In the age of driverless cars, rail — as a means of transportation that takes many people from one central station to another central station — has lost justification for its existence.
Category: Magazine Articles
Poem – Sea of Seeds
By Alba Victoria on May 24th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Podcasts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, Video & Podcasts
I am Alba Victoria
A biopsychologist highly interested in conservation
Dedicated to engaging science communication
Who is simply trying to find more sustainable ways
To support our current and future generations
BOOK REVIEW: Algorithms of Oppression
By Rachelle Linner on May 23rd, 2019 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Book Reviews, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Discrimination is “embedded in computer code and, increasingly, in artificial intelligence technologies that we are reliant on, by choice or not.”
Post Tenebras, Lux: An Awakening
By terribookman on May 9th, 2019 in Last Word, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Transition phases are often arduous and chaotic. When we read about positive outcomes, we can fail to recognize the formidable gap between the initial disruption, and eventual transformation.
Smart Cities through Smart Regulation
By Gustavo Gil Gasiola on April 26th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Smart Cities demand new strategies and forms of control. The traditional model of public regulation is challenged by a renewed relationship between technology, government, and society. We highlight the difficulties and possible solutions for regulation in the context of a Smart City, provided by the largest city in Brazil: São Paulo.
Call for Papers — Special Issue of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
By Roba Abbas on April 20th, 2019 in Announcements, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The key question for the future is that with all the investment in new technologies, by both governments and business organizations, can regulation keep up with developments?
Efficiency Versus Creativity as Organizing Principles of Socio-Technical Systems
By Ada Diaconescu on April 10th, 2019 in Commentary, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
What sense of worth and dignity can a person have when their daily activities are confined within systemic contraptions where personal input, originality, and initiative are either undesirable, or quantified as targets to be maximized?
The Democracy Lag
By Caroline Lucas on March 28th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
U.K. democracy is out of date. It isn’t built to deal with digital tools that have unprecedented potential to manipulate the public.
Past IEEE SSIT President Gerald L. Engel Dies at Age 76
By ieeessit on March 28th, 2019 in Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology
Gerald (Jerry) Engel, a past President of IEEE-SSIT, has died.
Technology for Governance, Politics, and Democracy
By Tom Kane and Nick Novellil on March 16th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Innovative Information and Communication Technologies play an important role in e-governance and digital democracy. There is unprecedented opportunity for community collective choice, whereby citizens who are affected by a set of governing rules can help to select policy options and rank spending priorities.
President’s Message – Congratulations and Thanks
By Robert Dent on March 16th, 2019 in Magazine Articles, President's Message, Social Implications of Technology
As new SSIT President, I congratulate the three people who were elected to the Member-at-Large positions on the SSIT Board of Governors for three-year terms beginning in 2019.
Facts, Policies, and Values– The Democratic Triad
By Jeremy Pitt on March 15th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Politics required dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, and compromise. But now there is a dispute over the facts themselves.
Book Review: A Maverick of Electrical Science
By Bill Liles on February 23rd, 2019 in Book Reviews, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Oliver Heaviside (1850-1925) is now considered a maverick of electrical science, but he could also be considered the founder of that subject.
Intellectual Humility
By terribookman on February 11th, 2019 in Last Word, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Becoming Like a Child for Technological Advancement. Wound Man affords us a vivid reminder of our physical finitude; we are mortal creatures who are susceptible to wounds, injuries, and contagions. And yet, #WoundPerson challenges us to better attune ourselves to our non-physical vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Assessing Artificial Intelligence for Humanity
By Andrzej Nowak on February 1st, 2019 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Will AI be our biggest ever advance — or the biggest threat? The real danger of AI lies not in sudden apocalypse, but in the gradual degradation and disappearance of what make human experience and existence meaningful.
Odorveillance and the Ethics of Robotic Olfaction
By Emily Stark on January 25th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology
Given the current lack of regulation, there is nothing in principle to stop unscrupulous organizations from deploying surreptitious robotic olfaction.
Virtual Reality: Ethical Challenges and Dangers
By Ben Kenwright on January 14th, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
As VR has hit the mainstream, much debate has arisen over its ethical complexities. Traditional moral responsibilities do not always translate to the digital world. One aspect we argue is essential to ethical responsibility for virtual reality is that VR solutions must integrate ethical analysis into the design process, and practice dissemination of best practices.
SSIT Launches New Publication: Transactions on Technology and Society
By John Impagliazzo on January 2nd, 2019 in Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
SSIT launches a new publication: IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society
Robert A. (Bob) Dent Elected 2019-2020 IEEE-SSIT President
By terribookman on January 2nd, 2019 in Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
In a September 2018 vote, the IEEE-SSIT Board of Governors elected Bob Dent as President-Elect of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). He will assume the office of SSIT President on January 1, 2019, for a two-year term ending December 31, 2020.
Implantable Technology
By Robert Sobot on January 1st, 2019 in Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Many recent advances in implantable devices not so long ago would have been strictly in the domain of science fiction. At the same time, the public remains mystified, if not conflicted about implantable technologies. Rising awareness about social issues related to implantable devices requires further exploration.