TechStuff Week in Tech: Turning China's Surveillance Against Itself
Sep 12, 2025
Discover how MIT researchers are using technology to simulate the experience of aging. Hear about an activist who cleverly used China's surveillance against its government during a bold protest. Dive into the fascinating world of chatbots and the ethical dilemmas faced by AI trainers. Finally, explore the controversial idea of replacing therapists with AI and hear listeners' surprising chatbot experiences. This episode is a thought-provoking blend of tech, ethics, and innovation!
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Simulation Makes Empathy Operational
- Age-simulation suits like MIT's AGNES make empathy research scalable and consistent.
- They reveal that designing for older people still requires deliberate, focused effort despite increased awareness.
Living The Research: Patty Moore's Disguise
- Patricia Moore disguised herself as an elderly woman in 1979 to test product and public interactions.
- Her hands-on experiment led to a career in universal design and practical accessibility improvements.
Projection Protest Turns Surveillance Back
- Activist Tsi Hong projected anti-government slogans onto a Chongqing skyscraper the night before a Beijing parade.
- He used surveillance photos of police interrogating his elderly mother to expose and mock state surveillance.