Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Podcast: Making outrage addictive

Podcast: Making outrage addictive

Social media has become a part of our daily lives, as we scroll endlessly through curated feeds. But it’s clear that these platforms are having a negative impact on our lives and our society in ways we never imagined.

Platforms that were once a way to connect people have become a place where disinformation flows freely, controversy and division turns a profit, and people are pushed into echo chambers where everyone believes the same things and get fed disinformation that amps up their views.


In episode 39, Weston unpacks social media’s psychological and cultural ramifications, but also its impact on our democracy and politics — looking at where we can go from here and discussing the need for increased transparency and accountability.

Listen now


Read More

Digital illustration of robot's hand holding and supporting man who is working on his desk using computer, represent themes of artificial intelligence (AI), the future of work, and the intersection of humanity and technology.

A critique of Steven Rosenbaum's The Future of Truth and the irony of AI-generated errors in a book warning about AI, truth, trust, and democratic responsibility.

Andriy Onufriyenko / Getty Images

On Truth, Shame, and the Abuse of AI

A democracy is only as robust and vibrant as the citizens who sustain it. Self-government depends upon people willing to deliberate honestly, reason carefully, and exercise judgment responsibly. With the emergence of AI, this obligation becomes even more consequential because these powerful systems can either deepen human agency or quietly erode it. They can either help citizens think more clearly and participate more meaningfully, or they can encourage the outsourcing of judgment itself and the slow substitution of synthetic plausibility for human responsibility.

Imagine, then, publishing a book warning humanity about the epistemological collapse supposedly ushered in by artificial intelligence. Imagine assembling endorsements from solemn guardians of the humanities, critics of automation, custodians of truth, defenders of interpretation against probabilistic sludge. Imagine presenting yourself as a kind of intellectual fire marshal standing before a burning building, yelling that people must immediately stop playing with matches.

Keep ReadingShow less
Proposed Illinois Data Center Regulations Latest in Nationwide Fight for Facility Oversight

Digital Realty is a real estate investment trust that builds and operates over 300 data centers worldwide. In 2023, Digital Realty, alongside GI Partners, invested in two hyperscale data centers in the Chicago metro area.

(Emma Henry/Medill)

Proposed Illinois Data Center Regulations Latest in Nationwide Fight for Facility Oversight

Illinois has joined a growing number of states drafting legislation to regulate data centers. The proposed POWER Act, introduced on Feb. 6, aims to regulate the growth of data centers by forcing operators to pay any energy-related costs and disclose water use.

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Ill., 8th District) and co-sponsored by State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Ill., 18th District), ensures minimal impact of data center development on Illinois residents.

Keep ReadingShow less