The comprehensive, even sweeping, set of guidelines for artificial intelligence that the White House unveiled in an executive order on Oct. 30, 2023, show that the U.S. government is attempting to address the risks posed by AI. As a researcher of information systems and responsible AI, I believe the executive order represents an important step in building responsible and trustworthy AI. The […] … learn more→

Social media platforms are a great source of information and entertainment. They also help us to maintain contact with friends and family. But social media can also – and has, often – become a toxic environment for spreading disinformation, hatred and conflict. Most people can’t or don’t want to opt out of social media. Efforts by courts and state […] … learn more→

Facing persistent teacher shortages, Texas in 2001 reduced its student teaching requirements for alternative licensure programs. Our study found that these reduced teacher licensure requirements also led to reduced wages for all new elementary school teachers over the next 20 years. Previously, a new teacher license was obtained through university training and a series of standardized tests. The license […] … learn more→

The benefits of friendship go far beyond having someone to confide in or spend time with – it can also protect you from physical and mental health problems. For example, people with good friends recover more quickly from illnesses and surgeries. They report higher well-being and feel like they live up to their full potential. Additionally, people with good friends report […] … learn more→

Time is one of those things that most of us take for granted. We spend our lives portioning it into work-time, family-time and me-time. Rarely do we sit and think about how and why we choreograph our lives through this strange medium. A lot of people only appreciate time when they have an experience that […] … learn more→

The world is infatuated with artificial intelligence (AI), and for good reason. AI systems can process vast quantities of data in a seemingly superhuman way. However, current AI systems rely on computers running complex algorithms based on artificial neural networks. These use huge amounts of energy, and use even more energy if you are trying to work […] … learn more→

Title of course: Lynching and the Press What prompted the idea for the course? One of my students was reviewing a spreadsheet that listed total lynchings by state. She exhaled, and then, with a bit of weariness, said, “Mississippi, goddamn.” She was trying to comprehend the enormity of violence against the Black population of Mississippi: […] … learn more→

A couple of months ago I wrote a post called ‘The enshittification of academic social media’, riffing on ideas put in the world by Cory Doctorow. It’s fair to say, this post was a minor viral hit, resulting in me being interviewed by Geraldine Dougue on ABC radio, and a piece in The Australian, which I haven’t yet managed […] … learn more→

Funders can seem a little like the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece. For four centuries, supplicants approached the Oracle, seeking wisdom and hoping for prophecies of good fortune. No one was entirely sure how she arrived at her decision. All were slightly fearful. None looked too closely or too directly at her. But all […] … learn more→

The world of remote pilots specialising in drones is rapidly gaining traction across an array of industries, spanning marketing, military, security, agriculture, sports, cinematography, photography, and more. Given the diverse applications of these unmanned aerial vehicles, it’s hardly a surprise that drone piloting offers a plethora of career opportunities. If you’re eager to embark on […] … learn more→