When Elon Musk fired Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s legal, public policy, trust and safety lead, at the start of an avalanche of firings and departures, the Tesla CEO’s actions were reminiscent of another automaker in crisis. After General Motors closed its Flint, Michigan, factories in 1997, it posted signs on the empty buildings: “Demolition Means Progress.” … Continue reading Knight First Amendment Institute: How to Avoid Social Media Blight
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Manifesto: The Coalition for Independent Technology Research
By J. Nathan Matias, Susan Benesch, Rebekah Tromble, Alex Abdo, J. Bob Alotta, David Karpf, David Lazer, Nathalie Maréchal, Nabiha Syed & Ethan Zuckerman
Society needs trustworthy, independent research to relieve the harms of digital technologies and advance the common good. Research can help us understand ourselves more clearly, identify problems, hold power accountable, imagine the world we want, and test ideas for change. In a democracy, this knowledge comes from academics, journalists, civil society, and community scientists, among … Continue reading Manifesto: The Coalition for Independent Technology Research
Coalition for Independent Technology Research Founding Document
By the Coalition
INTRODUCTION Technology companies have developed unprecedented power to observe, shape, and intervene in people’s everyday lives. While people benefit greatly from the digital communication and connection these companies provide, so too do they bear the harms that the companies’ new technologies impose. Society needs trustworthy, independent research to reveal and relieve these harms and to … Continue reading Coalition for Independent Technology Research Founding Document
The Essential Role of Industry-Independent Research in US National AI R&D
By Susan Benesch, Brandi Geurkink, David Karpf, David Lazer, Nathalie Maréchal, J. Nathan Matias & Rebekah Tromble
The National AI Initiative Act is designed to ensure that the United States remains a leader on AI research and development. It sets out to leverage the opportunities of AI to increase the well-being of Americans while safeguarding against potential and actual harms to our communities. As Lynn Parker noted in her February blog post … Continue reading The Essential Role of Industry-Independent Research in US National AI R&D