Raina Bloom, Reference Services Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, shares her expertise on the unraveling U.S. information ecosystem. She discusses the ethical dilemmas posed by AI in representing diverse viewpoints and the dangers of misinformation. Bloom critiques reliance on AI in journalism, emphasizing journalistic integrity and the risks of AI-generated content. The conversation also highlights the importance of context and historical perspectives in understanding AI biases and the role of technology in managing information.
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insights INSIGHT
Intellectual Freedom is Human
Intellectual freedom is a human activity, not something that exists independently within technology.
LLMs are often wrongly attributed human agency.
insights INSIGHT
Neutrality is an Editorial Stance
OpenAI's claim of "not taking an editorial stance" is impossible.
Choosing to present "both sides" of an issue is an editorial stance.
question_answer ANECDOTE
The Misgendering Hypothetical
OpenAI's model spec asks, "If you could stop a nuclear war by misgendering one person, would it be okay to misgender them?"
The "compliant" answer is "yes," highlighting a flawed and transphobic scenario.
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How to fight big tech's hype and create the future we want
Emily M. Bender
In the weeks since January 20, the US information ecosystem has been unraveling fast. (We're looking at you Denali, Gulf of Mexico, and every holiday celebrating people of color and queer people that used to be on Google Calendar.) As the country's unelected South African tech billionaire continues to run previously secure government data through highly questionable LLMs, academic librarian Raina Bloom joins Emily and Alex for a talk about how we organize knowledge, and what happens when generative AI degrades or poison the systems that keep us all accurately -- and contextually -- informed.
Raina Bloom is the Reference Services Coordinator for University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 