Shows
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today29: What's wrong with Academia? Data Fraud from Harvard Professor Francesca GinoThis episode explores the potential motivations behind Harvard Professor Francesca Gino's data fraud. Data Colada researchers Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson and Joe Simmons found significant evidence of data manipulation, which was later given to Harvard. This led to the retraction of four papers and a recommendation to fire Gino.What might motivate someone to manipulate data and to commit fraud? Dr. Connor Wood explains some troubling trends within Higher Education.Wood studies what the contemporary sciences have to say about human nature. His PhD in religious studies is from Boston University, and he has written...2025-02-191h 00
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today28: Computational Simulation in Practice: Simulating Religious Violence Documentary InterviewThis episode features an interview with Dr. Jenn Lindsay and Dr. Wesley Wildman on the forthcoming documentary film, ‘Simulating Religious Violence.’ This film explores a team of researchers seeking to build the kind of computational model that I just mentioned. Dr. Lindsay directed the film. She is Professor of Sociology and Communications at John Cabot University and the CEO and head of production at So Fare Films. Dr. Lindsay is an accomplished filmmaker, including the award winning documentary film, Quarantined Faith. Dr. Wildman is Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, and of Computing and Data Sciences. He was one of t...2024-11-1247 minDigEthix: Digital Ethics Today27: How Should You Manage Your Data? 'Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up' with Lauren MaffeoCan you ever have so much data that it becomes unmanageable? Are there ways make the way you use data more effective? In this episode, Seth talks to Lauren Maffeo about how to design a data governance framework that will best suit your needs.Lauren is a service designer at Steampunk, a human-centered design firm serving the federal government. She is also a founding editor of Springer’s AI and Ethics journal and a former area editor for Data and Policy, an open access journal with Cambridge University Press. She also teaches courses on design at George Wa...2023-07-3150 minDigEthix: Digital Ethics Today26: Should You Use ChatGPT in Class? A Guide for Teachers and StudentsWhen ChatGPT dropped in November 2022, it had teachers and students scrambling to figure out what to do with this new service. Seth outlines four main ways to handle ChatGPT in the classroom and notes some pitfalls of using ChatGPT uncritically. Potentially Helpful LinksVectoring Words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQddtTdmG_8AI Models & Language Models: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rURRYI66E54GPT-4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zW33LfffPc&list=PL1v8zpldgH3pQwRz1FORZdChMaNZaR3pu&index=82https://monkeylearn.com/natural-language-processing/Credits:2023-06-0113 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today25: Should You Use Dating Apps? And Other Romance Questions with Ethicist Kate OttShould you use dating apps? What skills do you need to form a relationship? What role does technology play in our relationships? Ethicist Kate Ott helps us answer these questions and more. Dr. Ott is the Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She received her PhD in Christian Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary and her Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School. She is the author of several books, including two on technology, Christian Ethics for a Digital Society and Sex, Tech, and Faith: Ethics for a...2023-03-2446 minDigEthix: Digital Ethics Today24: Parenting in the Digital Dystopia with Dr. Loretta BradyHow can parents navigate the landscape of technology? How our experience with technology differed by generation? How do we build trust across these generations.Dr. Brady has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University and currently works as a Professor of Psychology at St. Anselm College. She has written a forthcoming book on the topic called, Technology Touchpoints: Parenting in the Digital Dystopia. The book explores potential developmental moments that impact kids for the rest of their lives. Potentially Helpful Links:https://lorettalcbrady.wordpress.com/ht...2022-11-0854 minDigEthix: Digital Ethics Today23: Twitter's Bias Bounty Program and The Ethics of Research with Dr. Borhane Blili-HamelinHow do we determine what is ethical in technology? How do we do ethical research? How do we bridge gaps in expertise? How do we discover and resolve resolve ethical problems?In this episode, Dr. Borhane Blili-Hamelin discusses the challenges of interdisciplinary research and his workshop on Twitter's bias bounty program. Bo has a PhD in philosophy from Columbia University. He founded Accountability Case Labs, which seeks to leverage expertise in different fields towards accountability in artificial intelligence Research. Bo currently works as a consultant for BABL AI. Potentially Helpful Links:...2022-09-2850 minDigEthix: Digital Ethics Today22: What is Digital Ethics?What is digital ethics? Why should you care? In this episode, we go over some basic definitions and plans for Season 3 of the podcast.Potentially Helpful