A nice piece by Andrew Maynard
snip
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This is not a new idea. For decades now researchers have been studying and writing about the importance of public engagement in ensuring science and technology do more good than harm. (Here, it’s worth calling out Brian Wynn’s seminal 1995 article “May the Sheep Safely Gaze? …” as an example of just how long scholars and others have been studying this). Yet there remains deep resistance to listening to and learning from diverse communities and members of the public as new ideas lead to new research, development, and products.
Even as recently as a few months ago this was reflected in conversations around getting AI right, with claims that the technology is simply too complicated for non-experts to understand!
And yet, pushback against the importance of public engagement demonstrates a stunning lack of understanding around how to ensure science and technology serve people in a democratic society, and a very real risks of hubristically ignoring the very communities many scientists and technologists claim they are working to help.
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Apparently PCAST will weigh in..
a tip of the hat to Andy
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