The Data Fix with Dr. Mél Hogan

Emily M. Bender, a linguistics professor and co-author of 'Against AI', teams up with Alex Hanna, the Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute, to unpack the myths surrounding artificial intelligence. They dive into the misleading narratives of AI, exploring how claims around LLMs can misguide industries like education and healthcare. The conversation covers the economic implications of AGI and critiques the effectiveness of therapy chatbots, revealing the often overlooked social and ecological costs of AI technologies.

In this episode, Paul Schütze and I pick apart the inherent contradictions of “sustainable AI”, marketing language that aims to convince the public that one of the most extractive industries can be used to solve climate change. We delve into the layers of control embedded in the logics of AI, when technology becomes the fix that needs fixing. Recorded May 20, 2025. Released July 7, 2025. The impacts of AI Futurismhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-024-09758-6 The Problem of Sustainable AI https://doi.org/10.34669/WI.WJDS/4.1.4 contact paul.schuetze@uos.de and website: paulschuetze.de  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Rebecca Kilberg, Mary-Clare Bosco and Jonathan Gilmour who together use policy approaches to solve problems related to data center water usage and the various planetary and health outcomes that emerge from water consumption and extraction. They talk about how you get such data and what to do with it, and the importance of creating many local sites of resistance for a more sustainable future. Want in? Get in touch. Recorded May 19, 2025. Released June 16, 2025.Voices: Data centers must be transparent about water usage — for the sake of the Great Salt Lakehttps://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2024/12/31/voices-utah-data-centers-must-beReducing Data Centers’ Water Consumption https://aspenpolicyacademy.org/project/reducing-data-centers-water-consumption Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Shannon Wait — Alphabet Workers Union-CWA organizer — speaks with me about the labour conditions for data center and AI workers. We talk about contracts, sub-contracts, sub-sub-contracts, NDAs, invisible labour -- and how all of this leads to unions, solidarity, and a fight for tech workers’ rights globally. Recorded May 8, 2025. Released June 2, 2025. Interview with Shannon Wait, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Organizer (2024)https://poweratwork.us/shannon-wait-interviewA union of Alphabet workers in the U.S. and Canadahttps://www.alphabetworkersunion.org/Google Raters Participated in Historic Action at Google HQ to Demand Google End Poverty Wages for 5,000 Workershttps://code-cwa.org/news/google-raters-participated-historic-actionThe woman who took on Google and won (2021)https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56659212 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Allison Carruth and I talk about her new book which gets at some of the material infrastructure and social systems that have made the US a settler state ever obsessed with new frontiers, including space. We talk about tech imaginaries, worlds remade, and better futures — a vision that invites confronting the state of things head-on, a slower redoing, and is based on connection, love, and friendship (maybe with aliens, too). Recorded May 7, 2025. Released May 19, 2025.Novel Ecologies: Nature Remade and the Illusions of Tech (2025)https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo239362741.htmlAllison Carruth https://allisoncarruth.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dani Shanley, an assistant professor in philosophy focusing on the ethics of emerging tech, and Gemma Milne, a lecturer and author examining the political economy of deep tech, delve into the concept of 'hype.' They dissect its profound impact on decision-making and societal narratives, particularly around AI. The discussion challenges listeners to reflect on their biases and the ethical dimensions of hype in research. They emphasize the need for clear communication and authenticity in a world increasingly shaped by exaggerated expectations.

Dustin Edwards, associate professor and rhetoric scholar, dives deep into the environmental and social impacts of digital infrastructure. He explores the damage caused by data centers and mining, highlighting ethical storytelling and colonial histories. The conversation touches on the complex interplay between masculinity, labor, and technology, as well as the need for a decolonial, feminist, and anti-racist lens in academia. Edwards urges a shift towards human-centric values in an increasingly data-driven world, calling for mindfulness and resistance to datafication.

In this episode, I ask Jasmine McNealy about the role of consent online, from social media exchanges to the circulation of deep fakes. Who gets to define harm? Who is responsible for the damage? Does anyone have to take accountability? We also talk about surveillance, sonic privacy, and the many data trails the body leaves behind. Recorded Apr 4, 2025. Released April 14, 2025.Sonic Privacy. Yale Journal of Law & Technology/Yale ISP-Knight Foundation Public Sphere Series.https://law.yale.edu/sites/default/files/area/center/isp/documents/mcnealy.pdfConsent (Still) Won’t Save Us Chapter from: Feminist Cyberlaw https://uplopen.com/chapters/e/10.1525/luminos.190.p  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Collin Bjork, a Senior Lecturer at Massey University and a specialist in generative AI, discusses the multifaceted implications of "extractive AI." He contrasts AI tools like Otter.ai with the community-centric approach of Te Hiku Media, emphasizing the importance of stewardship in technology. Collin also explores how rhetoric fosters togetherness rather than mere persuasion. Additionally, he shares insights on linguistic equity in AI and the exciting potential of indigenous perspectives in shaping technology.

In this episode Hagen Blix and I talk about how the fear of AI, from the non-billionaire CEO class, comes from the threat of deskilling workers. Recorded Mar 5, 2025. Released March 17, 2025.Tech Workers Can Still Fight Silicon Valley’s Overlordsby Hagen Blix and Ingeborg Glimmer https://jacobin.com/2025/02/tech-workers-silicon-valley-trump/Why We Fear AI: On the Interpretation of Nightmares Paperback – March 21 2025by Hagen Blix and Ingeborg Glimmer https://www.commonnotions.org/why-we-fear-ai  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.