PODCAST · technology
The Good Robot
by Dr Kerry McInerney and Dr Eleanor Drage
Join Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney as they ask the experts: what is good technology? Is ‘good’ technology even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? Each week, they invite scholars, industry practitioners, activists, and more to provide their unique perspective on what feminism can bring to the tech industry and the way that we think about technology. With each conversation, The Good Robot asks how feminism can provide new perspectives on technology’s biggest problems.
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118
The Future of Data Centers and Digital Sovereignty with Friederike von Franque
Can cloud infrastructure be owned and governed by the people, and not just Big Tech? Friederike von Franqué, policy advisor at Wikimedia Germany, reveals how feminist principles and decentralized infrastructure are transforming the internet from a corporate service into a public commons.In this episode, we explore Friederike’s work with Wikimedia Germany. From the energy-intensive data centers of Frankfurt to Stockholm’s municipally owned fibre infrastructure, we examine the struggle to build technology that prioritizes the common good over corporate profit. Friederike explains why hyperscalers are not always the solution, and why we need environmental accountability and community-driven design.This conversation pulls back the curtain on the hidden data systems powering our lives, offering a provocative roadmap for a more equitable and sustainable digital future.Reading List:Friederike von Franque website"Enough of the Billionaires and Their Big Tech. 'Frugal Tech' Will Build Us All a Better World": An article by Eleanor Drage.Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia Germany“Wikipedia Is Running On Its Own Metal: The Power and Limits of Self-Hosted Infrastructure”by Wikimedia Europe Data centres are reshaping the global investment landscape by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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117
The Revolutionary Microscopes Powering Global Tech Equality with Richard Bowman
Why do we often overlook the transformative power of open licensing in technology? Richard Bowman, a researcher and advocate for open source innovation, reveals how open licensing and frugal tech principles are not just ideas but powerful tools for global change.In this episode, we delve into Richard's journey from developing innovative microscopy to championing open source scientific hardware that challenges traditional tech ownership and promotes accessibility. Discover how these principles are reshaping global health and education, inspiring new ways to think about technology's role in society. Richard dismantles the myth that technology is neutral, illustrating how it can be a force for justice and empowerment.From creating locally repairable microscopes to developing community-driven scientific tools, this conversation uncovers the potential of open technology in crafting a more equitable and sustainable world.Reading list:Richard Bowman’s GitHub https://github.com/rwb27OpenFlexure Official Website https://openflexure.org/The Humanitarian Technology Trust https://httrust.org/We need to break science out of its ivory tower – here’s one way to do this by Jenny Molloy https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-break-science-out-of-its-ivory-tower-heres-one-way-to-do-this-76354The Open Source Hardware Movement by Andre Maia Chagas https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000014Making hardware open source can help us fight future pandemics by Richard Bowman and Julian Stirling https://theconversation.com/making-hardware-open-source-can-help-us-fight-future-pandemics-heres-how-we-get-there-153280Microscopy for everyone: how the OpenFlexure microscope is changing global healthcare https://www.theiet.org/membership/member-news/member-news-july-august-2025-issue/microscopy-for-everyone-how-the-openflexure-microscope-is-changing-global-healthcareOpenFlexure in MagPi Magazine (Issue 158, p. 112) https://magazine.raspberrypi.com/issues/158Sharing of hardware is a missing link in the open science puzzle via SPARC https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/often-overlooked-sharing-of-hardware-is-a-missing-link-in-open-science-puzzle/Open Science Hardware Policy by Julieta Arancio https://osh-policy.org/Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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116
Designers: Let's Create Abolitionist and Black Liberatory Futures! with Terresa Hardaway
Why do we often miss the profound impact of design in social justice? Terresa Hardaway, a graphic design professor and social justice advocate, uncovers how racialized and abolitionist design principles are not just concepts but powerful tools for societal change.In this episode, we explore Terresa's journey into the world of design that challenges systemic racism and promotes equity. Learn how these principles are reshaping community activism and inspiring new ways to think about design's role in society. Terresa dismantles the myth that design is neutral, illustrating how it can be a force for liberation and empowerment. From the creation of protest fonts to the development of community-centered spaces, this conversation reveals the transformative potential of design in crafting a more just and inclusive world.Reading List:https://terresahardaway.com/https://design.umn.edu/directory/terresa-hardaway ‘Stop Killing Black People’: How a Minneapolis designer branded a movementBlackbird RevoltBlack Garnet BooksRacism Untaught: Revealing and Unlearning Racialized Design by Lisa E. Mercer and Terresa HardawayStop Killing Black People FontEdited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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115
