Life Span of a Technological Object  

Loosely based on Kate Crawford’s Anatomy of an AI System  your midterm is a multi-modular research project in which you will  map the life span of a technological object” of your choice. Each project is expected to have a media component (video, podcast, website, interactive game, etc.) as well as a written one.

Deliverables include: the media project and a written component 

Consider the three major parts of the objects life span:

  • Production/materials/labor
  • User experience/ethical relationship to user and society/digital rights/historical roots/evolution of object/etc.
  • Sustainability/recycling/right to repair/etc.

Homework

  1. Pitch (1 paragraph) a concept for your midterm project: The Life Span of a Technological Object.
  2. Choose one article to read and write a response to:

Screenings:

Andrew Norman Wilson’s Workers Leaving the Googleplex

Dr. Joy Buolamwini: Combating the algorithmic biases behind AI | Pioneers of AI