Podcasts about how we can reboot

In this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. (05:42) Why they decided to write their book (10:56) How venture capital has shaped Silicon Valley (19:04) Optimization mindset meets Democracy (37:36) Our privacy boundaries when it comes to government and private companies Purchase System Error: https://systemerrorbook.com/ Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. (07:11) The modern day trolley problem (16:54) Reorienting invention toward problem solving (23:16) The other skills tech companies need (28:53) The problem of the inventor/CEO (39:57) What companies and governments can do to reshape how big tech operates Purchase System Error: https://systemerrorbook.com/ Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Weinstein became the newest dean in the 88-year history of the Harvard Kennedy School this past June, arriving from Stanford University, where he was an award-winning scholar and the founding faculty director of the Stanford Impact Labs. The pursuit of deep scholarly curiosity and roll-up-your-sleeves impact has been a theme in his life and career, as well as an approach he intends to accelerate schoolwide at HKS under his leadership. Growing up, Weinstein experienced a family run-in with government policy gone horribly wrong—one that could have inspired a deep cynicism about the role of government in people's lives. He found inspiration instead and embarked on a career that has encompassed field research on the ground in post-conflict countries including Uganda, Mozambique, and Peru; wide-ranging scholarship in areas including political violence, the political economy of development, migration, and technology's proper role in society; government service at the National Security Council and as Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama administration. He has also been an academic leader who has led major initiatives including the Stanford Impact Labs and the Immigration Policy Lab. His new job marks a return to HKS, where he earned both his master's and PhD in political economy and government. He joins PolicyCast host Ralph Ranalli to talk about his life experiences, how they shaped him as a scholar and leader, and what he believes the role of the Kennedy School should be in challenging times for academia, the United States, and the world.Policy Recommendations:Jeremy Weinstein's recommendations for restoring trust in public institutions, expertise, and scholarship:Reclaim the civic purpose of higher education and prioritize its role in serving democratic institutions and solving societal problems.Reconnect to the real-world problems people are experiencing and ensure that the questions being asked and answered by scholars and researchers are ones that can help public institutions make progress.Leverage expertise and use science and innovation to tackle pressing challenges including economic insecurity, housing insecurity, food access, access to health care, and geographic disparities in economic development.Realign incentives and allocate resources to position higher education institutions as active problem-solving partners, particularly at the state and local level where governors, mayors, and county leaders design policies that directly impact people's daily lives.Demonstrate the value of science, expertise, and policy innovation by producing results people can see and benefit from, and emphasize their value in ensuring that government dollars at all levels are spent efficiently.Episode Notes:Jeremy Weinstein is Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He is an award-winning researcher and teacher with expertise on civil wars and political violence; ethnic politics; the political economy of development; democracy and accountability; and migration. Before coming to Harvard, he was the Kleinheinz Professor of International Studies at Stanford University, where he led major initiatives, including Stanford Impact Labs and the Immigration Policy Lab, which catalyzed partnerships between researchers and practitioners with the goal of generating innovative policies, programs, and interventions to meaningfully address important social problems.Weinstein has also held senior roles in the U.S. government at the White House and State Department, most recently as Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during President Obama's second term. As Deputy, Weinstein was a standing member of the National Security Council Deputies' Committee—the subcabinet policy committee with primary responsibility for advising the National Security Council, the Cabinet, and the President on foreign policy issues. Before becoming Deputy, he served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. During President Obama's first term, he served as Director for Development and Democracy on the National Security Council staff at the White House. Weinstein is the author of “Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence,” co-author of “Coethnicity: Diversity and the Dilemmas of Collective Action,” and co-editor of “Crime, Insecurity, and Community Policing.” For his research, Weinstein received the International Studies Association's Karl Deutsch Award, given annually to the scholar under 40 who has made the most significant contribution to the study of international relations. In recent years, he has also written on issues at the intersection of technology and democracy, including in a co-authored book “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.”He earned a BA from Swarthmore College and an MA and PhD in political economy and government from Harvard University.Ralph Ranalli of the HKS Office of Communications and Public Affairs is the host and producer of HKS PolicyCast. A former journalist, public television producer, and entrepreneur, he holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University.Scheduling and logistical support for PolicyCast is provided by Lilian Wainaina. Design and graphics support is provided by Laura King and the OCPA Design Team. Social media promotion and support is provided by Natalie Montaner and the OCPA Digital Team. Editorial support is provided by Nora Delaney, Robert O'Neill, and the OCPA Editorial Team.