Discovering the Universe through Knitting with Elisabetta Matsumoto
Why do we overlook the power of traditional crafts in modern innovation? Elisabetta Matsumoto, a physicist and textile expert, reveals how knitting and smocking are not just crafts but catalysts for groundbreaking advancements.In this episode, we delve into Elisabetta's exploration of textile techniques that are transforming sustainable fashion and medical technology. Discover how these crafts are revolutionizing pelvic surgeries and inspiring flexible programming languages. Elisabetta challenges the notion that high-tech must be costly, showing how ancient practices can lead to democratized tech solutions. From the intricacies of textile geometry to the broader implications for inclusivity and sustainability, this conversation uncovers the hidden potential of crafts in shaping a more equitable future.Reading list:How one physicist is unraveling the mathematics of knittingElisabetta A. Matsumoto's workEdited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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114
Bonus Episode: The Internet's First Influencer, Tila Tequila, with Lisa Nakamura
In this part 2 episode, Eleanor continues her conversation with Lisa Nakamura about her latest book, The Inattention Economy. They delve deeper into the digital labor of women of color, the rise of influencers like Tila Tequila, and the pressing issues of online toxicity, exploitation, and reparations. Discover how historical and cultural shifts have shaped modern fame and the importance of reparations in the digital age.Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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113
The Inattention Economy: Race, Gender, and Technology with Lisa Nakamura
In this episode, we talk to Lisa Nakamura, Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Inattention Economy: Seeing the Digital Labour of Women of Colour. Lisa reflects on how race, gender, and power shape the histories of digital technology, focusing on the often overlooked labour that has made computing possible. She discusses the work of Navajo women in semiconductor manufacturing, the role of Japanese Americans in early tech production, and why attention, care, and recognition matter for understanding digital culture today.
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112
Race and Orientalism in E-Gaming with Tara Fickle
In this episode, Tara Fickle, an associate professor of Asian American studies, delves into the intersection of race and gaming, introducing the concept of ludo-orientalism. She explores how racial stereotypes shape perceptions of Asian gamers and discusses the role of gender in e-sport culture.Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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111
The Role of Designers in AI Ethics with Tomasz Hollanek
In this episode, Tomasz Hollanek argues that design is central to AI ethics. We discuss what role designers should play in AI ethics, the significance of AI literacy, and the responsibility of journalists in reporting on AI technologies.Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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110
What Makes a Drone “Good”? with Beryl Pong
In this episode, we talk to Beryl Pong, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Centre for Drones and Culture. Beryl reflects on what it means to think about drones as “good” or “ethical” technologies and how it can be assessed through its socio-political context. Beryl examines the dual nature of drones, looking at both their humanitarian uses and the ethical implications of their deployment in civilian life. The discussion also touches on the aesthetics of drones and their representation in popular culture, concluding with a reflection on drone light shows as a new form of cultural expression.
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109
The Vulnerabilities of Drone Warfare with Amy Gaeta
In this episode, Amy Gaeta, a researcher at the Centre for Drones and Culture and the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, discusses the how drones both uphold and subvert traditional masculine norms and the implications of their use in various contexts, from hobbyist communities to pornography. The conversation explores the complexities of gender dynamics in technology and the potential for systemic change in societal perceptions.Edited by: Meibel Dabodabo
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108
AI Needs Fat Liberation! with Aisha Sobey
In this episode, Aisha Sobey, a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, explores how anti-fat bias shapes our digital lives. She discusses its effects on health technologies, social media, and generative AI, and explains why anti-fatness must be seen as a systemic issue. The conversation also highlights how ideas from fat liberation can help create more inclusive and fair technological design.
