Technology

Google’s decision to part ways with a prominent researcher laid bare divisions within the company’s artificial intelligence unit and subjected its leader, the lauded software engineer Jeff Dean, to widespread scorn. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Doctoral student in computer science and Jewish Studies Graduate Fellow Ben Lee created a powerful search tool of scanned historical newspaper pages.

Kevin Tahmoresi (PhD Chinese literature 2020) is interviewed about his interests in the intersection of technology with the humanities.

Margaret O’Mara, history professor, discusses Amazon's pandemic hiring spree.

During the pandemic, many people have leaned into art and hobbies to ease the stress of everyday life. For Chanhee Choi, a multidisciplinary interactive artist and Ph.D. candidate in the University of Washington Digital Arts and Experimental Media department, art became a way to reflect on her experience with discrimination and racism as a Korean in America during the pandemic.

With Election Day less than a week away, the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter on Tuesday appeared virtually before a Senate panel where lawmakers grilled them over their influence in the election and a once-obscure law that has drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Even as residents of Earth grapple with a global pandemic, our work in space continues. At the UW, the Space Policy and Research Center — SPARC for short — brings together researchers, policymakers and industry professionals each year to discuss the challenges of human presence and endeavors in space.

“Unfair, deceptive and abusive practices” by tech giants Google and Facebook have suffocated local news outlets, contributing to a critical deficit of trustworthy local journalism, according to a new minority report from the Senate Commerce Committee released by ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell. Adrienne Russell, professor of communication and co-director of the UW Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy, is quoted.

As tech companies have faced growing oversight from Congress in recent years, they have ramped up their contributions to political campaigns, including to Northwest lawmakers. Tech workers have become another important source of campaign funds, though their interests are not always aligned with those of their employers. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

This week could mark the official end of the long love affair between Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley. The U.S. Justice Department and 11 state attorneys general have filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Google, accusing it of being an illegal monopoly because of its stranglehold on Internet search. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Chanee Choi, a doctoral student in digital arts and experimental media at the UW, has created “Pandemic,” which is both a video game and work of art. It is a first-person 3D video game in which the player is the coronavirus, moving through a virtual environment.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains Amazon's "Climate Pledge Friendhly" label and whether it'll impact online shopping.

This week at the UW, join online events ranging in topics from population health to contempary race and politics in the United States.

Margaret O’Mara, professor of history, discusses the relationship between science, technology, and the national defense.

Emily M. Bender, a professor of computational linguistics explains virtual learning algorithms.