The explosion of large language models (LLMs) into the public sphere in 2023 here in Washington has raised many questions on how much artificial intelligence (AI) should be under the direct scrutiny of the government. Should we proceed with as much caution as Europe? Will AI as we know it today become misaligned with our interests? AI should lead us towards the next economic boom, but will the involvement of the government hasten or inhibit that?To sift through some of these deeper policy questions, Shane spoke with Rob Reich about his work in philosophy, politics, and technology.Rob Reich is a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. He is also the faculty co-director of Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS), the faculty director of the McCoy Center for Ethics in Society, and the associate director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).Rob discusses the merits (and limitations) of the precautionary principle and other points from his book, System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Shane reiterates how stifling innovation can lead to worse outcomes than expected but that thoughtlessness on AI is a mistake just as well. Tune in as Shane and Rob examine the circuitry of America's AI moment.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Rob Reich and Jeremy Weinstein, authors of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Rob Reich is professor of political science and codirector of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Jeremy M. Weinstein went to Washington with President Obama in 2009. A key staffer in the White House, he foresaw how new technologies might remake the relationship between governments and citizens, and launched Obama's Open Government Partnership. When Samantha Power was appointed US Ambassador to the United Nations, she brought Jeremy to New York, first as her chief of staff and then as her deputy. He returned to Stanford in 2015 as a professor of political science, where he now leads Stanford Impact Labs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week our guest is Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University and co-author of the recently published book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. In this episode, we focus heavily on how the tech industry's obsession with efficiency and optimization has often meant sacrificing our values and even democracy itself. This includes conversations about data privacy, the tension between recklessly fast innovation and mindful but slow progress, concerns over China, the job market, and much much more. Additionally, we discuss some optimistic and very actionable steps that individuals, universities, and businesses can take to help society reboot our failed relationship with Big Tech. Find the book on Amazon, follow Rob at twitter.com/robreich, and stay tuned for Rob's upcoming class on these subjects at systemerrorbook.com ** Host: Steven Parton - LinkedIn / Twitter Music by: Amine el Filali

Our guest today says that the profession of programmer or coder is the most important occupation to have in the 21st century, and yet computer science is developmentally speaking, still a very young field and discipline.Rob Reich is professor of political science and, by courtesy, professor of philosophy and Education, at Stanford University. He is the director of the Center for Ethics in Society and co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and associate director of the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. His books include “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot,” and “Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better.”Listen as Greg and Rob talk about computer science, the ethics of engineering, echo chambers and how social media is changing communication systems.Episode Quotes:Is democracy in opposition to big tech?When the optimization mindset becomes a kind of life outlook, rather than a particular methodological approach to a domain of technical problems, I think the engineer is led to believe that there's no particular reason to be attached to democratic decision-making as such, because democracy is so suboptimal.We need a social system, a political system that optimizes. And democracies are designed as a fair process for refereeing, contesting preferences and values amongst citizens while cohabiting together in the same social order. How social media is changing communication systems In a world of social media, the people who are signaling to us what counts as quality information are our peers, are our friends on the social graph, rather than some gatekeeper expert.And so we have what we call horizontal trust rather than vertical trust to an expert. And that has led to the spread of misinformation and disinformation that no expert has, as it were, weighed in on and tried to filter for us. Ethics & computer scienceI think while personal ethics of course is fine to have, maybe necessary, there's no such thing as a university course that will fix the human temptation to fudge the corners or to get ahead in various unethical ways. And I think the far more interesting challenge is this one to unearth the implicit value frameworks that guide our way implicitly or explicitly through moral complexity. Show Links:Guest Profile:Faculty Profile at Stanford UniversityProfessional Profile at National Center for Family PhilanthropyRob Reich on LinkedInRob Reich on TwitterHis Work:Rob Reich on Google ScholarSystem Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Digital Technology and Democratic TheoryJust Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do BetterPhilanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, ValuesEducation, Justice, and Democracy Occupy the FutureToward a Humanist Justice: The Political Philosophy of Susan Moller Okin