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107
Can Programming Languages be Feminist? with Felienne Hermans
In this episode, Felienne Hermans, a professor of computer science education, discusses the intersection of feminism and programming. She shares her experiences in designing programming languages, particularly Hedy, which supports 70 languages, including Arabic. The conversation explores the challenges of linguistic diversity in programming and the need for systemic change in the tech community.
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106
Rethinking 'Creepy' Technology with Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski
In this episode we talk to Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski, the editors of the book Technocreep. We discuss what makes a technology creepy and the rise of so-called creepy technologies during COVID-19. Neda and Nassim argue that creepiness is associated with surveillance and that privacy is posited as the solution to so-called creepy tech. However, they highlight the way that race and gender have shaped who has the right to privacy and argue that we need to go beyond the privacy/surveillance binary when thinking about creep. Their volume explores instead how feminists are reclaiming the idea of creep, from how the slow growth of creep or creepiness challenges the tech industry's emphasis on radical innovation, to how the idea of creep is used to police what's considered normal or desirable.
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105
Symbiosis From Bacteria to AI with N. Katherine Hayles
In this episode, we talk to N. Katherine Hayles who's the distinguished research professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University. Her prolific research focuses on the relationship between science, literature and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries. We explore her newest book, Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts, and discuss how the biological concept of symbiosis can inform the relationships we have with AI; how a neural network experiences the world; and whether ChatGPT can be conscious.
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104
Transhumanist Fantasies with Alexander Thomas
In this episode, Eleanor talks to Alexander Thomas, a filmmaker and academic who leads the BA in Media Production at the University of East London. They discuss his new book about transhumanism, a philosophical movement that aims to improve human capabilities through technology and whose followers includes Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Larry Page, and also apparently the DJ Steve Aoki. Alex is himself one of the foremost commentators on transhumanism. He explores transhumanist fantasies about the future of the human, is obsessed with the extremes of possibility: they either think that AI will bring us radical abundance or total extinction. Transhumanism, Alexander says in this episode, reduces life down to information processing and intelligence, which amounts to a kind of IQ fetishism.
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103
Data Bodies and Arab Futurisms with Laila Shereen Sakr
In this episode, we talk to digital media theorist and artist Laila Shereen Sakr, who also performs under the name VJ Um Amel. We discuss her work making data about the outer world both visible and emotional. We explore what Laila calls the "surveyed and targeted Arab data body" and the incredible work she does creating Arab futuristic video games that both represent Arab cultures and project them into the future. We hope you enjoy the show.
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102
Managing the Body through Food Law and Policy with Kyla Wazana Tompkins
In this episode we talk to Kyla Wazana Tompkins, chair of the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of Buffalo. She gives incredible insight into the relationship between the history of science and the history of food law and policy. We look at legislation like the 1906 Food and Drug Act to examine how food policy shaped and was shaped by American ideas about race, national identity, and the body. From $40 LA smoothies to the fermentation practices of the Appalachian peoples, we explore how the way we eat is always bound up with race and gender, both in the past and in the present.
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101
Re-imagining Voice Assistants with Stina Hasse Jørgensen and Frederik Juutilainen
To develop voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, companies spend years investigating what sounds like a human voice and what doesn't. But what we've ended up with is just one possibility of the kinds of voices that we could be interacting with. In this episode, we talked to sound engineer Frederik Juutilainen, and Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Stina Hasse Jørgensen, about their participation in [multi'vocal], an experimental research project that created an alternative voice assistant by asking people at a rock festival in Denmark to speak into a portable recording box. We talk about voice assistants' inability to stutter, lisp and code switch, and whether a voice can express multiple personalities, genders and ages.
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100
Critiquing Tech through Comedy with Laura Allcorn
In this episode, we go shopping with artist and performer, Laura Allcorn. We enter into her practice, which is called the Institute for Comedic Inquiry, to learn how she pairs humour and entertainment with participatory public engagement methods to raise awareness about bizarre and dangerous uses of AI. Laura uses comedy to skewer all manner of ethically questionable technologies, from gait surveillance to shopping algorithms. We participate in one of Laura's performances in this episode, 'SKU-MARKET', an algorithmic shopping platform that promises to know you better than you know yourself. Stay tuned for what the algorithm says about us...
