Woodrow Hartzog
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hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog
@hartzog.bsky.social
11K followers 1.2K following 12 posts

Andrew R. Randall Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law. Author of "Privacy's Blueprint" (2018) and co-author of "Breached!" (2022). Posting mainly about privacy, tech and the law.

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Political science 32%
Computer science 24%
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hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 29d
I've just posted my latest essay w/ @jessicasilbey.bsky.social, titled "How AI Destroys Institutions." We argue that AI systems are designed in ways that degrade & are likely to destroy our crucial civic institutions like the rule of law, universities & a free press. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
How AI Destroys Institutions
Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies
papers.ssrn.com

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet, Woodrow Hartzog

craigsilverman.bsky.social
Craig Silverman @craigsilverman.bsky.social · 7h
"Crying girls will make you rich."

That's the actual pitch from a marketer selling packages of emotional videos that brands use to flood TikTok with undisclosed ads.

I just published an investigation into industrial UGC campaigns. What I found is troubling. 🧵 indicator.media/p/crying-gir...
“Crying girls will make you rich”: How marketers trick users with mass-produced "organic" content
Indicator analyzed UGC campaigns that generated over 2 billion TikTok views and found rampant violations of disclosure rules.
indicator.media

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Shannon Vallor, Scott L. Greer , and 3 more

rocher.lc
Luc Rocher @rocher.lc · 1d
⚠️ Despite all the hype, chatbots still make terrible doctors. Out today is the largest user study of language models for medical self-diagnosis. We found that chatbots provide inaccurate and inconsistent answers, and that people are better off using online searches or their own judgment.
Banner image with screenshot of scientific article from nature Medicine, as well as two panels from the study method and results

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 1d
AI continues to go just great.

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

samleecole.bsky.social
Sam Cole @samleecole.bsky.social · 1d
one chatbot told a participant in this study to go lay down in the dark when he was presenting with a brain hemorrhage... what are we even doing

www.404media.co/chatbots-hea...
Chatbots Make Terrible Doctors, New Study Finds
Chatbots provided incorrect, conflicting medical advice, researchers found: “Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician.”
www.404media.co

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Joanna Bryson, Elizabeth Sharrow , and 7 more

phillewis.bsky.social
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 1d
Here's that Ring #SuperBowl commercial:

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog, Manisha Sinha

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 3d
“These surveillance tools are an authoritarian’s dream…”
ICE’s growing surveillance state - The Boston Globe
ICE has constructed a digital dragnet that captures and retains massive amounts of data about all of us, citizens and noncitizens alike.
www.bostonglobe.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

troywolv.bsky.social
Troy Wolverton @troywolv.bsky.social · 7d
Generative and other kinds of AI have numerous harmful effects. In a recent paper, Boston University professors @hartzog.bsky.social and @jessicasilbey.bsky.social identify and highlight a new concern: AI is sabotaging democracy by destroying the institutions that undergird it.
Researchers: How AI undermining democracy
Paper argues tech threatens democratic foundations.
www.sfexaminer.com

Reposted by Meredith Broussard, Woodrow Hartzog

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 8d
“The company launched its Search Party feature in September and, despite some misgivings about it being enabled by default (and concerns around privacy and relationships with law enforcement), the company is taking a victory lap with a Super Bowl commercial.”
Now anyone can tap Ring doorbells to search for lost dogs
Ring says Search Party helps find more than one missing pet a day.
www.theverge.com

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 8d
Exactly.

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 11d
This is, by far, the best thing I have read on the topic: discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
discovery.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Alan Richardson, Woodrow Hartzog

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 11d
Sure, it was the model that was ‘reckless.’
mharrisondupre.bsky.social Maggie Harrison Dupré @mharrisondupre.bsky.social · 11d
OpenAI says it's going to retire GPT-4o. Again.

This time, the move to sunset 4o comes amid a wave of lawsuits alleging that the sycophantic model pushed users into delusional and suicidal spirals, upending lives and causing psychological harm, self-injury, and death.

futurism.com/artificial-i...
Amid Lawsuits, OpenAI Says It Will Retire "Reckless" Model Linked to Deaths
OpenAI will retire GPT-4o, an especially sycophantic version of its chatbot linked in lawsuits to multiple deaths, next month.
futurism.com

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 13d
This is no way to live.

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 13d
😬
Superhuman, the company that makes Grammarly, developed a tool it calls Authorship that’s included with basic accounts. Students can turn it on to surveil themselves on Google Docs or Microsoft Word as they write and playback later. It will show which sections were typed, pasted from another source or generated with AI. “We’re going to keep track of when you are going to Wikipedia,” said Jenny Maxwell, Superhuman’s head of education. “We’re going to keep track of when Grammarly is making suggestions and you’re taking them, we’re going to keep track of how much time you’ve spent in this paper or how many sessions.” As many as 5 million Authorship reports were created in the past year alone, she said, though most of the time they aren’t submitted.

Reposted by Muki Haklay, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers , and 4 more

carlbergstrom.com
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 14d
1. The thing about science that these jokers don't understand is that science cannot be vibe-coded.