Social media and "Big Tech" are at the forefront of a lot of peoples' minds these days with the news Elon Musk's bid to purchase Twitter.   Technology's role and importance in our lives are obvious, but with all of the advancements we've seen and experienced, one must ask if it has all been beneficial or positive.   This is the major question my guests this week seek to ask. Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein are Stanford University professors and co-authors of the book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, along with their third co-author, Rob Reich.   I would describe System Error as a book filled with questions, questions that should have been asked years ago that never were, and questions that we should be asking now as technology continues to push forward. And while the authors post numerous questions about technology's role in shaping our society, they leave many of the questions unanswered, as these are clearly issues and challenges that require more than just three peoples' perspectives.   Find out more about Rob, Mehran, and Jeremy and their book, System Error, at https://systemerrorbook.com.

To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus In the second part of this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.  (07:11) The modern day trolley problem (16:54) Reorienting invention toward problem solving (23:16) The other skills tech companies need (28:53) The problem of the inventor/CEO (39:57) What companies and governments can do to reshape how big tech operates Purchase System Error:  https://systemerrorbook.com/  Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus In this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.  (05:42) Why they decided to write their book (10:56) How venture capital has shaped Silicon Valley (19:04) Optimization mindset meets Democracy (37:36) Our privacy boundaries when it comes to government and private companies Purchase System Error:  https://systemerrorbook.com/  Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of In Reality, co-hosts Eric Schurenberg and Joan Donovan are joined by Rob Reich, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Stanford University and Author of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.At its birth, social media promised to be a tool to promote democracy. Instead, it has become the accelerant to a firestorm of lies and, far from democratizing power has concentrated it among a few social media giants. “Mark Zuckerberg is now the unelected mayor of three billion people,” says Rob Reich. “That is unacceptable.” How did things go so wrong? Reich blames, what he calls, the “engineering mindset” of social media's inventors and the financial ecosystem that supports them. Along with co-authors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy M. Weinstein, Reich teaches a class on technology and ethics at Stanford University, the high temple of the engineering mindset. He knows what he is talking about! Engineers seek to “optimize” for a specific, measurable outcome without regard to social ramifications. Thus, for example, algorithms designed to give social media users engaging content to wind uploading news feeds or search results with content that triggers outrage, hatred or fear. Engagement—measured by clicks or time spent on the site climbs exponentially as a result--but at an enormous social cost.   Reich believes that the solutions lie in tempering the optimization mindset with regulations that weigh a technology's social costs against its effectiveness, much as stop signs moderate optimal traffic flow in the interests of safety. Listen and judge for yourself. His ideas require political resolve to execute, to be sure. But the need is urgent. Democracy is at stake.

My guest today is Rob Reich. Rob is a political science and philosophy professor at Stanford University. He is the Director of Stanford's McCoy Centre for Ethics and Society and Associate Director of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence. Rob is also the author of "Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better", and the co-author of "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot", "Digital Technology and Democratic Theory", "Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values" and many more.We talk about the culture of Silicon Valley, the problem with optimization, the externalities caused by Big Tech, and the problem of censorship by Big Tech. We also go on to discuss artificial intelligence, the famous "Experience Machine" thought experiment, and much more. 

My guest today is Rob Reich. Rob is a political science and philosophy professor at Stanford University. He is the Director of Stanford's McCoy Centre for Ethics and Society and Associate Director of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence. Rob is also the author of "Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better", and the co-author of "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot", "Digital Technology and Democratic Theory", "Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values" and many more.We talk about the culture of Silicon Valley, the problem with optimization, the externalities caused by Big Tech, and the problem of censorship by Big Tech. We also go on to discuss artificial intelligence, the famous "Experience Machine" thought experiment, and much more. 

