DIGETHIX

31/07/2023

Can you ever have so much data that it becomes unmanageable? Are there ways make the way you use data more effective? In this episode, Seth talks to Lauren Maffeo about how to design a data governance framework that will best suit your needs.

Lauren is a service designer at Steampunk, a human-centered design firm serving the federal government. She is also a founding editor of Springer’s AI and Ethics journal and an area editor for Data and Policy, an open access journal with Cambridge University Press. She also teaches courses on design at George Washington University. She is the author of the book, Data Governance from the Ground Up.

https://tinyurl.com/digethix

02/06/2023

Should you use ChatGPT in class? This is a short guide explaining what ChatGPT is, the pitfalls of using it, and some classroom policy options for handling it.

What problems have you encountered in class? Have you found good ways to make use of ChatGPT?

When ChatGPT dropped in November 2022, it had teachers and students scrambling to figure out what to do with this new service. Seth outlines four main ways to handle ChatGPT in the classroom and notes some pitfalls of using ChatGPT uncritically. 

24/03/2023

Should you use dating apps? What skills do you need to form a relationship? What role does technology play in our relationships? Ethicist Kate Ott helps us answer some of these questions.

You can find the full episode here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O3ALHFCqjnsWtN0i0TWGc?si=rEn6y2mhSv-HpnfzE_Om_Q&nd=1

22/11/2022

What challenges do parents uniquely face today with technology? Dr. Loretta Brady offers some insights into connecting with kids in the midst of technological change.

https://digethix.org/24-parenting-in-the-digital-dystopia-with-dr-loretta-brady/

17/02/2022

How can technology play a role in our safety infrastructure? How do crises affect the process of consent?

LiveSafe's Ryan Mayfield explains safety communication technologies and crisis prevention/response.



https://digethix.org/21-trust-and-safety-communication-with-ryan-mayfield/

03/02/2022

We had a chance to partner with After Dinner Conversation, an online ethics magazine. The magazine hosts stories that center around an ethical ambiguity, with discussion questions following each story.

How do you personally navigate situations in which you can’t tell immediately if a decision will be right or wrong? In what situations do you find yourself unsure of what choice to make? How has technology impacted the situations that you find yourself feeling this way?

Full episode here:

https://digethix.org/20-exploring-ethical-problems-through-stories-with-after-dinner-conversations/

12/01/2022

Dr. Benjamin Chicka serves as a lecturer of philosophy and religion at Curry College. He is the author of the book, Playing as Others. He is interested in how video games can be used as a source of positive ethical formation. Much of his perspective has been informed by the infamous GamerGate scandal in 2014.

Key questions: how do we learn to act ethically? What tools do we have to train ourselves in the direction that we hope to go? Should videogames be a part of this formation strategy or are they merely diversions?

Episode:

https://digethix.org/digethix-19-videogames-and-positive-ethical-formation-with-benjamin-chicka/



Potentially helpful links:

Book: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481315463/playing-as-others/

Gamergate info: https://www.vox.com/2014/9/6/6111065/gamergate-explained-everybody-fighting

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/14/the-only-guide-to-gamergate-you-will-ever-need-to-read/

Forums/video game communities

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/31/gamer-communities-positive-side-twitter

Papers please

https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/11/10/244413539/papers-please-puts-your-loyalty-sympathy-to-the-test

Exploitation in the video game industry

https://time.com/5603329/e3-video-game-creators-union/

15/12/2021

What traits make for an effective leader today? How can we build authentic relationships in our increasingly technology mediated world? Is it necessary to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of each other? Willys DeVoll takes us through some insights from his new book, Leadership is a Relationship.

https://digethix.org/digethix-18-ethical-leadership-in-business-and-life-with-willys-devoll/

01/12/2021

The main topic of this episode is Jacob Boss’s research on transhumanism. Transhumanism is a movement of people dedicated to using technology to transform humanity and to radically change the human condition. Jacob’s specific area of research is on a group of transhumanists known as Grinders. This group is highly interested in body modification through do-it-yourself science and technology.

What is body modification? What does it mean to have body autonomy in an era of powerful technology? How will our ideas of self-expression change? How are grassroots movements like the grinders related to more corporatized movements within transhumanism itself? How far should we go in pursuit of new technologies that may relieve our pains and illnesses?

17/11/2021

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to imagine a different kind of technology company? On this episode, Dr. Rubén Mancha makes the case for non-profit technology companies as a way to better serve the community.

https://digethix.org/digethix-16-the-case-for-the-non-profit-tech-company-with-ruben-mancha/

03/11/2021

On July 31, 2021, Doordash drivers went on strike. Industry veteran Bernd Dürrwächter describes what factors led to the strike, especially this issue of how tips were being deducted from worker wages. You can find the full episode here:

https://digethix.org/digethix-15-information-asymmetry-in-the-app-economy-the-case-of-the-doordash-strike/

20/10/2021

Seth Villegas interviews Timothée Mathon. Timothée is a French freelance artist. He has experience working as a Concept Artist, Art Director and Illustrator for the AAA Videogame and Movie industry (Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, Netflix, and Net Ease Games). He designed a collection of Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and heavily advocates for the independence of artists in the industry.

The key questions for this episode are: what is radical about non-fungible tokens as a technology? How can NFT change the way that art and art ownership function? What new options might they give to artists?

https://digethix.org/digethix-14-nfts-and-the-future-of-art-with-timothee-mathon/

07/10/2021

Seth sat down with Dr. Emmanuelle Burton to talk about ethics education for CS students and how reaching more science fiction might help us to pay better attention to our circumstances. How do we become the right sort of people to create worthwhile technologies? How do we prevent these technologies from distorting us and our relationships? What ethical skills will be useful for the next generation of technologists?

https://digethix.org/digethix-13-exploring-attention-and-virtue-through-science-fiction-with-emanuelle-burton/

29/09/2021

Seth Villegas and Bernd Dürrwächter discuss the role of CAPTCHAs and bots in our automated systems and the potential obstacle they pose to people making informed decisions.

The key questions for this episode are: How can companies properly inform their users so that they can make informed decisions about what they are doing? Why is it that we have to prove to your technical systems that we are human? How should we think about the tradeoffs between security and convenience?

https://digethix.org/podcast-12-captchas-bots-and-informed-consent-with-bernd-durrwachter/

24/09/2021

Our latest episode is experiencing a bit of delays, but we will be back next Wednesday. Thank you for your patience! - DIGETHIX Team

16/09/2021

Seth Villegas sat down with associate provost Azer Bestavros to talk about Boston University's new Computing and Data Sciences unit. They talk about massive shared computing, privacy preserving analytics, and the history of computer science as a whole. How can computational methods and technologies be used to address social challenges? How might data be integrated into other academic disciplines? What role do computer scientists have to play in larger research questions?

https://digethix.org/podcast-11-azer-bestavros/

08/09/2021

Season 2 will be starting up next Wednesday! We are starting strong with an interview with Boston University Associate Provost Azer Bestavros, who is heading up the new Computing and Data Sciences Unit!

04/08/2021

Seth Villegas reviews the first set of episodes for the DIGETHIX podcast, talking about his experience and takeaways from this season. He reviews the cover art for each episode, which were designed by Alex Nielsen and Nicole Smith, to discuss the range of themes that were discussed. A gallery of the described images can be found on our website here:

https://digethix.org/podcast-10-season-recap-and-state-of-the-podcast/

The podcast will be on a break for three weeks, with regular uploads resuming again on September 1, 2021, with other content coming out on our other social media.