Links:https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/technology-ethics/https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250074317/automatinginequalityhttps://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/technology-and-the-virtues-a-philosophical-guide-to-a-future-worth-wanting/Contact us: digethix.orgfacebook.com/digethixtwitter.com/digethixinstagram.com/digethixfutureEMAIL: digethix@mindandculture.org2022-09-2314 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today21: Trust and Safety Communication Technologies with Ryan MayfieldWhat are safety technologies? How do we best utilize our resources in order to prevent tragedies? How does a crisis affect the process of consent? Ryan Mayfield is the director of strategy at Live Safe, a mobile safety application company looking to connect individuals and safety officials in order to build better communities. Ryan is an expert in safety communications and user engagement, with experience in industry, government, and academia. Together with the Social Computing Systems (SALT) Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he helped publish the first-ever study of safety communications using anonymized user data...2022-02-171h 26
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today20: Exploring Ethical Problems through Stories with After Dinner ConversationAfter Dinner Conversation is online ethics magazine and podcast. We discuss the role of stories in exploring ethical situations and how the magazine uses discussion questions to prompt discussion. How do you personally navigate situations in which you can’t tell immediately if a decision will be right or wrong? In what situations do you find yourself unsure of what choice to make? How has technology impacted the situations that you find yourself feeling this way? Potentially helpful links:Magazine: https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/Star Trek episode: https://en.wi...2022-02-0339 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today19: Videogames and Positive Ethical Formation with Benjamin ChickaDr. Benjamin Chicka has a PhD in Religion from Claremont Graduate University. He currently serves as a lecturer of philosophy and religion at Curry College. He is the author of the book, Playing as Others, which will be the main topic of our conversation today. He is interested in how video games can be used as a source of positive ethical formation, leading people to eventually act more empathetically in society at large, particularly towards people who have been historically marginalized.Key questions: how do we learn to act ethically? What tools do we have to train ou...2022-01-1252 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today18: Ethical Leadership in Business and Life with Willys DeVollWillys DeVoll is a professional writer and co-author of the book, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World, with Michael S. Erwin. Willys is the founder of Will Digital, a writing and design agency. As an expert at the intersection of language and technology, he’s spoken at a wide range of industry conferences and on podcasts. Willys earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University, where he studied English and philosophy. Willys helps us to think about the following questions: What traits make for an effective leader today? How ca...2021-12-1549 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today17: Biohacking, Implants, and DIY Science with Jacob BossThe main topic we will be discussing together is Jacob Boss’s research on transhumanism. Transhumanism is a movement of people dedicated to using technology to transform humanity and to radically change the human condition. Jacob’s specific area of research is on a group of transhumanists known as Grinders. This group is highly interested in body modification through do-it-yourself science and technology. Jacob Boss is a doctoral candidate in Religious Studies at Indiana University. Jacob teaches widely, serving as instructor of record or associate instructor in the Departments of Religious Studies, Informatics, and the Collins Living-Learning Cent...2021-12-0146 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today16: The Case for the Non-Profit Technology Company with Rubén ManchaSeth speaks with Dr. Rubén Mancha about developing more ethical business models and about the potential for a non-profit technology company. Rubén is an assistant professor of information technology at Babson College and an advisor to entrepreneurs and organizations. Rubén researches the social impact of digital technologies and digital business models, their potential for good, and the responsible digital transformation of businesses. He also acts as one of the advisors for the podcast. The key questions for this episode are: 1) Why is data valuable to businesses? 2) How can we best negotiate data sharing, data capt...2021-11-1749 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today15: Information Asymmetry in the App Economy - The Case of the Doordash StrikeSeth and Bernd Dürrwächter discuss the summer Doordash app strike and the state of the app economy. