Explore every episode of the podcast DigEthix: Digital Ethics Today
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29: What's wrong with Academia? Data Fraud from Harvard Professor Francesca Gino | 19 Feb 2025 | 01:00:17 | |
This 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. 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 and published widely on the cognitive science of ritual. You can read his Substack here (https://cultureuncurled.substack.com) and learn more about his research here (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Connor-Wood). A convert to Catholicism, Connor writes and translates poetry for fun and also goes rock climbing (usually not at the same time). Potentially Helpful Links: Harvard Report: https://datacolada.org/wp-content/uploads/Harvard-Report-on-Gino.pdf Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 28: Computational Simulation in Practice: Simulating Religious Violence Documentary Interview | 12 Nov 2024 | 00:47:47 | |
This 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 the researchers involved in creating and deploying the simulation. Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 19: Videogames and Positive Ethical Formation with Benjamin Chicka | 12 Jan 2022 | 00:52:29 | |
Dr. 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. Gamergate info: https://www.vox.com/2014/9/6/6111065/gamergate-explained-everybody-fighting Forums/video game communities https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/31/gamer-communities-positive-side-twitter Papers please Exploitation in the video game industry https://time.com/5603329/e3-video-game-creators-union/ Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 18: Ethical Leadership in Business and Life with Willys DeVoll | 15 Dec 2021 | 00:49:16 | |
Willys 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.
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 17: Biohacking, Implants, and DIY Science with Jacob Boss | 01 Dec 2021 | 00:46:59 | |
The 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. The key questions for this episode are: What does it mean to have body autonomy in an era of powerful technology? How will our ideas of self-expression change? How are grassroots movements like the grinders related to more corporatized movements within transhumanism itself? How far should we go in pursuit of new technologies that may relieve our pains and illnesses? https://www.wired.com/story/this-diy-implant-lets-you-stream-movies-from-inside-your-leg/ https://www.wired.com/2010/12/transcending-the-human-diy-style/ Credits: Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 16: The Case for the Non-Profit Technology Company with Rubén Mancha | 17 Nov 2021 | 00:49:48 | |
Seth 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.
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 15: Information Asymmetry in the App Economy - The Case of the Doordash Strike | 03 Nov 2021 | 00:52:36 | |
Seth 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. Potentially Helpful Links:
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 14: NFTs and the Future of Art with Timothée Mathon | 20 Oct 2021 | 00:54:10 | |
Seth 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/theartnest. Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 13: Exploring Attention and Virtue through Science Fiction with Emanuelle Burton | 06 Oct 2021 | 00:58:34 | |
Seth 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. Emanuelle's Collaborators: https://sse.tulane.edu/cs/faculty/mattei
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 12: CAPTCHAs, Bots, and Informed Consent with Bernd Dürrwächter | 29 Sep 2021 | 00:58:58 | |
Seth 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.
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 11: Shared Computing, Data Analysis, and Boston University's Computing and Data Sciences Unit with Azer Bestavros | 15 Sep 2021 | 01:05:22 | |
Seth 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. Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| DIGETHIX 11 Teaser | 08 Sep 2021 | 00:00:58 | |
We 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. Contact us: digethix.org Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 27: How Should You Manage Your Data? 'Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up' with Lauren Maffeo | 31 Jul 2023 | 00:50:03 | |
Can 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. Music: “Dreams” from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 10: Season Recap and State of the Podcast | 04 Aug 2021 | 00:30:06 | |
Seth 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: Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 9: Pegasus NSO Spyware and the Business of Surveillance | 28 Jul 2021 | 01:00:28 | |
Seth 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. Other Articles on Tracking: 1. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/19/opinion/location-tracking-cell-phone.html Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 8: Critical Thinking and the Process of Ethics in Technology with Bernd Dürrwächter | 21 Jul 2021 | 01:06:19 | |
Seth 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 DIGETHIX make concrete suggestions? How can public discussion be used in conjunction with education to better equip the next generation of technologists?