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99
Surfing the Web in Sync with the Sun with Anne Pasek
In this episode, we talk to Anne Pasek, the Canada Research Chair in Media Culture and the Environment, and an Associate Professor between the Department of Cultural Studies and the School of the Environment at Trent University. We love Anne for lots of reasons, not least because she has a 50 watt solar panel, a little Raspberry Pi computer, and an acid battery, all in her backyard, hosting a server. Together we discuss pleasurable ways of responding to climate anxiety, what would happen if the internet wasn't always on, but instead functioned in tandem with the sun, and why addressing climate crisis isn't necessarily about living with less, but learning to live in sync.
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98
Using Feminist Chatbots to Fight Trolls With Sarah Ciston
In this episode, we talk to Sarah Ciston, an artist, coder, writer, and critical AI scholar. We asked Sarah to talk about this badass chatbot they created called Ladymouth, which responds to trolls and incels on hate forums. We discussed the difficult labor of content moderation and the long lasting effects of trying to do feminist work online. We also talk about the surprising things that incels and feminists have in common and whether you can use AI to change people's minds and establish common humanity at scale.
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97
Resisting Mental Health Ward Surveillance with Stop Oxevision
In this episode we talk to two activists, Hat and Nell, from the organisation Stop Oxevision, who are fighting against the rollout of surveillance technologies used on mental health wards in the United Kingdom (UK). We explore how surveillance on mental health wards affects patients who never know exactly when they're being watched, and how surveillance technologies in mental health wards are implemented within a much wider context of unequal power relationships. We also reflect on resistance, solidarity, and friendship as well as the power of activism to share information and combat oppressive technologies. Please note that this episode does contain distressing content, including references to self harm.
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96
Lithium Extraction in the Atacama with Sebastián Lehuedé
In this episode, we talk to Sebastián Lehuedé, a Lecturer in Ethics, AI, and Society at King's College London. We talk about data activism in Chile, how water-intensive lithium extraction affects people living in the Atacama desert, the importance of reflexive research ethics, and an accidental Sunday afternoon shot of tequila.
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95
Machine Vision with Jill Walker Rettberg
In this episode, we talked to Jill Walker Rettberg, Professor of Digital Culture at the University of Bergen in Norway. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about machine vision's origins in polished volcanic glass, whether or not we'll actually have self-driving cars, and that famous photo-shopped Mother's Day Photo released by Kate Middleton in March, 2024.
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94
Art, Technology and Justice with Yasmine Boudiaf
In this episode, we talk to Yasmine Boudiaf, a researcher, artist and creative technologist who uses technology in beautiful and interesting ways to challenge and redefine what we think of as 'good'. We discuss her wide-ranging art projects, from using AI to create a library of Mediterranean hand gestures through to her project Ways of Machine Seeing, which explored how machine vision systems are being taught to 'see'. Throughout the episode, we explore how Yasmine creatively uses technology to challenge the colonial gaze and the predominance of Western European ideas and concepts in ethics. Note: this episode was recorded in Summer 2023
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93
Gut Feminism and Feminist Approaches to Biology with Elizabeth Wilson
In this episode we talk to Elizabeth Wilson, a professor of gender, sexuality and women's studies at Emory University, a leading scholar on the intersections between feminism and biology, and the author of Gut Feminism. We talk about everything from what feminism can learn from biology to TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists), penises, Freud and technology. Note: this episode was recorded in Spring 2023.
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92
Janneke Parrish on Worker Solidarity and Why Tech Unions Matter
In this episode, we speak to Janneke Parrish, who's one of the co founders of Apple Together, a solidarity union at Apple. Apple fired Parrish on the 14th of October 2021. Since she's written an incredible book, continues to be an advisor to Apple together, and is now studying law. We talk about how Apple's culture of silence underlies its aim to surprise and delight the customer, how companies should listen to their workers, and how to be diplomatic and dignified in the face of an institution that is trying to crush you at work.
