In this episode of AI-Curious, Jeff Wilser dives deep into AI critiques with Sara Watson, a leading technology critic. The conversation explores the often overlooked risks of AI, moving beyond the usual dystopian scenarios of robots taking over and instead addressing the more subtle, real-world implications of AI.

Sara is the former lead analyst at Forrester, the co-founder of co-founder A People’s History of Tech, and has written for outlets such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Wired. She brings a thoughtful and nuanced perspective to the current AI landscape. On this episode we cover AI’s environmental toll, the concentration of power, bias in AI training data, and the challenges of distinguishing truth in an era of deepfakes.If you’re curious about how technology shapes society and what AI means for our future, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Key Topics:

•[00:02:00] The Role of Criticism: It’s Not About Negativity or Nihilism

•[00:04:00] Being “Cautiously Optimistic” and Understanding the Hype Cycle

•[00:05:00] Investigating AI’s Claims in a Critical Moment of Hype

•[00:06:00] The Importance of Asking the Right Questions

•[00:07:00] Long-Term Existential AI Risks vs. Present Harms

•[00:08:00] Bias in AI: The Historical Injustices Baked into Data Sets

•[00:11:00] Environmental Costs of AI and the Hidden Resource Strain

•[00:12:00] The Concentration of Power: Who Owns and Controls AI?

•[00:14:00] The Ethical Challenges of AI Development

•[00:15:00] How Bias in Training Data Reinforces Systemic Injustice

•[00:16:00] Human Choices Behind Algorithms: The Myth of Objectivity

•[00:19:00] Deepfakes and the Erosion of Trust in Visual Media

•[00:22:00] The Weaponization of AI to Cast Doubt on Authentic Media

•[00:24:00] Sci-Fi’s Role in AI Critique: From Killer Robots to Governance

•[00:25:00] The Fragility of the Systems Built on AI: A Conversation on Tech Infrastructure

•[00:26:00] Tech Criticism Today: How It’s Evolved Over the Last Decade

•[00:27:00] What Are We Optimizing For? How This Question Shapes AI’s Development

•[00:29:00] Regulation, Children, and the Role of Government in Tech

•[00:31:00] Progress for Whom? Criticism as Part of AI’s Development

•[00:34:00] Future Justice and What AI Should Be Used For

•[00:35:00] Creativity, Human Time, and AI’s Role in Freeing Us for Innovation

•[00:36:00] What Sara Means by Being a “Radical Futurist”

•[00:38:00] AI and Capitalism: Can We Imagine a Different System?

Key Topics Covered:
•The role of AI criticism in driving thoughtful progress
•The environmental impact of AI and its hidden costs
•Bias in AI algorithms and its real-world consequences
•The risks of AI misinformation and deepfakes
•How concentration of power in AI development affects us all


Sara M. Watson
http://www.saramwatson.com/

Toward a Constructive Technology Criticism
https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/constructive_technology_criticism.php