Food security and agriculture are complex systems that interconnect with many other issues, including poverty and environmental sustainability. These urgent issues inspire proposals for technological solutions. Emerging technologies are often proposed as ways to increase food supply to end hunger. Other proposals target agricultural practice, grounded in the knowledge that agriculture has a large carbon footprint, and the fear that the negative climate impacts of agriculture would worsen as the population increases.
Tag: Showcase
Call for EIC/Co-EICs of IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society
By John Impagliazzo on September 19th, 2024 in Announcements, Articles, Blog Posts, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT Announcements, Transactions
The Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) seeks applications and nominations for the position of Editor-in-Chief (EIC) or Co-Editors-in-Chief (Co-EICs) of the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society (TTS) for a three-year term (once renewable) beginning 1 January 2026.
Text Neck: Looking Down at Devices for Way Too Long
By Katina Michael on September 18th, 2024 in Articles, Case Studies, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Text Neck is a classic ergonomic issue that has come about as a direct result of technological innovation, as people have begun to increasingly use digital media of all types to text, talk, browse the internet, listen to music, watch videos, or play online games.
Advancing Gender Equality Through Interdisciplinarity
By Lindsay Rodgers on August 28th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Commentary, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
There is a clear parallel between conceptualizations of comedy clubs and AI labs as masculine spaces, and jokes and technology as for men. As Sutko writes, [AI] technology often gets equated with “men’s power,” while women and girls are portrayed as less technologically skilled and less interested than their male counterparts. Such stereotypes can contribute to the gender gap in women’s participation in related fields.
Introducing the Editorial Board—Part II
By Ketra Schmitt on August 15th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Welcome to the second installment of “Meet the Editorial Board.” We are delighted to introduce you to some more members of the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine’s editorial board.
Advancing Science and Technology Policy
By Luis Kun on July 30th, 2024 in Articles, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Social Implications of Technology
Most Congressional leaders are lawyers who lack a science and technology (S&T) background, yet we expect them to make decisions in regard to S&T legislation.
When Not to Use AI
By Ketra Schmitt on July 17th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Case Studies, Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
While AI-generated responses can initially seem impressive, LLM and AI generated texts suffer from multiple risks, including hallucination and inaccuracy.
Enhancing Sustainability in Resource-Limited Environments: Government, Culture, and AI
By Alex Roig Albeda on July 10th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Case Studies, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Spain’s Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian Community) (Figure 1) has a rich agricultural history, with long traditions of resilience and innovation. This tradition,… Read More
Technological Solutions to Online Toxicity: Potential and Pitfalls
By Arezo Bodaghi on July 3rd, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Case Studies, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Social media platforms present a perplexing duality, acting at once as sites to build community and a sense of belonging, while also giving rise to misinformation, facilitating and intensifying disinformation campaigns and perpetuating existing patterns of discrimination from the physical world.
AI and Data Technologies in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals
By Juste Rajaonson on June 15th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The articles in this special issue focus on the connected nature of the SDGs and the need to address them using community-based approaches and span essential steps for widespread SDG attainment, including planning, implementation, and monitoring.
Edge Computing and IoT Data Breaches: Security, Privacy, Trust, and Regulation
By David Kolevski on May 26th, 2024 in Articles, Commentary, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Edge computing security challenges the existing trust that end-users have when using device-level services. Studies identify that stakeholder accountability can be achieved through data protection regulation when implementing edge and IoT services.
Sustainability in the Built Environment: The Galapagos Experience
By Analia Lourdes Pastran on May 16th, 2024 in Articles, Case Studies, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The LLES Project promotes the transformation of the conventional construction paradigm, incorporating bioclimatic architecture strategies like passive measures to minimize heat gain and maximize cooling.
Climate Change News – AI and Climate Change
By Elisabeth Gilmore on May 6th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Environment, Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
At the Recent international negotiations on climate change in Dubai in 2023, the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to play a critical role in addressing climate challenges was recognized through the initiative “AI for Climate Action (#AI4ClimateAction).”
Introducing the Editorial Board—Part I
By Ketra Schmitt on April 29th, 2024 in Articles, Magazine Articles, News and Notes, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Publications are only as strong as the people who make them work. As part of this new chapter in IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (TSM), this is the first in a series of pieces to introduce the new associate editors who represent a powerhouse of knowledge on the social implications of technology.
A Social Technical Journey to SSIT
By Ketra Schmitt on April 19th, 2024 in Articles, Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine is a rare place where social and technological concerns come together in a way that respects both the technological details as well as the critical, social areas that influence technological invention and adoption.
Connecting in Person and Networking
By Luis Kun on April 16th, 2024 in Articles, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Social Implications of Technology
Dr. Kiani is a wonderful example of practicing what she preaches. First, she believes in talking with very young/K12 girls to get involved in STEM and she is very active in the IEEE-USA efforts. The implementation of the Nepal project is an example of “walk the talk.”
Human Centricity in the Relationship Between Explainability and Trust in AI
By Peter Lewis on March 20th, 2024 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Editorial & Opinion, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The term “explainability” is a multifaceted concept within the realm of computer science. In essence, it encompasses various aspects and capacities of a system to effectively convey its internal processes, decision-making, capabilities, and constraints to its users. Providing explanations can notably enhance initial trust, especially when trust is measured as a multidimensional concept that includes aspects such as competence, benevolence, integrity, intention to return, and perceived transparency.
Gender Equality in Engineering: An Institutional Reflection
By Jeremy Pitt on February 28th, 2024 in Articles, Editorial & Opinion, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
We identified five key issues to prioritize when addressing gender equality: Reaching critical mass; Improving lived and living experience (maintaining critical mass); Selection and resource-allocation criteria; The misconception of merit in academia; Beyond gender equality.
On Aerial Perspective, Socio-Technical Systems, and Interdisciplinarity:
By Heather Love on February 16th, 2024 in Articles, Commentary, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
These modernists aim to cultivate in readers the capacity to “think cybernetically”—that is, to develop strategies for responding in creative and generative ways to the 20th century’s complex sociocultural (and socio-technical) environment.
The End of Exploring
By Jeremy Pitt on January 25th, 2024 in Social Implications of Technology
If I knew what made for a successful academic career, I would have bottled and sold it a long time ago. There probably is no silver bullet, and with the organizational/individual duality, it is probably impossible to solve all of the problems or optimize all of the criteria, at all of the different levels, for all of the different people, all at the same time. Focus on those arenas that you can affect and inspire.