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91
Hot Take: Does AI Know How You Feel?
In this episode, we chat about coming back from summer break, and discuss a research paper recently published by Kerry and the AI ethicist and researcher Os Keyes called "The Infopolitics of Feeling: How race and disability are configured in Emotion Recognition Technology". We discuss why AI tools that promise to be able to read our emotions from our faces are scientifically and politically suspect. We then explore the ableist foundations of what used to be the most famous Emotion AI firm in the world: Affectiva. Kerry also explains how the Stop Asian Hate and Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 inspired this research project, and why she thinks that emotion recognition technologies have no place in our societies.
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90
The EU AI Act Part 2, with Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West from AI NOW
In this episode, we talk to Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West of the AI Now Institute, who are the co directors of this leading policy think tank. In the episode, which is the second installment of our EU AI Act series, Amba and Sarah explore why different tech policy narratives matter, the difference between the US and the EU regulatory landscape, why this idea that AI is simply outstripping regulation is an outdated maxim, and then finally, their policy wish list for 2024.
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89
The EU AI Act Part 1, with Caterina and Daniel from Access Now
In this episode, we talk to Daniel Leufer and Caterina Rodelli from Access Now, a global advocacy organization that focuses on the impact of the digital on human rights. As leaders in this field, they've been working hard to ensure that the European Union's AI Act doesn't undermine human rights or indeed fundamental democratic values. They share with us how the EU AI act was put together, the Act's particular downfalls, and where the opportunities are for us as citizens or as digital rights activists to get involved and make sure that it's upheld by companies across the world. Note: this episode was recorded back in February 2024.
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88
What on Earth Is Ethical Maths? with Maurice Chiodo
We often think that maths is neutral or can't be harmful, because after all, what could numbers do to hurt us? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Maurice Chiodo, a mathematician at the University of Cambridge, who's now based at the Center for Existential Risk. He tells us why maths can actually throw out big ethical issues. Take the atomic bomb or the maths used by Cambridge Analytica to influence the Brexit referendum or the US elections. Together, we explore why it's crucial that we understand the role that maths plays in unethical AI.Follow our IG shenanigans: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodrobotpodcast/?locale=hi_INTweet us: https://twitter.com/thegoodrobot1?lang=enWatch our TikTok adventures: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoodrobotpodcastListen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5jbYieHj1QrykdQUeCVpOR or https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-good-robot/id1570237963We have the best newsletter full of AI updates and reading recs! https://tech.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?
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87
Can Technology Save us from Housework? with Helen Hester
This is a special live episode because Kerry is talking to Professor Helen Hester at the tech transformed conference in London. Helen is a leading thinker of feminism technology and the future of work, and she explores the history of domestic technologies- so technology used around the house. It's really important that we understand that technologies like the washing machine were actually not as liberatory for women as we'd like to think. In fact, they may have actually prevented women from rising up against domestic labor. Helen also talks about how medical care is increasingly being outsourced to home spaces, and why smart home technology is making our lives more convenient, but not necessarily less laborious.Follow our IG shenanigans: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodrobo...Tweet us: https://twitter.com/thegoodrobot1?lan...Watch our TikTok adventures: /thegoodrobotpodcast
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86
Poisoning AI and Silencing Alexa with Heather Zheng
In this episode, we talk to Heather Zheng, who makes technologies that stop everyday surveillance. This includes bracelets that stopped devices from listening and on you, to more secure biometric technologies that can protect us by identifying us by for example, our dance moves. Most famously, Zheng is one of the computer scientists behind Nightshade, which helps artists protect their work by 'poisoning' AI training data sets. Follow our IG shenanigans: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodrobotpodcast/?locale=hi_INTweet us: https://twitter.com/thegoodrobot1?lang=enWatch our TikTok adventures: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoodrobotpodcastListen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5jbYieHj1QrykdQUeCVpOR or https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-good-robot/id1570237963We have the best newsletter full of AI updates and reading recs! https://tech.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?
