The Incomplete Human
When the smallpox vaccine first arrived in 19th-century Britain, aristocrats, not peasants, received it first, widening mortality gaps. Aristocrats, no matter how insulated, were one infected servant away from smallpox. Their own self-interest required that vaccination spread outward. Epidemiology created
What the Met Gala Teaches Us About AI
The 2024 Met Gala, an annual red carpet eight-figure fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captured attention this past Monday with its theme of “The Garden of Time.” The theme was inspired by J.G. Ballad’s short story by the
The LatAm Fintech Revolution
Last holiday season, my family and I visited a local ice cream store in a rural town in Colombia and were offered the option to pay with a direct bank transfer on my Bancolombia app. When living in Brazil this
AI Widening the Gap between Humanities and STEM Worlds
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com For the first time in my college career, last semester, I enrolled in no Computer Science classes as a Computer Science concentrator. My evening d-hall office hours and weekly problem sets yielded to readings and
Introducing Web3 ‘Do-to-Earn’ as the New Norm for User Engagement
Introduction Every social media platform faces a fundamental challenge: How do you maintain genuine user engagement?[1] For a select group of dedicated internet users the thrill of consuming content, sharing their own content, and having a ‘share of voice’ on the gigantic world
AI in the Criminal Justice System
In the courtroom, you are presented two options: either have an algorithmic, data-driven tool evaluate your readiness for release from jail, or a stranger with years of experience and preparation decide your fate. Both choices could lead to the wrong
Seeking Arrangement: TikTok, Sugar Daddies
Like most of my peers, I’ve spent a large part of the last year and a half on TikTok. Since its meteoric rise at the onset of the pandemic, the platform has now stabilized as a cultural monolith, clocking in
How Tiktok Ads and Online Retailers Get Under Your Skin
“Wait, babe, don’t leave just yet!” A full-screen popup appears on attempt to leave the Princess Polly website, offering you a 10% coupon in hopes that you’ll stay and make a (now discounted) purchase. On Amazon, millions of products are
Revealing Motivated Ignorance within Silicon Valley
Source: The New Yorker. February 19th, 2017 marked a day of reckoning for ride-sharing company, Uber. In her essay, “Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber,” Susan Fowler, now tech opinion editor for the New York Times, detailed her
If AI is biased, how should we use it?
Source: University of Toronto Magazine. Even in the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the headlines are inundated with ways that artificial intelligence is being used to assist coronavirus patients and perhaps even prevent future pandemics. Not far from these auspicious articles are