Byte-Sized Ethics August 2023 Reflection & Round-up

I feel like the title for the round-up makes the subtitles unnecessary. You know what this, you don't need me to tell you twice.

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash

Reflection

I’m closing in on 3 months of writing weekly. Regardless of anything else, that’s a success for me. I started off telling myself I was going to write every other week, and actually exceeded my goal, and it feels sustainable. I’ve always been a writer at heart, and keeping to about a 1,000 words a week is … remarkably doable for me. And it really, really makes me happy.

This last month my metrics show that for the most part, I’m holding steady. A few new subscribers here and there, but for the most part just trucking along. I think I’m still finding my voice and perspective here. I’m also trying to be more congnizant providing subscribers (and potential subscribers) value, not seeking validation on suggestion from

Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

’s workshop on providing value.

I feel like I’m waiting for soul-resonating, light from the sky, choir of angels moment when I find my voice here, but I recognize how silly that is … and yet 😊.

I started listening to Reid Blackman’s “Ethical Machines” podcast, and I’ve been really resonating with that - which makes sense, he’s a legitimate philosopher with the PhD. My education in rhetoric and media studies puts me in the same ballpark as philosophy.

This upcoming month my content plan is two pieces on practical aspects of using AI and Tech responsibly, and two pieces applying media and language theory to understanding our relationship with AI. We’ll see how it shakes out.

I’d love to hear what you have to say - take a second and let me know what content you want more of in the comments.

Cheers, friends!

Round-up

It’s hard to believe that Zoom’s kerfuffle over their privacy policy was just this month - it seems like ages ago. Zoom ultimately responded and made some mouth noises about backtracking, but they didn’t actually do much to address those who don’t want their personal data being gobbled up by AI.

In my ongoing endeavor to find a perspective that resonates, I took a look at myself and my own use of AI. I’m pretty critical of AI usage and I struggle with my own use while acknowledging that it is a big part of how I’m able to write BSE.

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act has been making the rounds in the AI circles as the first real attempt to put guardrails around AI usage. As with any first attempt, it has good parts and bad parts. Sidestepping the “is it good or bad?” arguments, I focused on impacts we can expect.

A colleague of mine on LinkedIn wrote about her journey to Head of Responsible AI at Workday. While my journey wasn’t nearly as prolific, or exciting I thought my experience was worth telling. Another attempt to find a voice and perspective that resonates with me and my readers, while providing some value.