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85
Gamergate, Harassment, and Feminist Design with Caroline Sinders
In this episode we talk to Caroline Sinders, the human rights researcher, an artist, and the founder of convocation, design and research. We begin by talking about Gamergate, when women were harassed for being gamers. We also talk about what it's like doing high risk research about abusive misogynists online and experiences of doxing. Just to give you a heads up. We do talk about online harassment in today's episode. If you're facing online harassment and you need immediate help Caroline's organization offers pro bono support, so just email, [email protected]. And they'll get back to you.
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84
The curse of online beauty culture with Ellen Atlanta
We’re expected to look amazing online, but also natural. We’re fighting against the gender pay gap, but also spend thousands on cosmetics. In this episode, Ellen Atlanta talks us through the paradoxes of feminism and beauty in the digital sphere.
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83
Needlework and History's Hidden Technologies with Isabella Rosner
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Isabella Rosner, a curator at the Royal School of Needlework and a research consultant at Witney Antiques. Isabella tells us about the evolution of embroidery as a technology, and the complex relationship between needlework and feminism. We use this history to shed light on technology and feminism today.
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82
How China surveils Uyghur Muslims with Darren Byler
In this episode, we talked to Darren Byler, author of Terror Capitalism and In the Camps, Life in China's High Tech Penal Colony. We discussed his in depth research on Uyghur Muslims in China and the role played by technology in their persecution. If you're just listening to this on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, you can now watch us on YouTube at The Good Robot Podcast.
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81
The Racial History of Dermatology with Thuy Linh Tu
In this episode we talk to Thuy Linh Thu, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at NYU. We talk about how good technology disperses power, while bad technology concentrates power, the racial history of dermatology, including the connections between the Vietnam War, medical experimentation on incarcerated men in the U. S., and retinol creams,. Please note that this episode contains references to medical experimentation and racial violence.
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80
Hot Take: The Good Robot BOOK!
In this very special Good Robot hot take we talk about our new book, The Good Robot: Why Technology Needs Feminism. It's a beautiful new illustrated book where the top scholars, activists, artists, writers, technologists, all come together to respond to the prompt: good technology is... Kerry and Eleanor chat about getting its illustrations as tattoos, and you can vote for which one you think we should get tattooed. And then we have some more serious conversations about why good technology is always complicit, whether that be a blood glucose monitor, the Dyson Air Wrap, a Tangle Teezer, a water purifier or Kerry's option: knitting needles. The book has just launched online and in stores. So you can find it at your local bookshop. We know that it stocked in Waterstones, hers. Blackwells, Pages of Hackney... and of course this wouldn't be an episode on the complicities of good technology without saying that you can also find it on Amazon.
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79
The 'AI Mirror' with Shannon Vallor
In this episode we chat to Shannon Vallor, the Bailey Gifford professor in the ethics and data of AI at the University of Edinburgh and the Director for the Centre for Technomoral Futures. We talk about feminist care ethics; technologies, vices and virtues; why Aristotle believed that the people who make technology should be excluded from citizenship; and why we still don't have the kinds of robots that we imagined that we'd have in the early 2000s. We also discuss Shannon's new book, The AI Mirror, which is now available for pre-order.
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78
Why You Shouldn't Believe the AI Hype with Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna
In this episode, we talk to Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna. AI ethics legends and now the co-hosts of the Mystery AI Hype Theatre 3000 podcast which is a new podcast where they dispel the hype storm around AI. Emily is a professor of linguistics at university of Washington and the co-author of that stochastic parrots paper that you may have heard of, because two very important people in the Google AI ethics team allegedly got fired over it, and that's Timnit Gebru and Meg Mitchell. And Alex Hanna is the director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute known by its acronym, DAIR, which is now run by Timnit. In this episode, they argue that we should stop using the term AI altogether, and that the world might be better without text to image systems like DALL·E and Midjourney. They tell us how the AI hype agents are getting high on their own supply, and give some advice for young people going into tech careers.
