AI Ethics Weekly – Dec 7: The Great AI Ethics Dumpster Fire

AI Ethics Weekly – Dec 7: The Great AI Ethics Dumpster Fire
December 7, 2020 LH3_Admin

The firing of eminent and beloved AI Ethics scholar, Dr.Timnit Gebru reveals the hypocrisy of big tech AI Ethics initiatives

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We’re back after a brief hiatus for our annual 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ summit. When we started planning for this event, I never imagined that we would be talking about the firing of one of the most preeminent and beloved AI scholars of our times. Timnit Gebru’s contribution to ethics and diversity in AI is immeasurable. It is unconscionable that any company would so blatantly abuse its privilege and power with zero accountability. It is wrong and it is unacceptable.
We stand with Black women. We stand on the side of what’s right. We stand with Timnit. To be silent is to be complicit.

In solidarity,
Mia Shah-Dand

If you want to support Diversity & Ethics in AI, you can now fund our work directly at this link.

Amazon declines to join Google, Facebook and Microsoft in French “Tech for Good Call”
h/t Hessie Jones @hessiejones
Related to French “digital tax” hopes, and which may have future repercussions for other tech related regulation attempts, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have” signs on for the “Tech for Good Call”. Amazon has declined which Apple continues to negotiate, according to reports. Read more.

Silicon Valley’s dirty data centre secret: carbon
h/t Carly Kind @carlykind_
Giant server farms belch as much carbon into the air as the aviation industry — so tech bosses are seeking innovative ways to clean up the dark side of data centres. Read more.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: ‘Machine-gun with AI’ used to kill Iran scientist
Ilana Golbin @GolbinIlana
A satellite-controlled machine-gun with “artificial intelligence” was used to kill Iran’s top nuclear scientist, a Revolutionary Guards commander says. Read more.

The AI Ethics Smokescreen

https://media.giphy.com/media/AEMyf9Oj6MpS8/giphy.gif

Dr. Timnit Gebru, Big Tech, and the AI Ethics Smokescreen
Having ethical voices from marginalized and minoritized communities with a strong moral compass inside these companies may buy us some time to collectively figure out other sustainable solutions. Read more.

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