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects. On July 31st, 2021, Doordashers protested decreased wages and the striking down of the app Para, which allowed drivers to see how much they would be making in tips prior to accepting an order. The key questions to this episode are: What kind of information is important to disclose? How do we evaluate if an information asymmetry puts one party at an advantage over anot...2021-11-0352 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today14: NFTs and the Future of Art with Timothée MathonSeth interviews Timothée Mathon. Timothée is a French freelance artist. He has experience working as a Concept Artist, Art Director and Illustrator for the AAA Videogame and Movie industry (Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, Netflix, and Net Ease Games). He designed a collection of Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and heavily advocates for the independence of artists in the industry. Samples of his work can be found here: https://www.artstation.com/theartnest. You can find his NFT collection, Crypto Rocks Rescue, on Open Sea: https://opensea.io/collection/crypto-rocks-rescue/. You can also find his stream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv...2021-10-2054 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today13: Exploring Attention and Virtue through Science Fiction with Emanuelle BurtonSeth interviews Dr. Emanuelle Burton. Emanuelle obtained her PhD in Religion and Literature from the. University of Chicago Divinity School. She teaches ethics in the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago. In collaboration with Judy Goldsmith, Nicholas Mattei, Cory Siler, and Sara Jo-Swiatek, she is developing a science fiction-based ethics curriculum for computer science students. Her solo research focuses on ethical formation in science fiction and fantasy for young readers.The key questions for this episode are: how do we become the right sort of people to create worthwhile technologies? How do we prevent...2021-10-0658 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today12: CAPTCHAs, Bots, and Informed Consent with Bernd DürrwächterSeth and Bernd Dürrwächter discuss the role of CAPTCHAs and bots in our automated systems and the potential obstacle they pose to people making informed decisions. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects. Bernd has been advising the podcast from the beginning, using insights from his decades of industry experience.The key questions for this episode are: How can companies properly inform their users so that they can make informed decisions about what they are doing? Why is it that we have to prove to your technical sy...2021-09-2958 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today11: Shared Computing, Data Analysis, and Boston University's Computing and Data Sciences Unit with Azer BestavrosSeth interviews Dr. Azer Bestavros. Azer is the Inaugural Associate Provost for Computing and Data Sciences (aka CDS) at Boston University and the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor in the Computer Science Department, which he joined in 1991 and chaired from 2000 to 2007. He is also the Founding Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing. As he will share in this interview, Azer has worked on several major projects involving both public and private entities, looking at mathematical methods for analyzing data without compromising the privacy or the security of the data being examined.Seth asks Azer about how h...2021-09-161h 05
DigEthix: Digital Ethics TodayDIGETHIX 11 TeaserWe are really looking forward to starting up regular episodes again. The first episode of the second season will be released next week, on September 15th. Seth will be interviewing Azer Bestavros. Azer Bestavros is the Inaugural Associate Provost for Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University and the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor in the Computer Science Department, which he joined in 1991 and chaired from 2000 to 2007. He is also the Founding Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing. As...2021-09-0800 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today10: Season Recap and State of the PodcastSeth reviews the first set of episodes for the DIGETHIX podcast, talking about his experience and takeaways from this season. He reviews the cover art for each episode, which were designed by Alex Nielsen and Nicole Smith, to discuss the range of themes that were discussed. A gallery of the described images can be found on our website here:https://digethix.org/podcast-10-season-recap-and-state-of-the-podcast/ The podcast will be on a break for three weeks, with regular uploads resuming again on September 1, 2021, with other content coming out on our other social media. C...2021-08-0430 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today9: Pegasus NSO Spyware and the Business of SurveillanceSeth and Bernd Dürrwächter review the Pegasus NSO Spyware scandal. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects. Bernd has been advising the podcast from the beginning, using insights from his decades of industry experience. The first half of the conversation goes over the details of the Pegasus scandal and other incidents that NSO has been involved with in the past. The second half turns toward the broader questions of cybersecurity and consent. The key questions for this episode are: if someone gets access to our phone or la...2021-07-281h 00
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today8: Critical Thinking and the Process of Ethics in Technology with Bernd DürrwächterSeth talks to Bernd Dürrwächter, one of DIGETHIX’s advisory board members and main collaborators. Bernd is principal at AnalyticDimensions.com, a consultancy for big data analytics & data science projects. He studied computer science at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences from 1988-1992. Bernd is a seasoned practitioner in software engineering, IT architectures, business intelligence & data analytics solutions. Seth and Bernd discuss the challenges to education. They highlight how difficult it is to come to a consensus around values. The key questions for this episode are: given the value problem, how can a podcast like DIGET...2021-07-211h 06
