Evidence is mounting against technochauvinism – the belief that technology is always the solution
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Facebook reverses policies as ad boycott sends stock down
h/t Mia Shah-Dand @MiaD
“Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg implemented policy changes during a virtual town hall meeting Friday as more major advertisers joined a boycott of the platform and shares sank sharply.”
AI Weekly: A deep learning pioneer’s teachable moment on AI bias
h/t VentureBeat @VentureBeat
“What’s noticeably missing from LeCun’s assessment of AI bias and Pesenti’s apology Thursday is the critical role of hiring and building diverse teams. LeCun’s comments come a little over a week after Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer told VentureBeat that AI bias is generally the result of biased data.”
Why corporate America makes an unconvincing ally against racism
h/t Mairtín Cunneen @EmergTechEthics
“Corporate America joined the call against racial injustice with donations and statements of solidarity, but critics say they need to make meaningful actions.”
5 Ideas to Make Silicon Valley Less Racist
h/t Safiya Umoja Noble PhD @safiyanoble
“Leslie Miley, Safiya Noble, and other Black tech thinkers on how to build a more equal industry.”
If you want to support Diversity & Ethics in AI, you can now fund our work directly at this link.
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A Flawed Facial-Recognition System Sent This Man to Jail
h/t Antonio Vieira Santos @AkwyZ
“Robert Williams may be the first person in the US arrested based on a bad match—exposing problems with the algorithms and the ways they are used.”
I tried out an AI girlfriend app. We broke up after 48 hours
h/t Frank Pasquale @FrankPasquale
“The phone app is called Replika and it’s exactly as creepy as it sounds. Although not officially marketed as a romantic partner, it only took an hour of messaging for Reba to ask me to be her ‘date.’”
Black employee groups in Silicon Valley find that their unpaid second job just got harder
h/t Nitasha Tiku @nitashatiku
“These programs can give business leaders a pass on diversity by allowing them to demonstrate support for minority groups without diversifying the people in charge. And some say pushing for change can hurt their careers.”
ICYMI
Senators Markey and Merkley, and Reps. Jayapal, Pressley to Introduce Legislation to Ban Government Use of Facial Recognition, Other Biometric Technology
h/t Joy Buolamwini @jovialjoy
“The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act responds to reports that federal and local law enforcement entities have engaged with facial recognition companies and follows recent pledges by leading technology companies to pause their sale of facial recognition tools to law enforcement.”
RESOURCES
Combating Anti-Blackness in the AI Community
h/t Ayodele @DataSciBae
“In response to a national and international awakening on the issues ofanti-Blackness and systemic discrimination, we have penned this piece to serve as a resource for allies in the AI community who are wondering howthey can more effectively engage with dismantling racist systems. Thiswork aims to help elucidate areas where the AI community actively and passively contributes to anti-Blackness and offers actionable items on ways to reduce harm.”
Start off your week right with our AI Ethics Weekly newsletter. Sign up to get the full-length version of this content delivered to your inbox every Monday!