My guest today is Rob Reich. Rob is a political science and philosophy professor at Stanford University. He is the Director of Stanford's McCoy Centre for Ethics and Society and Associate Director of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence. Rob is also the author of "Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better", and the co-author of "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot", "Digital Technology and Democratic Theory", "Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values" and many more. We talk about the culture of Silicon Valley, the problem with optimization, the externalities caused by Big Tech, and the problem of censorship by Big Tech. We also go on to discuss artificial intelligence, the famous "Experience Machine" thought experiment, and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of the problems we face today are messy, complex, and have no correct answer. Further, we have no precedence of how to solve them. Kevin chats with Sarah Stein Greenberg, who shares practical and maybe unusual ways to help you tackle the challenges you face. It is critical to have a curious mind and be intentional with your actions. Key Points Sarah shares her thoughts about design and risk. She discusses how to extend our curiosity. She shares examples of paths to creativity including: Come up with ideas. Locate your own voice. Tell a compelling story. Slow down and focus. Meet Sarah Name: Sarah Stein Greenberg Her Story: Sarah is the author of Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways. She is also the Executive Director of the Stanford d.school. She leads a community of designers, faculty, and other innovative thinkers who help people unlock their creative abilities and apply them to the world. Worth Mentioning: Sarah holds an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business and a BA in history from Oberlin College. She also serves as a trustee for the global conservation organization Rare. This episode is brought to you by… Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential, Kevin's free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you become a more confident and successful leader. Book Recommendations Creative Acts for Curious People: : How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways by Sarah Stein Greenberg System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot by Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, Jeremy M. Weinstein Related Podcast Episodes Innovation is Everybody's Business with Tamara Ghandour. Making Creativity an Everyday Habit with Scott Anthony.

Listen to CEO Danielle Wood, with renowned writer Benjamin Law, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2021. It was an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary reads – not only for the Prime Minister, but for all Australians interested in public policy. With introduction by Angharad Wynne-Jones from State Library Victoria, this podcast features discussions with four of the authors, Kate Holden, Rick Morton, Paige Clark, and Brendan James Murray. The full list includes: The Winter Road: A Killing at Croppa Creek, by Kate Holden The School: The Ups and Downs of One Year in the Classroom, by Brendan James Murray Truth-Telling: History, Sovereignty, and the Uluru Statement, by Henry Reynolds On Money, by Rick Morton System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, by Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, and Jeremy M. Weinstein She Is Haunted, by Paige Clark For more information visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-2021-prime-ministers-summer-reading-list/

Stanford Professor Rob Reich joins to show to discuss his new book "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot", and how to best confront the legal, moral, and social disruptions of emergent technologies.

To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus In the second part of this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.  (07:11) The modern day trolley problem (16:54) Reorienting invention toward problem solving (23:16) The other skills tech companies need (28:53) The problem of the inventor/CEO (39:57) What companies and governments can do to reshape how big tech operates Purchase System Error:  https://systemerrorbook.com/  Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus In this two-episode conversation, Stanford Professors Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein join Ron Steslow to discuss their book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.  (05:42) Why they decided to write their book (10:56) How venture capital has shaped Silicon Valley (19:04) Optimization mindset meets Democracy (37:36) Our privacy boundaries when it comes to government and private companies Purchase System Error:  https://systemerrorbook.com/  Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Mehran and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mehran_sahami https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