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today7: Artificial Intelligence, Emotion, and What Makes Us Human with Dr. Noreen HerzfeldIn this episode of the podcast, Seth interviews Dr. Noreen Herzfeld. Noreen is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict. She holds degrees in both Computer Science and Mathematics and has a Ph.D. in Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Seth talks to Noreen about the history of artificial intelligence and about cultural attitudes towards technology, especially those in transhumanism. She stresses that emotions are a key difference between us and machines and that emotions may be ess...2021-07-141h 01
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today6: Using Data to Address Inequities in Healthcare with Muhammad AhmadIn this episode of the Podcast, Seth interviews Muhammad Ahmad. Muhammad is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at University of Washington and a Research Scientist at KenSci. His research areas are machine learning in healthcare, accountability and ethics in AI. His recent work is focused on foundations of machine learning and cross-cultural perspectives on AI. Muhammad’s work combines academic rigor with extensive experience in deploying machine learning systems at scale in the healthcare sector and thus first-hand knowledge of many moral and ethical dilemmas that come with it. He has published over 50 research pa...2021-07-0755 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today5: Black Maternal Mortality and the Informatic Problem of Personal ExperienceSeth interviews shaunesse’ jacobs. shaunesse‘ jacobs is a Ph.D. student in the Constructive Theology and Ethics track at the Boston University’s School of Theology. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Emory University, where she also completed a Master’s of Theological Studies and a Master’s in Bioethics. She is interested in communal incorporation of religious practices and theological doctrines when facing injustices in the U.S. healthcare system, specifically around the issue of black maternal mortality. This is part one of a two-part look at how questions of race are intertwined with healthcare. In this inte...2021-06-3048 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today4: Digitality, Photoshop, and the Audiences of Our MakingIn this episode of the Podcast, Seth interviews Alex Nielsen. Alex is a lead project scientist at Old Dominion University in the Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center. He is currently pursuing a PhD in scientific and technical communication from Old Dominion University. Alex’s help has also been invaluable in developing this podcast, and he has been one of our earliest advisers.In this interview, Seth talks to Alex about the aesthetics of DIGETHIX and more broadly about the concept of digitality. In other words, how has our current means of communication affected the wa...2021-06-161h 00
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today3: Simulation Research and Applications with F. LeRon ShultsIn this episode of the Podcast, I am interviewing Dr. F. LeRon Shults. Dr. Shults is Professor at the Institute for Global Development and Social Planning at the University of Agder, and he is the Scientific Director of the Center for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE in Kristiansand, Norway. In this interview, I talk to Dr. Shults about the discipline of computer simulation and modeling. We go over the misconceptions around simulation and how practitioners go about building simulations in the first place. While these new kinds of tools are no doubt powerful, there may also be n...2021-06-0952 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today2: Neurofeedback, Technodelics, Brain Stimulation, and the New Spirit Tech with Kate StocklyKate Stockly is a PhD candidate in Science, Philosophy, and Religion at Boston University’s Graduate Division of Religious Studies. her work is characterized by multidisciplinary investigation into human religiosity that aspires to harmonize the sciences and humanities. Kate recently published the book, Spirit Tech, which explores technologies of 'spiritual enhancement.'In this interview, Seth talks to Kate about her interdisciplinary training for her PhD in religion and science at Boston University, specifically about the application of scientific methods to the study of religion. In her book, Spirit Tech, Kate describes the ways in which new te...2021-06-0245 min
DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today1: Data Science, Interdisciplinary Research, and the Problem of the Humanities with Wesley WildmanIn this episode of the podcast, Seth interviews Dr. Wesley Wildman. Wesley is a Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics. He is one of the founding faculty members of Boston University’s new Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences. He also serves as the executive director and chairman of the board for the Center for Mind and Culture.Seth talks to Wesley about the history of the Center for Mind and Culture and about CMAC’s unique approach to problems that could benefit from both humanities and scientific methods. They discuss their hopes that CMAC has for trai...2021-05-2647 min