Episode 21: Considering an AI Bill of Rights, Facebook, and the Technological Surveillance of Truckers ft. Karen Levy

The Received Wisdom

This month, Shobita and Jack discuss efforts to engage publics in the development and regulation of AI, including the AI Bill of Rights proposed by the White house, and the most recent Facebook controversies. And they talk to sociologist and lawyer Karen Levy about her forthcoming book examining the rise of technology-based surveillance in the trucking industry and its social, political, and labor implications.

- Eric Lander and Alondra Nelson (2021). "Americans Need a Bill of Rights for an AI-Powered World." WIRED. October 8.

- Karen Levy (2021). "You Had Me at ‘Has Never Filed for Bankruptcy’." The New York Times. March 31.

- Julie Weed (2020). "Wearable Tech that tells Drowsy Truckers it's Time to Pull Over." The New York Times. February 6.

- Clara Berrige and Karen Levy (2019). "Webcams in Nursing Home Rooms May Deter Elder Abuse--But Are They Ethical?" The Conversation. July 24.

- Christophe Haubersin (2017). "Automation is coming for truckers. But first, they're being watched." Vox. November 20.

Study Questions:

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of bringing EDL and other surveillance technologies into trucking?

2. To what extent do you think the trucking (and other forms of labor) shortage can be traced to resistance to and frustration with surveillance technologies?

3. How do the new technologies transform the kinds of knowledge and expertise deemed relevant to trucking? What knowledge is now valued, and what is devalued? What are the consequences?

4. What is a multi-sited ethnography, and why is it useful for studying technologies, their implications, and the development of appropriate policies to manage them?

(Transcript available at thereceivedwisdom.org.)