In the era of big tech, groundbreaking technological innovation has given rise to an increasingly efficient and methodical society. But these advances are not without consequence, as unbounded technological growth demands control over how we work, think, consume and communicate. Our panelists say too many have accepted biased algorithms, job-displacing robots, and surveillance-based capitalism as an inexorable cost of innovation, giving a powerful few the reins over our evolving society. Technologists, the venture capitalists who fund them, and the politicians who allow for this unregulated growth have stepped into the seat of power, often prioritizing technological optimization and efficiency over fundamental human values. System Error, authored by three Stanford professors, offers an alternative to this dystopian vision of a world controlled by big tech. Armed with the combined knowledge of philosopher Rob Reich, a leading thinker at the intersection of technology and ethics, political scientist and former Obama staffer Jeremy Weinstein, as well as the director of Stanford's undergraduate computer science program Mehran Sahami, System Error reveals how big tech can be held to account for the power it wields over our society. Join us as professors Reich, Weinstein and Sahami uncover the gripping reality of big tech and explain how we can chart a new path forward to control technology before it controls us. About the Speakers Rob Reich is the director of Stanford University's Center for Ethics in Society; co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and associate director of its new Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; and co-author of System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Mehran Sahami is a professor of computer science at Stanford University; former senior research scientist at Google; and co-author of System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Jeremy M. Weinstein is a professor of political science at Stanford University; former deputy to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former director for development and democracy on the White House National Security Council staff during the Obama Administration; and co-author of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. SPEAKERS Rob Reich Director, Stanford University's Center for Ethics in Society; Co-author, System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Mehran Sahami Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University; Co-author, System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Jeremy M. Weinstein Professor of Political Science, Stanford University; Co-author, System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Levi Sumagaysay Tech Reporter, MarketWatch—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 27th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the era of big tech, groundbreaking technological innovation has given rise to an increasingly efficient and methodical society. But these advances are not without consequence, as unbounded technological growth demands control over how we work, think, consume and communicate. Our panelists say too many have accepted biased algorithms, job-displacing robots, and surveillance-based capitalism as an inexorable cost of innovation, giving a powerful few the reins over our evolving society. Technologists, the venture capitalists who fund them, and the politicians who allow for this unregulated growth have stepped into the seat of power, often prioritizing technological optimization and efficiency over fundamental human values. System Error, authored by three Stanford professors, offers an alternative to this dystopian vision of a world controlled by big tech. Armed with the combined knowledge of philosopher Rob Reich, a leading thinker at the intersection of technology and ethics, political scientist and former Obama staffer Jeremy Weinstein, as well as the director of Stanford's undergraduate computer science program Mehran Sahami, System Error reveals how big tech can be held to account for the power it wields over our society. Join us as professors Reich, Weinstein and Sahami uncover the gripping reality of big tech and explain how we can chart a new path forward to control technology before it controls us. About the Speakers Rob Reich is the director of Stanford University's Center for Ethics in Society; co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and associate director of its new Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; and co-author of System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Mehran Sahami is a professor of computer science at Stanford University; former senior research scientist at Google; and co-author of System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. Jeremy M. Weinstein is a professor of political science at Stanford University; former deputy to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former director for development and democracy on the White House National Security Council staff during the Obama Administration; and co-author of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. SPEAKERS Rob Reich Director, Stanford University's Center for Ethics in Society; Co-author, System Error:Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Mehran Sahami Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University; Co-author, System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Jeremy M. Weinstein Professor of Political Science, Stanford University; Co-author, System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot Levi Sumagaysay Tech Reporter, MarketWatch—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 27th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We speak to the authors of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong, and How We Can Reboot. The trio of Stanford professors use a cross-disciplinary approach to critique technologists and the outsized power they wield in society. By weaving together philosophy, engineering and social science disciplines, the authors make a compelling case that we need ethics and an active democracy to ensure tech serves the public interest above shareholder's interests.

During the past decade, widespread optimism for what technology could accomplish turned into a backlash against Silicon Valley and what it has spawned. Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter hold enormous power over our economies and lives, but nobody is quite sure how to rein in the companies. In their new book, “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot,” three Stanford University professors from different fields spell out exactly what has gone wrong and offer ideas to hold the powerful accountable in meaningful ways.  

Full title: Stanford Professor & alum Mehran Sahami talks about his co-written book, System Error - Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. A forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors—experts who have worked at ground zero of the tech revolution for decades—which reveals how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves. Originally aired on SiriusXM on October 2, 2021.

