Data & Society

The False Neutrality of Trump’s ‘Woke-Free’ AI Plan | TechPolicy.Press A “woke-free” AI plan is not neutral; it is a blueprint for perpetuating the inequities the US has long struggled to overcome, writes Danielle A. Davis.

A “woke-free” AI plan “is a reflection of a broader political project: to recast fairness & accountability in tech as partisan distractions rather than as pillars of sound governance,” writes Danielle A. Davis, director of tech policy ‪@jointcenter.bsky.social‬. www.techpolicy.press/the-false-ne...

Wikipedia Editors Adopt ‘Speedy Deletion’ Policy for AI Slop Articles “The ability to quickly generate a lot of bogus content is problematic if we don't have a way to delete it just as quickly.”

Wikipedia's policy for handling AI-generated articles could be "an important example for how to deal with the growing AI slop problem from a platform that has so far managed to withstand various forms of enshittification that have plagued the rest of the internet." www.404media.co/wikipedia-ed...

Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams When Meta embedded AI bots in its apps, even students in the most remote corners of Colombia gained access. But rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.

“I ask [AI] for everything,” says Sergio, a 16-year-old student. “When they give me an assignment, I just research and copy. I don’t read or anything. Sometimes I’ve wondered if what it’s telling me is true, but it helps me save time.” restofworld.org/2025/colombi...

Colorado governor calls special legislative session to deal with nearly $1B budget hole, artificial intelligence law Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Aug. 21 mainly to deal with the effects of the so-called big, beautiful bill, congressional Republicans’ federal tax and spending measure. They’ll also debate w...

Read more on the Special Session here: coloradosun.com/2025/08/06/c... 7/7

We hope that SB 24-205 will be implemented by its February 1, 2026 start date and that in the future its provisions are strengthened to further ensure that Coloradans are protected from algorithmic discrimination and the harms that can arise from high-risk AI systems. 6/7

We are disappointed that protections from high-risk AI systems are being mischaracterized as a threat to the economic well-being of Colorado, instead of providing baseline protections to create the accountability needed for an innovative and scientifically sound AI ecosystem. 5/7

SB 24-205 requires a standard of reasonable care for developers and deployers to prevent and avoid algorithmic discrimination for high-risk AI systems — including AI systems used in education, health care, and government services. 4/7

...we are disappointed to see Colorado’s SB 24-205 (Consumer Protections for Artificial Intelligence), the nation’s first comprehensive AI law, on the docket to be repealed, weakened, or its implementation delayed. 3/7

While the Special Session will address the impacts of the Federal budget bill that has massive ramifications for Coloradans — including on healthcare and food security... 2/7

Yesterday, Governor Polis announced that Colorado’s General Assembly will be convened on August 21, 2025 for a Special Session to address the impacts of the Federal budget bill, H.R.1. 1/7

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

We’ll explore AI infrastructure harms, why sustainability claims often ignore location and impact, and policies that center health, equity, and transparency.

Vote here: participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

AI doesn’t live in the cloud – it runs on land, water & electricity at the expense of vulnerable communities. Vote for a #SXSW panel discussion with @lilsg.bsky.social @tamigraph.bsky.social @technolliegist.bsky.social & Abre’ Conner, Esq. to unpack the hidden costs of AI’s energy demands.

Age Verification Is Coming for the Whole Internet Around the world, more users are being asked the same question: Can we see some ID?

The larger trends around online age-verification indicate that “a comprehensively different internet is coming into view: one where, before you can do much of anything, you need to reveal who you are,” @jwherrman.bsky.social writes. nymag.com/intelligence...

The Hidden Dangers of Eliminating Taxes on Tips | Opinion Instead of holding consumers accountable for sharing their data responsibly as privacy laws currently do, we must hold platform companies and our government accountable for the responsible stewardship...

Eliminating taxes on tips has garnered bipartisan support. But as former D&S fellow Lindsey Cameron, affiliate Julia Ticona, and Hannah Wohl write, the plan to do so would result in increased surveillance over lower income workers. www.newsweek.com/hidden-dange...

Text on an orange background with the title of the Points post,What Happens When People Turn to Chatbots for Therapy? by Briana Vecchione. It includes a quote from the brief: "Chatbots are reshaping not only how people seek help, but how they define it."

Our team’s research on how people interact with mental health chatbots is more about the people than the bots, researcher @briana-v.bsky.social‬ writes. datasociety.net/points/what-...

The Gulf’s trillion-dollar AI dream has a water problem Tech giants are pouring oil riches into Middle East data centers as water scarcity threatens digital ambitions.

In countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, “the water demands of AI-intensive data centers may force governments to choose between their climate commitments and their technological ambitions.” restofworld.org/2025/gulf-ai...

The rise of AI tools that write about you when you die Families and funeral directors are using AI obituary generators to more efficiently memorialize the dead. What happens when they get it wrong?

