1.To me, the mission of the Center for Humane Technology is about making sure technology supports people’s well-being instead of manipulating or trying to hurt them. I appreciate that their focus isn’t anti-technology they want it to be developed responsibly. I think their vision is critical, especially as tech continues to play such a huge role in our everyday lives.
2. I do think CHT is right in how they describe social media. It’s clearly built to keep us engaged, even when we don’t want to be. I wasn’t super surprised by the brain science they shared I’ve definitely noticed the effects myself, like how easy it is to lose track of time scrolling or feeling down after too much time online. Social media hasn’t really gotten safer in the last year, but I think more people are at least becoming aware of its impact.
3. I agree with many of CHT’s points about AI. It’s moving fast, and it doesn’t feel like we’ve put the right boundaries in place yet. The problem area that stands out most to me is bias if AI is trained on biased data, it can end up hurting people in areas like healthcare or job hiring. I think CHT is right to raise the alarm, although I wish they’d discuss more about how to address those issues, rather than just identifying them.
4. Before wathcing the podcast I wasn’t super worried about “rogue AI” before, but hearing how easily things can spiral out of control really opened my eyes. This definitely made me feel uneasy. What’s more concerning is the extent of power algorithms already possess, and the limited oversight they receive. It made me realize how urgently we need regulation and accountability.
5. All of these issues social media, AI, and misinformation can affect the people we work with. Clients may struggle with mental health because of social media, or face discrimination from biased AI systems. As social workers, we’ll have to be aware of how tech is shaping people’s lives and how it isn’t. At the same time, if used right, technology could help us reach more people and make services more accessible.
I agree that people are becoming more aware of social media’s impact, and I think that is a great thing. I also felt uneasy and a little concerned after watching the Rouge AI podcast. I found it concerning how it was almost manipulative of the data it had in an effort to “stay alive”. We definitely need to mandate boundaries and regulations around AI before we become even more aware of what it is capable of.
Great post!