Popular Stanford computer science professor and alum Mehran Sahami discusses his new book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot (authored with fellow Stanford professors Rob Reich, MA '98, PhD '98, and Jeremy Weinstein). In an age of technological despondency and hyperfixation on optimization, Sahami presents an outline for a course correction that would allow big tech to support and uplift—not hinder—our democracy and fundamental values.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode of Keen On, Andrew is joined by Mehran Sahami, the author of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, to discuss how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency is sacrificing fundamental human values and what we can do to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode addresses a great problem of our age: How do we curb the enormous power of giant technology companies and limit the disruption caused by them and their products?20 years ago, we lived in an era of digital utopianism when most people thought that the internet would give us new freedom to find information. But we didn't anticipate many of the most disturbing technological changes. Today, a handful of firms control most internet communication. Social media platforms amplify division more than they spread knowledge. Our guests are two Stanford University professors, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein. Along with philosophy professor Bob Reich, they wrote the new book, "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot." Mehran Sahami teaches engineering and education at Stanford and is also a former senior research scientist at Google. Jeremy Weinstein teaches political science at Stanford. He previously worked in the Obama Administration. Both teach a popular undergraduate course on the intersection of ethics and technology.Recommendation: Jim has read and enjoyed the science fiction novel, "The Three Body Problem", by Chinese writer, Liu Cixin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of “Keen On”, Andrew is joined by Jeremy Weinstein, the author of “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot”, to discuss how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency is sacrificing fundamental human values and what we can do to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves. Jeremy Weinstein is Professor of Political Science, Fisher Family Director of Stanford Global Studies, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University. His research focuses on civil wars and political violence; ethnic politics; the political economy of development; democracy and accountability; and migration. Visit our website: https://lithub.com/story-type/keen-on/ Email Andrew: a.keen@me.com Watch the show live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkeen Watch the show live on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankeen/ Watch the show live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lithub Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LiteraryHub/videos Subscribe to Andrew's newsletter: https://andrew2ec.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mehran Sahami, a Stanford professor and former Google employee, wants to see a reset from the technology industry. For the past few decades, the world's technologists (many of whom become its corporate executives and venture capitalists) have been taught to prioritize optimization and efficiency without thinking a whole lot about ethics. The result has been stunning corporate success but significant costs to society. Sahami argues that regulation can certainly help right the balance. But he also believes that tech company leaders and employees can shift their mindsets and practices to ensure they're serving the greater good, not just themselves. He's the coauthor, along with Rob Reich and Jeremy Weinstein, of "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot."

Philosopher Rob Reich, political scientist Jeremy Weinstein and computer scientist Mehran Sahami are the authors of the brand new book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot. We play a round of The Last Word, where we ask fascinating people to answer difficult questions in a very specific number of words.  

In this episode of “Keen On”, Andrew is joined by Rob Reich, the author of “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot”, to expose how big tech's relentless focus on optimization is driving a future that reinforces discrimination, erodes privacy, displaces workers, and pollutes the information we get. Rob Reich is professor of political science and, by courtesy, professor of philosophy and at the Graduate School of Education, at Stanford University. He is the director of the Center for Ethics in Society and co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review), and associate director of the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. His scholarship in political theory engages with the work of social scientists and engineers. His next book is Digital Technology and Democratic Theory (edited with Helene Landemore and Lucy Bernholz, University of Chicago Press). He is the author of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better (Princeton University Press, 2018) and Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values (edited with Chiara Cordelli and Lucy Bernholz, University of Chicago Press, 2016). He is also the author of several books on education: Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in American Education (University of Chicago Press, 2002) and Education, Justice, and Democracy (edited with Danielle Allen, University of Chicago Press, 2013). Reich is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the Walter J. Gores award, Stanford's highest honor for teaching. He was a sixth grade teacher at Rusk Elementary School in Houston, Texas before attending graduate school. He is a board member of the magazine Boston Review, of Giving Tuesday, and at the Spencer Foundation. Visit our website: https://lithub.com/story-type/keen-on/ Email Andrew: a.keen@me.com Watch the show live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkeen Watch the show live on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankeen/ Watch the show live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lithub Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LiteraryHub/videos Subscribe to Andrew's newsletter: https://andrew2ec.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mehran Sahami and Jeremy M. Weinstein, Stanford University professors and co-authors (with Rob Reich) of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, join The Realignment to discuss their new approach to empowering users, citizens, and technologists, and founders to develop new approaches to the tech industry's future. You can preorder System Error at our Bookshop or wherever else you purchase your books.