Tag: September 2023

Book Review: Age of Auto Electric: Environment, Energy, and the Quest for the Sustainable Car

By on January 10th, 2024 in Articles, Book Reviews, Environment, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

When an early-adopter buddy of mine stopped by recently in his brand-new electric Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, I was stunned at how impressed I was. For one thing, unlike other electric vehicles (EVs) I have seen up close (mostly Teslas), this one looked and felt like a real car: it had a real dashboard with real switches and knobs, a real brake pedal, and an overall design that did not look like something an eight-year-old doodled after seeing Blade Runner 2049. More importantly, it was by far the fastest vehicle I have ever driven, so much so that by the end of a quick spin I had an idiotic grin on my face I could not quite shake. It was, as Matthew Eisler reports in Age of Auto Electric, the “EV smile.”

Potential Impact of Data-Centric AI on Society

By on December 18th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

DCAI has the potential to revolutionize many industries and fields by enabling more efficient and effective decision-making based on insights extracted from data. Monitoring and evaluating the algorithm’s performance can help identify and mitigate biases over time, ensuring reliable and ethical results.

The Role of Public Policy in the Adoption of Prosthetic Limbs in the United States

By on December 5th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Commentary, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

We urge that there be a federal mandate to include bionics in federal insurance programs and insurance companies regulated by Obamacare. As prostheses advance in sensory capabilities, insurance companies need to recognize prosthetic limbs as a part of the body susceptible to personal injury, not just as equipment, since they have haptic capabilities (i.e., the sense of touch) and can feel distress.

Diversity Initiatives for Women in IT: Friends or Enemies?

By on December 1st, 2023 in Articles, Commentary, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

There have been many arguments made for why increasing diversity and improving the representation of women in this field is important such as workers shortage, estimated increase in countries’ gross domestic product (GDP) by including more women in this sector, creating software that better represents the needs of women overall—potentially addressing some of the existing biases in algorithms, and bringing about a general improvement in society.

ChatSh*t and Other Conversations (That We Should Be Having, But Mostly Are Not)

By on November 3rd, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming people’s access to and attitudes toward knowledge. It is an extremely powerful technology, but this transformation presents numerous social, environmental, political, and educational considerations.

Society’s Dilemma in Our Day in Age: Technology and Academics Versus Social Development

By on October 16th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

If we had a system in the United States where 50% of the time was dedicated to a single academic program for everyone, and the other 50% to social development, society would reap the benefits.

Remembering an Ethical Engineering Advocate

By on September 24th, 2023 in Articles, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact

The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) lost one of its leading lights when Stephen H. “Steve” Unger passed away on 4 July 2023, at the age of 92 (https://technologyandsociety.org/ssit-csit-co-founder-stephen-h-unger-dies/).