February 1, 2026

Society + Tech initiative leads lively talk on privacy, surveillance

UW Information School

The University of Washington Society + Technology initiative convened a panel discussion on Jan. 12 to discuss “Who’s Watching? Privacy and Urban Surveillance.” The after-hours event at Halcyon Brewing Co. in Seattle was hosted by Society + Technology Director of Strategy and Operations Monika Sengul-Jones and moderated by Information School and School of Law Professor Ryan […]

January 18, 2026

Fake sexualized images create real harm, TPL student says

CNET

xAI’s Grok is now under formal investigation in California for the tool’s creation of nonconsensual sexualized images. In addition to being potentially illegal these altered photos can inflict deep damage, according to Natalie Grace Brigham, Tech Policy Lab Ph.D. student who studies sociotechnical harms. “Although these images are fake, the harm is incredibly real,” Brigham […]

January 3, 2026

Co-Director join Electronic Privacy Information Center board

Tech Policy Lab

On Jan. 2, Co-Director Ryan Calo joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Board of Directors, alongside Kathrine Strandburg of the NYU School of Law and David Brody of the Digital Justice Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. EPIC’s work is guided by leading scholars, practitioners and advocates in the fields […]

January 1, 2026

Science fiction AI is nowhere near reality

National Geographic

The media has created stories of AI ending humanity but that’s not close to our current reality, Faculty Associate Emily Bender says. In a recent article in National Geographic, Bender argues that current AI tools share little with the thinking, feeling AIs of science fiction. “What companies mean when they say AI is ‘venture capitalists, […]

December 20, 2025

Co-Director skeptical of legality of nonprofit’s live cameras

NPR

A move by a New Orleans nonprofit to make the city “safer” could be circumventing legal protections, Co-Director Ryan Calo said in a recent NPR article. Project NOLA has built a network of cameras that allow for facial recognition with the goal of making it easier to find suspects after a crime is committed. But […]

December 12, 2025

Time’s new AI agent undermines journalism, Faculty Associate says

Yahoo! News

Time magazine recently launched an “Ask Me Anything” AI chatbot on its website. This window can’t be closed, which is a problematic feature, according to Faculty Associate Emily Bender. “Any journalistic outfit that values the work of their journalists wouldn’t offer to present it as papier-mâché,” Bender said of the AI chatbot, “and certainly wouldn’t […]

December 7, 2025

Robot dogs have role in thoughtful policing, Co-Director says

Bloomberg News

The growing use of robot “dogs” in policing across the country has raised ethical concerns and the public is calling for oversight and transparency. “Spot” is a German Shepherd-size robot being deployed by around 60 departments in the United States. It can intervene in situations that may be life-threatening for a human police officer or […]

Lab-led research finds AI bias impacts human hiring decisions

UW Today

Research led by Co-Director Aylin Caliskan is bringing forward questions about how to address bias in the hiring process that emerges when humans work with AI systems. “No Thoughts Just AI: Biased LLM Hiring Recommendations Alter Human Decision Making and Limit Human Autonomy,” presented in October at the AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and […]

November 25, 2025

Consider undertone of AI messaging before implementation, Faculty Associate says

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The impact of AI on higher education is the center of many current conversations, with voices touting the benefits of innovation alongside critics of the technology. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an article posing the question of “how has generative AI changed higher education?” and spoke to Faculty Associate Emily Bender for her […]

November 20, 2025

Co-Director-led study inspiring HR process changes

Inc.

The key to decreasing bias in the hiring process lies with keeping human intelligence engaged in the process, a recent article in Inc. declares, citing a study led by Co-Director Aylin Caliskan. In the “No Thoughts Just AI: Biased LLM Hiring Recommendations Alter Human Decision Making and Limit Human Autonomy” study, Caliskan and her team […]