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77
Why the Stories We Tell About AI Matter with Melissa Heikkilä
This week we chat to Melissa Heikkilä, a senior tech reporter for MIT Tech review, about ChatGPT, image generation, porn, and the stories we tell about AI. We hope you enjoy the show.
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76
Rethinking Large Language Models (LLMs) with Rebecca Woods
In this episode, we talked to Rebecca Woods, a Senior Lecturer in Language and Cognition at Newcastle University. We have an amazing chat about language learning in AI, and she tells us how language is crucial to how ChatGPT functions. She's also an expert in how children learn languages, and she compares this to teaching AI how to process languages.
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75
Hot Take: Happy Holidays & a new book from Eleanor!
Happy holidays from your favourite jingle belles at the Good Robot podcast! In this episode we celebrate both the holidays and Eleanor's new book, The Planetary Humanism of European Women's Science Fiction: An Experience of the Impossible, which is a history of women's utopian science fiction from 1666 to 2016. We talk about the ways that women have imagined better places and times and worse ones throughout history, as well as what utopia means politically and why we need it, lesbian bacteria, Hitchcock's The Birds, and weird deep sea fish..
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74
Rewriting Wikipedia with Jess Wade
In this episode we talk to British physicist Jess Wade about the 1923 Wikipedia pages (and counting) she’s created and edited in her aim to put more women and more people of colour onto the online encyclopaedia.
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73
Hot Take: Can you own your data?
In this episode we welcome Eleanor back from Slovenia, where she was speaking at a conference on digital sovereignty. But what is digital sovereignty, and what does it mean for you and your data?
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72
Digital Authoritarianism and Press Freedom with Arzu Geybulla
In this episode, we talked to Azerbaijani journalist Arzu Geybulla, a specialist on digital authoritarianism and its implications on human rights and press freedoms in Azerbaijan. She now lives in self-imposed exile in Istanbul. Aside from writing for big publications like Al Jazeera, Eurasianet, Foreign Policy Democracy Lab, she also founded Azerbaijan Internet Watch and is writing a political memoir about a lost generation of civil society artists in Azerbaijan. We chat to Arzu about Azerbaijan's use of technology to go after diasporic community members or people who've been exiled from the country, how women are more often targeted than men, subliminal propaganda, misinformation and censorship in the recent Turkish elections, and the importance of tracking and mapping internet censorship and surveillance in authoritarian states.
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71
Technology, psychedelics and healing with K Allado-McDowell
In this episode, we speak to K Allado-McDowell a writer, speaker, and musician. They've written three books and an opera libretto, and they've established the artists and machine intelligence program at Google AI. We talk about good technology as healing, the relationship between psychedelics and technology, utopianism and the counter-cultural movements in the Bay Area, and the economics of Silicon Valley.
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70
Good corporations, AI ethics and value pluralism with Giada Pistilli
In this episode, we talk to Giada Pistilli, Principal Ethicist at Hugging Face, which is the company that Meg Mitchell joined, following her departure from Google. Giada is also completing her PhD in philosophy and ethics of applied conversational AI at Sorbonne University. We talk about value pluralism and AI, which means building AI according to the values of different groups of people. We also explore what it means for an AI company to actually take AI ethics really seriously as well as the state of feminism in France right now
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69
Facial Recognition and Surveillance in Palestine with Matt Mahmoudi
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Matt Mahmoudi, a researcher and advisor on artificial intelligence and human rights at Amnesty International, and an affiliated lecturer at the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. We discuss how AI is being used to survey Palestinians in Hebron and East Jerusalem, both in their bedrooms and in their streets, which Dutch and Chinese companies are supporting this surveillance, and how Israeli security forces have been pivotal to the training of US police. We also think about creative resistance projects like plastering stickers on cameras to notify passes by that they're being watched.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney as they ask the experts: what is good technology? Is ‘good’ technology even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? Each week, they invite scholars, industry practitioners, activists, and more to provide their unique perspective on what feminism can bring to the tech industry and the way that we think about technology. With each conversation, The Good Robot asks how feminism can provide new perspectives on technology’s biggest problems.
HOSTED BY
Dr Kerry McInerney and Dr Eleanor Drage
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