This SSIT Guest Lecture was presented by Miriam Cunningham, IST-Africa Institute, Ireland at a Joint Chapter Meeting organised by IEEE… Read More
High Voltages and Low Esthetic Standards: Three Design Principles to Humanize Electricity Pylons
By Paul Cuffe on July 11th, 2021 in Social Implications of Technology
Few people would celebrate modern infrastructure networks as magnificent beacons of our civilization: our powerlines and pipelines are drab, unsightly intrusions on the landscape. Reflecting on this, the philosopher Alain de Botton points out the Roman aqueduct at Pont Du Gard in Southern France, which is now a famous tourist attraction even though it was built for the dull task of supplying municipal water. Wisely, the Romans built it, and many others, for both beauty and function, brightening citizens’ views while slaking their thirst. Indeed, so lovely is the Roman aqueduct of Segovia that it is featured in the emblem of that province.
The Great Reset: Pandemic, Society and IEEE SSIT
By Miriam Cunningham on July 10th, 2021 in Social Implications of Technology, Video & Podcasts
This SSIT Guest Lecture on “The Great Reset: Pandemic, Society and IEEE SSIT” was presented by Mr. Satish Babu, President… Read More
IEEE Transaction on Technology and Society, Volume 2, Issue 2, 2021
By Miriam Cunningham on June 28th, 2021 in Transactions
Access Volume 2, Issue 2, 2021 – Special Issue on Socio-Technical Design for Public Interest Technology Current Issue (2, 2) Front… Read More
When Technology Drives Us Off the Climate-Change Cliff
By cia romano on June 22nd, 2021 in Blog Posts, Environment, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Arizona continues to build, build, build, and instead of requiring new residents to adapt to the climate, city governments and developers market the very bad idea that the desert can be made green, and thus more desirable.
If a Colleague Asks: “Will My Innovation Have Unintended Consequences?”
By Clint Andrews on June 20th, 2021 in Articles, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Unintended consequences of technological development matter in practice and thus are not just of academic interest. SSIT would do well to spark constructive and practical discussion about managing unintended consequences.
Ethics about the “Good” Drones
By Miriam Cunningham on June 20th, 2021 in Video & Podcasts, Videos
This SSIT Guest Lecture was presented by Ning Wang, IBME, University of Zurich, Switzerland at a Joint Chapter Meeting organised… Read More
IEEE GHTC 2021 – Call for Papers Deadline 02 July
By Miriam Cunningham on June 16th, 2021 in Call for Papers, Conferences
IEEE GHTC 2021 invites submission of full papers and short papers by secondary deadline of 02 July. We would like… Read More
Norbert Wiener – Governance with Probabilities
By T.V. Gopal on June 14th, 2021 in Conferences, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The 21st Century Norbert Wiener Conference with the theme: “Being Human in a Global Village” is the third in a series of conferences initiated by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT), following events in Boston (2014) and Melbourne (2016).
AI vs “AI”: Synthetic Minds or Speech Acts
By Jeremy Pitt on June 10th, 2021 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Just as the “autonomous” in lethal autonomous weapons allows the military to dissemble over responsibility for their effects, there are civilian companies leveraging “AI” to exert control without responsibility.
And so we arrive at “trustworthy AI” because, of course, we are building systems that people should trust and if they don’t it’s their fault, so how can we make them do that, right? Or, we’ve built this amazing “AI” system that can drive your car for you but don’t blame us when it crashes because you should have been paying attention. Or, we built it, sure, but then it learned stuff and it’s not under our control anymore—the world is a complex place.
ISTAS 2021 Invites Paper Submissions for October 28-31 Conference
By Heather Love on June 9th, 2021 in Announcements, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Societal Impact
ISTAS 2021 will be jointly hosted by the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) in October 28-31, 2021. Submission Deadline July 13, 2021
From Artificial Intelligence Bias to Inequality in the Time of COVID-19
By Miguel Luengo-Oroz on June 8th, 2021 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing global inequalities. Whether at the local, national, or international scale, the gap between the privileged and the vulnerable is growing wider, resulting in a broad increase in inequality across all dimensions of society. The disease has strained health systems, social support programs, and the economy as a whole, drawing an ever-widening distinction between those with access to treatment, services, and job opportunities and those without.
Working in the Smart City
By Miriam Cunningham on May 31st, 2021 in Video & Podcasts, Videos
This SSIT Distinguished Lecture was presented by Prof. Clinton Andrews, Rutgers University, US at a Joint Chapter Meeting organised by… Read More
Champions of AI4Eq: Equity as an Adaptive Challenge
By Christine Perakslis on May 27th, 2021 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Impacts, Last Word, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
We celebrated AI for mental health equity when access is augmented for marginalized populations. We applauded AI as a complement to current services; practitioners would be less overtaxed and more productive, thereby serving vulnerable populations better.
Book Review: Techno-Fixers: Origins and Implications of Technological Faith
By A. David Wunsch on May 23rd, 2021 in Book Reviews, Environment, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The public’s faith in science and technology has never been higher. Computer “apps” that explore things such as the frequency of, and point of origin of, COVID-related Google search terms, and Twitter posts, are being used to trace the progress of the virus and to predict the sites of further outbreaks. The United States has been roiled by the death, at the hands of the police, of George Floyd. Floyd’s killing was captured by an app that has been circulating throughout the globe that has acquired the near iconic power of the crucifixion. With the majority of the American people equipped to make audio–visual recording of police brutality and post them on social media, we expect that crimes such as this will certainly diminish.
Being Human in a Global Village – IEEE 2020 Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century
By terribookman on May 22nd, 2021 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Case Studies, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
https://21stcenturywiener.org/ 22-25 July 2021, Chennai, INDIA N R Narayana Murthy to present Opening Speech on 22 July 2021. Infosys co-founder… Read More
Book Review: Hacking Diversity: The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures
By Jenna P. Carpenter on May 21st, 2021 in Book Reviews, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Open technology communities are loosely organized, volunteer, online groups, focused on development and distribution of open or free software and hardware. “Hacking Diversity:The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures” is a study of the efforts of open technology communities to “hack” the issues around the lack of diversity that pervades not only their volunteer communities, but also their related disciplines at large.
Emulated Empathy and Ethics in Action: Developing the P7014 Standard
By P7014 Working Group on May 19th, 2021 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Social Implications of Technology, Standards
Introduction In 2019, IEEE Working Group P7014 began efforts to develop a ‘Standard for Ethical Considerations in Emulated Empathy in… Read More
Toward a More Equal World: The Human Rights Approach to Extending the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence
By Elizabeth D. Gibbons on April 29th, 2021 in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
There is huge potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to bring massive benefits to under-served populations, advancing equal access to public services such as health, education, social assistance, or public transportation, AI can also drive inequality, concentrating wealth, resources, and decision-making power in the hands of a few countries, companies, or citizens. Artificial intelligence for equity (AI4Eq) calls upon academics, AI developers, civil society, and government policy-makers to work collaboratively toward a technological transformation that increases the benefits to society, reduces inequality, and aims to leave no one behind.
IEEE WIE encouraging IEEE OUs to support Pledge to increase Gender Diversified Panels at future IEEE Events
By Miriam Cunningham on April 29th, 2021 in Articles, Social Implications of Technology
Over the years IEEE Organisational Units (OUs) have been endeavoring to increase gender diversity of speakers in panels at IEEE… Read More