Whatever its flaws, the point with vibe coding is that you're trying to quickly make something that sorta works, where you can immediately sorta see if it sorta works and then sorta use it.
carlbergstrom.com Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 14d
“The idea is to put ChatGPT front and center inside software that scientists use to write up their work in much the same way that chatbots are now embedded into popular programming editors.

It’s vibe coding, but for science.”
OpenAI’s latest product lets you vibe code science
Prism is a ChatGPT-powered text editor that automates much of the work involved in writing scientific papers.
www.technologyreview.com

Reposted by Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Steve Peers, Leslie Mabon , and 3 more

carlbergstrom.com
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 14d
“The idea is to put ChatGPT front and center inside software that scientists use to write up their work in much the same way that chatbots are now embedded into popular programming editors.

It’s vibe coding, but for science.”
OpenAI’s latest product lets you vibe code science
Prism is a ChatGPT-powered text editor that automates much of the work involved in writing scientific papers.
www.technologyreview.com

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 14d
Just saw this. It's fantastic, James. Thank you and it's helpful not just for juniors!

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

mattburgess1.bsky.social
Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 15d
The UK is planning to drastically increase its use of live facial recognition systems—upping the number of facial recognition vans from 10 to 50
Facial recognition technology to be rolled out nationally and police to also get AI support
The home secretary has set out the government's long-awaited reforms to policing in England and Wales, which aim to reduce the amount of time officers will spend behind their desks - instead of being ...
news.sky.com

Reposted by Meredith Broussard, Jason Mittell, Stacie B. Dusetzina , and 11 more

charlesornstein.bsky.social
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 15d
The @usdot.bsky.social, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence
The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer....
www.propublica.org

hartzog.bsky.social
Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 15d
NOT TODAY, SATAN.

Reposted by David Murakami Wood, Woodrow Hartzog

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 15d
Today in luxury surveillance.
Your house knows it’s you: inside SF’s era of sentient doors and psychic windows
SF smart homes use facial recognition doors and AI security.
sfstandard.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

rreisman.bsky.social
Richard Reisman @rreisman.bsky.social · 22d
The real AI extinction threat, and far more imminent — the extinction of society. Yes, “absolutely everyone should read.” Via @hartzog.bsky.social and @jessicasilbey.bsky.social, via @garymarcus.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/garymarc...
How Generative AI is destroying society
An astonishingly lucid new paper that should be read by all
open.substack.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

kostyack.bsky.social
John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 26d
@hartzog.bsky.social & @jessicasilbey.bsky.social argue that GenAI, by its very design, undercuts the institutions that are core to democracy. It's "anathema to the kind of cooperation, transparency, accountability, and evolution that give vital institutions their purpose and sustainability."
download.ssrn.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog, Simon Lester

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 27d
“…the endgame is to record and analyze everything in your life, and that's not hyperbole.”
CES 2026 laid out a Black Mirror future of wearable AI that's always listening, watching, ready to help, and 'knows everything about you.' I'm not enthusiastic
With new AI assistants like Lenovo's Qira, tech brands are laying out the helpful-surveillance endgame that started with smart glasses.
www.androidcentral.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

markhurst.bsky.social
Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 27d
This new paper by @hartzog.bsky.social and @jessicasilbey.bsky.social makes "one simple point: AI systems are built to function in ways that degrade and are likely to destroy our crucial civic institutions."

Grim but important reading:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
How AI Destroys Institutions
Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies
papers.ssrn.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

datasociety.bsky.social
Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 27d
Ads are starting to show up in chatbot conversations. It's easy to imagine how this "could turn unwelcome or creepy" in exchanges "that feel like intimate personal spaces and that also save gobs of your private data." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Analysis | Here comes the advertising in AI chatbots
Can you trust AI advice if comes with a promotional pitch for soda?
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

aloner.bsky.social
Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 27d
Quite. My resharing my related piece from yesterday >>>

"The fact that Grok can be used to defile images of women and children is not an unfortunate accident of technological progress, but the direct consequence of decision-making, and of an ideology"

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 27d
“Women and girls are far more reluctant to use AI. This should be no surprise to any of us. Women don’t see this as exciting new technology, but as simply new ways to harass and abuse us and try and push us offline.”
Use of AI to harm women has only just begun, experts warn
While Grok has introduced belated safeguards to prevent sexualised AI imagery, other tools have far fewer limits
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Woodrow Hartzog, Annette Yoshiko Reed

lutzfernandez.bsky.social
Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 27d
An invaluable new report. A "premortem" is exactly what we need.
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

404media.co
404 Media @404media.co · 28d
NEW: Completely unredacted Flock audit logs have been released to the public by numerous police departments and in some cases include details on millions of Flock license plate searches made by thousands of police departments from around the country.
Police Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error
Flock is going after a website called HaveIBeenFlocked.com that has collated public records files released by police.
www.404media.co

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Woodrow Hartzog

stanfordcis.bsky.social
Stanford CIS @stanfordcis.bsky.social · 28d
New paper by @jessicasilbey.bsky.social & @hartzog.bsky.social: How AI Destroys Institutions. AI systems erode expertise and short-circuit decisions, undermining the transparency and accountability that civic institutions need to survive. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
How AI Destroys Institutions
Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies
papers.ssrn.com