June 13, 2024

“Is tricking a robot hacking?“

Transcript and audio recording of our panel conversation about AI, computer hacking, and security research

  On May 8, 2024, the UW Tech Policy Lab, Society + Technology at UW, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation jointly convened The Model Hacker? The Intersection of AI and Security Research. This event brought into conversation Cindy Cohn, Ryan Calo, Tadayoshi Kohno, Franziska Roesner, and Jacob Hoffman-Andrews, experts in computer science, law, and security […]

May 5, 2024

Co-director shares expertise on CNBC TikTok segment

CNBC

TPL Co-Director Ryan Calo discussed the legality and impact of a potential TikTok ban recently on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Calo was interviewed for a story covering the House passing legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States. He spoke to the challenges the legislation could face and other opportunities to address the security risks. […]

May 3, 2024

University of Washington launches Society + Technology with focus on AI and emerging technologies

Society + Technology at the University of Washington is a new program that uplifts an emergent network of faculty, students, researchers, staff, and programs across all of the UW’s three campuses (Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma) and the School of Medicine around the social, societal, and justice aspects of technology. The program’s focus this spring is […]

April 14, 2024

Co-Director cited in op-ed on privacy legislation

Tech Policy Press

In a recent op-ed in the Tech Policy Press, Joseph Jerome brought forward his perspective on the journey toward a national privacy standard. The Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Tampa and Tech & Public Policy Visiting Fellow at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy discussed how the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) is […]

March 30, 2024

Co-Director highlights concern around digital assistants

WebTimes

Digital assistants are under renewed scrutiny thanks to recent privacy missteps in recent months. The WebTimes article “Privacy Missteps Cast Cloud Over Digital Assistants” highlights how Apple, Google and Amazon are announcing new policies or features aimed at mitigating concerns. The article quotes TPL Co-Director Ryan Calo expressing the importance of transparency and noting that […]

March 28, 2024

Faculty associate weighs in on TikTok algorithm

FastCompany

TPL faculty associate Franziska Roesner was a research partner on a project looking to decipher TikTok’s algorithms that was recently highlighted in FastCompany. “At the highest level, we want to understand how people are actually using TikTok, and how the TikTok algorithm works,” Roesner said. The project aimed to gain insight into recommendations and personalization. […]

March 19, 2024

Co-director speaks to AI and impact on science communication

Nature Human Behaviour

Co-Director Aylin Caliskan was one of six experts who weighed in with Nature Human Behaviour for a conversation around the “potential and pitfalls of generative AI for science communication.” Alongside professors from Princeton, Yale and Singapore, Caliskan shared thoughts about how this technology can help science communication and also the concerns she has about how […]

March 15, 2024

AI recipes missing key ingredients, faculty associate says

The Washington Post

A recent article in The Washington Post highlighted the challenges of AI-created recipes and turned to TPL faculty associate Emily Bender for insight. Recipes created by artificial intelligence are pulling from many sources, which can lead to unexpected results. “When the language model is accessing the parts of its training data that has to do […]

March 14, 2024

Tech Talk with Cory Doctorow addresses exploitation

The Daily

Cory Doctorow’s Tech Talk on Feb. 26 brought forward concerns around the exploitative practices of tech companies and how we might go about solving them. In an article in UW’s The Daily, the author, activist and journalist shared different ways large companies are capitalizing on users’ data, and suggested there are factors that can keep […]

Program manager tapped for input on TikTok debate

The Seattle Times

Program Manager Alex Bolton shared insight into the TikTok debate with The Seattle Times for its recent article, “WA lawmakers back TikTok ‘ban.’ Seattle TikTokers aren’t happy about it.” Bolton was cited for his input around the foundational issues of data and privacy surrounding the conversation. He also offered the perspective that this provides “an […]