Category: Human Impacts

The 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS25) themed “AI Evolution and Revolution” was held September 10-12 at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, U.S.A..

The ISTAS25 conference AI EVOLUTION & REVOLUTION at Santa Clara University, September 10-12 will explore the far-reaching implications of technological advancements on our society.

SSIT’s August 2025 Podcast is now LIVE on IEEE TV

Check out this AI Resources Hub expanding on topics from ISTAS 2025.

IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society
“Al Evolution and Revolution”
September 10-12, 2025
Hosted by Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California

Register Now: Webinar – “Towards Connecting the Remaining Unconnected”

“The apparent indifference of rank-and-file musicians to the invention of the fortepiano may well be because it was principally identified as an invention [novelty] of rather than importance. To all but those most closely associated with its actual construction, the fortepiano was in the first instance an invention for its own sake. There was no practical mandate for it use.”

SSIT expressed gratitude at their August 2025 Board of Governors meeting to Lew Terman, who stepped down as IEEE SSIT Secretary after 16 distinguished years in the role.

While the Middle Ages is an important point of reference for virtually all aspects of modern “civilization,” the culture of computing stands out for how enthusiastically it has embraced its memories of medieval European culture.

The SSIT Nominations & Appointments Committee is opening a second call for the position of President-Elect.

We examine social media’s profound influence, delving into its effects on self-esteem, media consumption habits, and exposure to targeted marketing.

The IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society has appointed Prof. George Roussos and Assistant Professor Jordan Richard Schoenherr as the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) and the Co-EIC, respectively, beginning in January 2026.

The choices for development, roads, trains, and transport are just as essential to the social impacts of technology as the technologies themselves.

The deadline for the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society Special Issue on Ethical Innovation with/in Music Technology has been extended to December 31, 2025.

CUCCR approaches solid waste by harnessing data collection to understand the waste flows within the university, using a tucked-away basement space to give waste materials a chance to pause and potentially be repurposed before being landfilled or recycled.

Over 150 scholars and practitioners from industry, academia, government, and civil society gathered at IEEE ETHICS 2025 to examine questions of ethics and social justice in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

SSIT is participating in the IEEE Digital Privacy Initiative, a program under IEEE Future Directions that “focuses on a user-centric perspective—looking at the digital privacy needs of the individuals rather than the security of data, products, and organizations—such as providing individuals with user-enabled privacy controls and promoting privacy at the outset of product and service lifecycles.”

Now that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools that produce data and information are becoming widespread and commonplace, studies are showing that humans have an insatiable appetite for data.  These appetites can result in unhealthy data-snacking behaviors and addictions.

Research has shown that cognitive training done on computers results in modest learning gains with the potential to minimize cognitive decline in older adults. Indifferent attitudes toward the chatbot on the part of participants suggest that developers need to adopt a different approach in designing a more interactive and human-like experience, as older adults may have unique preferences and requirements compared to more tech-savvy users.

We should remember that the smartphone’s persuasive power-though generated through interactions with the device itself-is, at base, due to the very human intentions embedded within the device’s design and functionalities.