September 2, 2025

Lab welcomes scholars from around the globe

Tech Policy Lab

The Lab spent its spring and summer hosting international guests from Asia and Europe, inviting them to engage with community and share with other scholars.   Veronica Paternolli, Italy Paternolli, a Computer Science Ph.D. student with a background in law from the University of Verona, visited for a month in spring. During that time she […]

August 2, 2025

Interdisciplinary collaboration welcomes expert in tech accessibility

Tech Policy Lab

On June 5, the Lab welcomed Jonathan Lazar, PhD, LLM, a professor of informatics at the University of Maryland, to a special Tech Policy Discussion. In an event co-sponsored with Society + Technology at UW and CREATE, the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences, Lazar discussed his passion for accessibility and […]

June 20, 2025

Co-Director calls out risks of TikTok extension

NPR

Co-Director Ryan Calo weighed in on a recent episode of NPR’s “All Things Considered” about Trump granting a new reprieve to TikTok. President Trump signed an executive order on June 19 granting TikTok a 90-day reprieve from enforcement of The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which Congress passed with bipartisan support last year […]

June 7, 2025

‘Technology for the People’ emphasized how technology can bridge–not break–social relationships

UW Communication’s Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy

Crossposting the UW Communication’s Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy (CJMD)’s article about “Technology for the People,” a Society + Technology at UW (S+T) salon co-hosted with CJMD. On April 12, 2025, Society + Technology at UW co-hosted ‘Technology for the People,’ a salon that brought together prominent voices from all three UW campuses in the technology, […]

May 25, 2025

Duo critically analyzes AI claims in new book

GeekWire

Faculty Associate Emily Bender’s new book, “The AI Con,” takes a critical look at AI marketing and is highlighted in GeekWire’s Bot or Not? series. In the interview, Bender and her co-author Alex Hanna, the Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute, discuss why it’s so important to be thoughtful about the claims around […]

May 24, 2025

Team’s research finds tech workers growing disillusioned

GeekWire

A recent study co-authored by UW student affiliate Vannary Sou found that layoffs in the tech industry have caused increasing feelings of discontent among workers. “The Cruel Optimism of Tech Work: Tech Workers’ Affective Attachments in the Aftermath of 2022-23 Tech Layoffs” was presented at CHI 2025 in Japan. The research looked at how workers […]

May 15, 2025

Impact of AI on hiring process includes bias, team research finds

Brookings

If you’re looking for a job, chances are that you’re going to intersect with AI whether you like it or not. It’s become a standard piece of the hiring and interview process for many companies. So what does this mean about how your candidacy is perceived? Co-Director Aylin Caliskan and PhD student Kyra Wilson published […]

Lab marks 10 years of impact

Tech Policy Lab

The Tech Policy Lab’s recent 10 Year Celebration was a bit of a family reunion.  The event on May 5 brought together multiple generations of TPL affiliates: alumni, students, co-directors, faculty, and current and former staff. They came together from around the state to celebrate the 10th birthday of the program that has and continues […]

May 9, 2025

AI impact on language is growing, Faculty Associate says

The Atlantic

Faculty Associate Emily Bender weighs in on the influence AI is having on language in a new article in The Atlantic. “The Great Language Flattening” highlights how the widespread usage of tools like ChatGPT is creating a “sameness” across writing styles. People are seeing patterns and picking up on them and in turn using them […]

April 28, 2025

Partnership brings forward responsible tech master’s course

Society + Technology

Society + Technology at UW has partnered with the University of Washington’s Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) to offer a master’s-level course in the Master of Science in Technology Innovation program (MSTI 522): The History and Future of Technology: Responsible Technological Innovation. GIX is a joint initiative between the UW College of Engineering and the Foster School of Business. The […]