On Ethics, Justice, and Culture in Science and Technology:
After the release of ChatGPT 4o, with expanded capabilities and newly perfected image generation tools, a viral phenomenon has occurred where the style of the iconic Studio Ghibli is being replicated and spread across the world through social media.
On the one hand, it’s understandable that people will enjoy eliminating barriers when it comes to generating creative material… but on the other, if the enormous portfolio of Studio Ghibli was used to make it possible that their work may be now cheapened and copied, there are larger moral and ethical questions in play.
With such a widespread “meme” taking hold, I wanted to examine why the great “Ghiblification” is more than just a meme, its a lightning rod for questions about what should we really be doing with these tools, and how should we handle their development.
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The correlations between humans and nature go far beyond just our biological makeup. Evolution has given us the tools to adapt and mold into our environments in very similar ways to animals in the wild. This science mystery investigation explores the complexities behind racial identification and explains how biomimicry could be the answer behind the recent slew of racial misrepresentation.
† Link to AI Ethics Bibliography.
† Link to JCOM article.
Poet of Code shares ‘AI, Ain’t I A Woman’ — a spoken word piece that highlights the ways in which artificial intelligence can misinterpret the images of iconic black women.
Users’ minds take shortcuts to get through the day. Usually, they’re harmless. Even helpful. But what happens when they’re not? In this talk we’ll use real-world examples to identify some particularly harmful biases that frequently lead users to make bad decisions. We’ll then talk about some content strategy and design choices we can use in our apps, designs, and platforms to redirect or eliminate the impact of those biases…
On Science Communication:
- “Did physicists create a wormhole in a quantum computer?” — Davide Castelvecchi, Nature, 01 December 2022.
- “Quantum teleportation opens a ‘wormhole in space–time” — Martijn Boerkamp, Physics World, 30 November 2022.
- “NASA scientist explains why images from new telescope astounded him” — CNN.
- “Neutrino Faster Than Speed of Light” — Associated Press.
- “What’s the buzz about LK-99?” — Global News.
On Pachamama:
On Automation and Computer-assisted Intelligence:
Algorithms are increasingly used to make decisions in healthcare, transport, finance and security. How can they best be used and what happens when things go wrong?
It’s no secret that AI is controversial today. Judging by some of the chaos it’s caused, there’s good reason to think AI seems to ruin everything it touches. But what about the flipside? What good is AI actually doing in the world? It’s a question I don’t hear asked much so today we’ll find out.
Nineteen years after the initially suppressed release of Idiocracy, a film that was made to be an absurd depiction of societal trends, is now more true than ever. As we continuously subvert our own critical thinking, every single day we get closer and closer to this demented caricature of modern consumerism, which is now closer to some sort of blueprint than it is to an irrelevant comedy.
● Link to Microsoft Research paper.
● Link to GPS paper on Sci Rep.
On Science, Research, and Responsible Conduct:
This video explains what a paradigm shift is by visualizing the process from Thomas Kuhn’s book “Structure of a Scientific Revolution.”
Dive into the heart of modern physics with our latest discussion, where we unpack the intense debate surrounding the future of scientific discovery and the very fabric of our universe. In an era marked by groundbreaking theories but limited by our current technological capabilities, we ask the bold question: Is it time to rethink the scientific method?
Mounting evidence suggests a lot of published research is false.
† Link to Science article.
On Social Responsibility:
These scandals made headline news…then disappeared. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for huge tech-based scandals that have been largely forgotten. Our countdown of tech scandals you forgot about includes The Volkswagen Emissions Scandal, Amazon Working Conditions, Apple vs. FBI, and more!
AI is everywhere. Is it all it’s cracked up to be or is it one big scam? Well, as it is for most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. In this episode we see how, despite some of AI’s useful contributions, the hype has also impacted the tech industry negatively.
Big Oil has known for more than 50 years that fossil fuels pose a huge danger to the climate. They covered it up to keep raking in profits. It’s one of the biggest corporate crimes in history. Now California is suing to make them pay for the damage.
Boeing was once seen as one of the best engineering firms in the world. Today they’re plagued with scandals and constantly put profits before the lives of people. What went wrong? In this episode, we find out.
On Complexity and Emergence:
Everyone loves to talk about complex problems and complex systems, but no one has any idea what it means. I think that understanding complexity is THE biggest gap in science today. What do we even mean by complexity? What do we know about it? And what’s the problem with trying to explain it? That’s what we’ll talk about in this video.”
This is a video about the most famous problem in Game Theory, the Prisoner’s Dilemma.
Our world is filled with an abundance of data. Albert-László Barabási, a network scientist, believes that understanding the underlying structure and relationships of complex systems is crucial. Barabási’s research has challenged the notion of random connections and led to the discovery of a more accurate representation of how these systems are organized.
Not everything that is true can be proven. This discovery transformed infinity, changed the course of a world war and led to the modern computer.
On Choice Modeling and Behavior:
How to decide who wins a confusing vote, discussing the likes of Smith Sets and the Condorcet Paradox. Featuring Sophie Maclean
Democracy might be mathematically impossible – here’s why.
Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz’s estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.
The manipulative tactics that social media uses to keep you addicted.
On Design Science:
Far from being some sort of luxury or add-on, good design is central to a good society. It changes how we feel and interact.
On Breakthroughs:
Grigori Perelman solved one of the world’s hardest math problems, then called it quits.
Mathematicians are obsessed with patterns. They’ve been obsessed for so long you’d think they’ve got it figured all out. But just recently they discovered a new type of pattern that is everywhere in nature†. Once you have seen it, you can’t help but notice that it’s really everywhere.
† Link to article PNAS Nexus article.