February 3, 2025

Control over AI can mean extreme power, Co-Director says

Good Day Seattle/Fox13

Co-Founder Ryan Calo recently joined Good Day Seattle to discuss the future of AI and the Trump administration investment in the technology. “There’s a lot of people in this administration … that think of this technology, of AI, as the most important technology of our time,” Calo said. “And furthermore, they think that whoever controls […]

January 20, 2025

Society + Technology convenes panel for first community event

GeekWire

The Society + Technology program recently held its inaugural convening, centered around a cross-disciplinary panel and messages from UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio. Coverage in GeekWire highlighted the intention of the S+T initiative and the program’s growing community footprint. “We put society first, very intentionally, in the name of the initiative, […]

January 18, 2025

Trump’s next moves on TikTok ban are far from clear cut, Co-Director says

The New York Times

Co-Director Ryan Calo recently spoke with The New York Times about potential moves the new President could make to circumvent a looming TikTok ban. “You could have a policy not to enforce this ban,” Calo said. “But I think that maybe conservative companies would just be like: ‘OK, you’re not going to enforce it. But […]

January 13, 2025

S+T launches Salon series today

The Society + Technology program is launching a Salon Series today with two online conversations on genetics and bioethics. This initiative is one of the community programs designed to strengthen the emerging cross-campus, cross-disciplinary network. Each Salon is a one-hour and 15-minute conversation between three to five Affiliates from the S+T network, with a moderator. The […]

January 2, 2025

Register now for the Society + Technology inaugural convening

We’re thrilled to share that Society + Technology at UW is hosting an Inaugural Convening on Friday, Jan. 10, to bring together the incredible and growing S+T community from the UW’s three campuses working at the intersection of society and technology. The event will open with remarks from President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio as […]

New ‘Conversations’ segment examines data privacy

Conversations with Society + Technology, the interview series produced by Society + Technology at UW, dives into a conversation about the power of data protection with Angelina McMillan-Major, Ph.D., a computational linguist. In the interview, McMillan-Major and host Monika Sengul-Jones discuss protecting personally identifiable information, consent, and what concessions consumers may be making in the […]

December 14, 2024

Paper by Co-Director receives NSA award

National Science Foundation

Research by Co-Director Yoshi Kohno was awarded by the NSA’s 2024 Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper Competition. The NSA Research Directorate recently selected “Ethical Frameworks and Computer Security Trolley Problems: Foundations for Conversations,” by professors Tadayoshi Kohno, University of Washington; Yasemin Acar, Paderborn University (Germany)/The George Washington University; and Wulf Loh, University of Tübingen (Germany) for […]

Co-Director notes consumer tracking may have unequal impact

KUOW

Whether you’re doing most of your shopping online or in-person, your habits may be tracked, according to a new KUOW article. Surveillance technology can glean a lot of information about consumers, and Co-Director Ryan Calo worries its impact is disproportionate. “Systemically speaking, when companies study consumers for their own benefit, consumers can get harmed by […]

December 11, 2024

TPL Co-Founder Receives Future of Life Award

UW Information School

Co-Director Emeritus Batya Friedman was named one of three Future of Life Award recipients for her pioneering work on Value Sensitive Design by the Future of Life Institute. The award honors individuals whose contributions have significantly improved humanity’s trajectory. This year’s honorees also include philosopher James Moore and artificial intelligence scientist Steve Omohundro. The Future […]

December 8, 2024

In new paper, TPL post-doc imagines design beyond humans

Tech Policy Lab post-doctoral scholar Nick Logler recently published research that highlights how design intersects with a more-than-human world. “Learning in place: Reimagining design practice as ecological literacy” chronicles Logler’s time spent in a coastal wildlife refuge and attempts to foreground a more-than-human experience. His reflections and conclusions offer five interrelated considerations for designers and […]