Though largely embraced by the funeral business, AI obituary generators disturb many "who see them as heartless shortcuts for reducing a person’s life to automated text” and who worry about the technology's impact on how we relate to and remember one another. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

AI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren’t doctors Once cautious, OpenAI, Grok, and others will now dive into giving unverified medical advice with virtually no disclaimers.

Getting rid of medical disclaimers and warnings in response to health questions is one way AI companies might be trying to elicit more trust in their products as they compete for more users. But it poses a risk for everyone using AI. www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/21/1...

Silicon Valley Enlists in the Business of War

It was not long ago that tech companies promoted ideas like “connecting the world” and “do no evil,” and promised that their technology wouldn’t be used for military purposes. Now they're embracing the military industrial complex. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/t...

Age Verification Laws Send VPN Use Soaring—and Threaten the Open Internet A law requiring UK internet users to verify their age to access adult content has led to a huge surge in VPN downloads—and has experts worried about the future of free expression online.

The uptick in use of VPNs and other circumvention tools in the UK “is the latest example of how an escalating cat-and-mouse game can develop between people looking to anonymously access services online and governments seeking to enforce content restrictions.” www.wired.com/story/vpn-us...

YouTube video by High Museum of Art Data and Context: Redefining Art and Science in the data-verse

Last month’s event about the evolving relationship between data, design, and human perception — which we presented in collaboration with the High Museum of Art & ‪@aiainetwork.bsky.social, and featured D&S researcher Anuli Akanegbu — is now available to watch online! www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yKS...

Exclusive: Google is indexing ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive user data Thousands of shared ChatGPT chats are now appearing in Google search results.

Google is indexing conversations with ChatGPT that users have sent to friends, families, or colleagues — including those that reveal deeply personal details — turning private exchanges intended for small groups into search results visible to millions. www.fastcompany.com/91376687/goo...

Daniel Kwan Has a Plan to Tackle AI’s Hollywood Takeover and It Requires “Unprecedented” Action The Oscar-winning filmmaker of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ delivered a passionate plea for the future of Hollywood during a conversation with Jaron Lanier presented by Berggruen Institute’s St...

Talking to people at all different levels in Hollywood, “there’s this feeling that [AI] is inevitable,” says Oscar-winning filmmaker Daniel Kwan. “We cannot allow the tech industry to set the terms for our industries.” www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

The Real Demon Inside ChatGPT AI chatbots strip language of its historical and cultural context. Sometimes what looks like a satanic bloodletting ritual may actually be lifted from Warhammer 40,000.

AI tools strip cultural and historical context away from language, @lmatsakis.bsky.social‬ writes, removing information people need to make decisions about what’s worth their attention — not to mention trust. www.wired.com/story/chatgp...

Grateful to @justinhendrix.bsky.social for facilitating this necessary conversation between @smw.bsky.social, Ryan Gerety, and me on why this AI Action Plan is so dangerous and what we can do about it. Listen/read here:

Science, Technology, & Human Values STS School

The rumours are true, we are indeed putting on another Science, Technology, & Human Values STS School! 22-25 June 2026 in Seoul, Korea - hosted by Seoul National University + KAIST, w/ support from the Korean Association of STS (KASTS) + AusSTS. See www.sthvschool.org Applications close 10 Dec 2025

The AI explosion means millions are paying more for electricity Across much of the eastern U.S., electricity bills have jumped. The reason? Data centers required for AI and other tech wonders are driving up electricity demand.

As the boom in data centers leads to price hikes in residential electricity bills, “their proliferation seems likely to anger an even larger swath of the public,” @washingtonpost.com reports. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Chatbots in Disguise When researchers Ranjit Singh, Livia Garofalo, Briana Vecchione, and Emnet Tafesse set out to interview people about their use of mental health chatbots, they encountered a particular kind of AI-enabl...

This recent dispatch from D&S researchers Ranjit Singh, @livgar.bsky.social, @briana-v.bsky.social, and @emnetspeaks.bsky.social offers a glimpse into some of our current research on mental health chatbots. Look out for more next week! datasociety.net/points/chatb...

“We’re addressing this critical alignment question of how to build technology that is ultimately good for society," Brown prof Ellie Pavlick, who will lead the collab, explains. "These are extremely hard problems in AI in general that happen to have a particularly pointed use case in mental health.”

Brown University to lead national institute focused on intuitive, trustworthy AI assistants A new institute, based at Brown and supported by a $20 million National Science Foundation grant, will convene researchers to guide development of a new generation of AI assistants for use in mental a...

We’re very excited to partner with @brown.edu for this new NSF-funded AI research institute, focused on developing a new generation of AI assistants for use in mental and behavioral health that are capable of trustworthy, sensitive, and context-aware interactions. www.brown.edu/news/2025-07...