The mission of Center for Humane Tech aims to challenge negative technology trends and products through awareness and reform. CHT believes that while technology is a part of our world, it can be used in a manner that is ethical. Prior to this assignment I was not familiar with CHT and their work. CHT seems just as new as the technology they are working to improve. While their mission is noble I think only time will tell if their impact is meaningful.
CHT notes that social media is powerful tool and that has been dangerously addictive. This analysis was not surprising to me as I am daily doom scroller on most major social media apps. There have been a few days this summer were there were wireless provider outages and I felt a heightened sense of stress for those few hours I was disconnected from the world. Ironically, I completed a Instagram search for CHT and while they have a page their are no posts. Their Facebook page does not show any recent post this year. There is a link that takes you back to the website. I did find this odd as CHT desires to bring awareness and a dormant social media pages is counterproductive to that goal.
Social Media has changed in the last year to include more AI. There AI prompts to assist with searching for items, improving your comments to post and so many AI photo challenges. AI images and videos are constant on my social media timelines. There have been a few instances were I have been fooled by an AI image. The inability to determine what is factual or AI generated is concerning. This was discussed on CHT page in the Breakdown of Shared Understanding. CHT response to this concern is to improve the design and best practice guidelines. It is unclear what their implementation strategy will be or their timeline.
As it relates to the podcast AI can and has gone rouge. The podcast offered examples of AI that knowingly committing wrongdoings in training sites. I have seen news articles about users using AI to their own detriment and there is essentially no one to blame.
As a social worker I think incorporating AI use in our questionnaires for clients and safety planning around excessive AI use maybe become best practices. I think eventually there will need to be treatment programs designed to rehabilitate AI mental health challenges.
AI as is feels like an episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror.
Hello!
I have never seen the show Black Mirror, but I have always heard great things about it and how it may change your perception on society. I would consider myself a doom scroller as well. In the moment it does not feel like doom scrolling, it honestly doesn’t feel like anything. For me at least, it might just be an hour of endless mindless scrolling. I love that you checked CHT’s social media page, and I completely agree that they should be more active in efforts to spread the word on their mission.
Great post!
Tierra,
I believe that CHT is suggesting something broader than using technology in an ethical manner. I think they are suggesting that the very way technology is designed affects its impact on users and society. They believe that design is not a given and can be changed in ways that encourage diversity and engagement with people who hold different opinions.
I think it is interesting that you searched for CHT on social media and then were surprised when you didn’t find them. I disagree with your analysis of that fact. It seems quite logical to me that an organization whose entire purpose is to challenge the addictive nature and disinformation promoted on social media refrains from engaging on that medium. That is why they send you to their website.
You yourself have experienced being fooled by AI generated information on social media. And the algorithms, which are the most destructive part of this technology, encourage you to get more of what you already think. That is what they are challenging and what they are encouraging us to challenge.
The idea that when AI goes rogue there is essentially no one to blame is interesting to me. I think what CHT is trying to accomplish is to get you to consider the fact that these things are controllable and in fact, we make choices that enable what might not be in our best interest.
Looking forward to many more conversations.
Dr P