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 7: Artificial Intelligence, Emotion, and What Makes Us Human with Dr. Noreen Herzfeld | 14 Jul 2021 | 01:01:35 | |
In 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 essential to what makes us human. The key questions for this episode are: what does it mean for a machine system to be considered intelligent? Is education really a matter of a simple information transfer? Potentially Helpful sources:
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 6: Using Data to Address Inequities in Healthcare with Muhammad Ahmad | 07 Jul 2021 | 00:55:53 | |
In 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 papers in machine learning and artificial intelligence. He has a PhD in Computer Science from University of Minnesota. This episode will be the second part of our look at race and healthcare. In this interview, Seth and Muhammad explore a variety of topics. Muhammad talks about how he eventually turned his focus towards healthcare, specifically addressing discrepancies in care between different ethnic groups. He explains many technical problems in machine learning, including the challenges to applying different definitions of fairness. The key questions to this episode are: how has data served to both obscure and to illuminate discrepancies on healthcare? How can machine learning enhance our understanding of complex social problems?
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 5: Black Maternal Mortality and the Informatic Problem of Personal Experience | 30 Jun 2021 | 00:48:15 | |
Seth 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. Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 4: Digitality, Photoshop, and the Audiences of Our Making | 16 Jun 2021 | 01:00:58 | |
In 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 ways in which we think about each other and even the very ways we think. The key questions for this episode are: what does it mean for something to be digital? What does it mean to expose otherwise invisible digital markers? What does it mean to have our relationships mediated digitally? If you would like to follow along with this conversation, you can find some of the images that we discuss at https://digethix.org/gallery/. Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 3: Simulation Research and Applications with F. LeRon Shults | 09 Jun 2021 | 00:52:14 | |
In 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. Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 2: Neurofeedback, Technodelics, Brain Stimulation, and the New Spirit Tech with Kate Stockly | 02 Jun 2021 | 00:45:50 | |
Kate 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.' Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 1: Data Science, Interdisciplinary Research, and the Problem of the Humanities with Wesley Wildman | 26 May 2021 | 00:47:29 | |
In 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 training scholars to work across subject boundaries and to work in teams. They talk about Boston University’s new Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, a university initiative that cuts across disciplines to try to apply data sciences to every discipline that has an interest. Finally, they talk about their motivations for developing a podcast like DIGETHIX. The key questions for this episode are: how can we better educate researchers to tackle the complicated problems that we face today? Are there ways in which the university system itself may need to be adapted?
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 26: Should You Use ChatGPT in Class? A Guide for Teachers and Students | 01 Jun 2023 | 00:13:56 | |
When 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. Music: “Dreams” by Benjamin Tissot from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 25: Should You Use Dating Apps? And Other Romance Questions with Ethicist Kate Ott | 24 Mar 2023 | 00:46:37 | |
Should 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. Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 24: Parenting in the Digital Dystopia with Dr. Loretta Brady | 08 Nov 2022 | 00:54:30 | |
How can parents navigate the landscape of technology? How our experience with technology differed by generation? How do we build trust across these generations. Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 23: Twitter's Bias Bounty Program and The Ethics of Research with Dr. Borhane Blili-Hamelin | 28 Sep 2022 | 00:50:20 | |
How 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? Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 22: What is Digital Ethics? | 23 Sep 2022 | 00:14:36 | |
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. Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 21: Trust and Safety Communication Technologies with Ryan Mayfield | 17 Feb 2022 | 01:26:24 | |
What are safety technologies? How do we best utilize our resources in order to prevent tragedies? How does a crisis affect the process of consent? Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||
| 20: Exploring Ethical Problems through Stories with After Dinner Conversation | 02 Feb 2022 | 00:39:54 | |
After 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. Magazine: https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/ Aristotle’s criticisms of democracy: https://fs.blog/aristotles-politics/
Music: "Dreams" from Bensound.com Contact us: digethix.org | |||