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Stereotyping Appalachia: What Tech Gets Wrong feat. Dr. Sherry Hamby

February 6, 2019 — Leave a comment

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Dr. Sherry Hamby, a Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South and a Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). They talk about the role of technology in peoples daily lives. They discuss Appalachian attitudes and values, ResilienceCon and how different societies operate in a technology-centric environment.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

  • The culture of values and skepticism that makes Appalachian resistant to technology
  • What are the attitudes and stereotypes about Appalachia?
  • How are low income regions like Appalachia portrayed?
  • How different forms of violence are shifting online, for instance Cyber bullying
  • The negative effects on relationships from technology
  • How do people feel about Privacy invasion, data protection and cyber-crimes?
  • Is protecting our own privacy equally distributed among the rich and the poor?
  • What are the differences between how rural and urban societies operate?
  • How do regulations fit in all this?
  • The importance of consent in letting technology earn the trust of people.

Sheana and Sherry also talk about ResilienceCon.

LINKS

OTHERS MENTIONED

  • Orange is the New Black
  • The Simpsons
  • Yelp
  • Amazon
  • GDPR
  • Apple
  • Facebook
  • TED Talks
  • Jeff Temple
  • Emily Rothman

CONNECT WITH SHERRY

  • Find Sherry on Life Paths Research

What did you change your mind about in 2018? Answers on AI, data, work, and more.

January 30, 2019 — 1 Comment

In this special episode, our favorite experts on AI, tech monopolies, and more return to answer two key questions: What is something you’ve changed your mind about in 2018? And what is something you’d like to see become a larger part of the conversation in 2019?

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You don’t want to miss this one. Want to hear more from these great guests? Check out their full episodes:

Is Netflix a Tech Company or a Media Company? Dr. Amanda Lotz explains why it matters.

January 23, 2019 — 11 Comments

Have you ever considered that big tech is not one monopoly but… five monopolies instead? That Netflix, Google, Facebook and Airbnb are not part of a disrupting ‘tech industry’ but… companies that are simply using tech to disrupt their own industries?

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Amanda Lotz, an author, podcaster and professor in the media industry. They discuss why big tech is not actually a monopoly, the different business models these tech companies implement, and how we should encourage these companies to be more transparent.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

? Is big tech really a monopoly?
? Is the big tech monolith a force for good or bad?
? Why are these companies not actual competitors?
? Why is it more beneficial for these companies to compete against each other?
? What are the benefits of monopolisation?
? How should we deal with a company like Google?
? What are the differences between Netflix and Disney?
? How can we define a media industry?
? Is Netflix a media company?
? How can we encourage companies to be more transparent?

Sheana and Amanda also talk about the actual business model of these huge tech companies. Google primarily relies on advertising. Their trick – you get the ads for what you were already searching for. Apple mostly makes money from selling products. Amazon also sells products, but they focus on subscription based income through Amazon Prime. This is actually very different to Netflix, which Amanda explains is an actual media company that has completely disrupted the industry. How? Because Netflix produces and distributes at the same time. Netflix also has a huge amount of data on its users, allowing them to tailor their movies to a user’s specific preferences.

Comparing these business models is fascinating and very interesting to analyse – we see why monopolies can actually be a force for good, what we can expect from them in the future, and why the number one thing they need to focus on is transparency.

LINKS

OTHERS MENTIONED

  • Susan Crawford
  • Matthew Paul
  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Netflix
  • Uber
  • Apple

CONNECT WITH AMANDA

No one taught us how to work. Jake Kahana wants to change that with Caveday.?

January 9, 2019 — 1 Comment

Technology can better serve humanity.

In this episode of Innovation For All Podcast, we talk to Jake Kahana, founder of Bettvr With Age and Caveday. Jake shares these two projects that look very different on the surface. In fact, they are united by a common goal: to demonstrate the social impact of technology. Discover how Virtual Reality (VR) can be therapeutic for seniors, why the typical 9-5 work day is a complete fallacy, and how to manage remote teams effectively. You’ll enjoy this episode if you are interested in VR or modernizing the workplace.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:?

  • The difference between a social impact agency and cost marketing agency
  • The challenges in producing and distributing VR films
  • 2 significant limitations for senior citizens: mobility and finances
  • The Impact of Bettvr With Age
  • Physical and mental therapy using VR
  • What is Caveday?
  • How to improve your relationship to work
  • The dangers of overwork
  • How to communicate with a remote team
  • How important is establishing rules around communication, scheduling and productivity inside a team
  • 3 Things you need when you work – accountability, motivation, and support
  • Resources your team can use to increase productivity

Undoubtedly, technology isn’t just for the young. It is for all ages – even seniors. This is what Jake is proving to exhibit in his Bettvr with Age project where he produces VR films for senior citizens. Seniors can still experience places and activities that their old age won’t permit them to do and visit through VR.

We also discuss the science of productivity. Through Caveday, Jake and his team are able to organize pieces of training for individuals and companies on how to do deep work since no one taught us how to work. There are ways you can improve your relationship to work to be productive and also avoid overworking. Jake identifies specific resources you can use to support your team’s productivity and happiness.

LINKS

Others Mentioned

CONNECT WITH JAKE

  • Follow Jake on , and .
  • Connect with him through Caveday.

When bad data leads to social injustice, featuring David Robinson

December 26, 2018 — 1 Comment

Can AI really change the world? Or are its developing algorithms formalizing social injustice? When these highly-technical systems derive patterns from existing datasets, their models can perpetuate past mistakes.

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist discusses with David Robinson the threats of social bias and discrimination becoming embedded in Artificial Intelligence.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

  • What is the role of technological advances in shaping society?
  • What is the difference between Machine Learning vs. Artificial Intelligence?
  • Social Justice Implications of Technology
  • What are the limitations of finding patterns in previous data?
  • How does should government regulate new, highly technical systems?
  • The need for more resources and more thoughtfulness in regulating data
  • Examples of data-driven issues in the private sector.
  • Removing skepticism of regulatory agencies in examining data models.
  • Authorities should remember that there are limits to what AI models can do.

David is the co-founder of Upturn and currently a Visiting Scientist at the AI Policy and Practice Initiative in Cornell’s College of Computing and Information Science. David touches on how government regulatory agencies should examine new AI models and systems, especially as the technology continues to creep its way into our day-to-day lives. David discusses the importance of “ground truthing.” David emphasizes looking at a technology’s capabilities and limits before deciding on whether decision makers should implement it.

LINKS

OTHERS MENTIONED

CONNECT WITH DAVID

If you enjoy this episode on AI and ethics, you might also enjoy WHEN ARE “FAIR” ALGORITHMS BETTER THAN ACCURATE ONES?