What’s this?

Over the past few years I’ve bookmarked hundreds of articles and papers about AI, the risks of AI and algorithmic decision-making, and the blurriness and mania that influence the public discussion on everything that gets crammed under the too-broad category of “AI.”

At the end of 2023 I decided to dig into this pile of links more methodically. I wanted to get more informed about the different streams of the AI conversation, and to see how they comprise our shared understanding—and confusion—about these technologies and their implications.

If you know me, you know how fixated I am on the ways that vocabulary and stories determine our expectations of technology. I’m using this space to make notes about what I’m seeing, and to think aloud about how to shorten the cycles of hype, reductivism and exploitation—cycles that menace every new technology era, but that seem especially risky this time around.

These notes will be very short and only semi-regular. I’m starting for the sake of not not-starting, and am including just a handful of friends and colleagues. Please follow along and feel free to comment. Most of all, if you have feedback or suggestions about what to read or who else to share with, I hope you’ll let me know.