Sona Rai
@sonahere.bsky.social
Brooklyn-based comms leader and advisor with experience across tech governance, immigration advocacy, advocating for the end of mass incarceration, and media. This feed reflects my opinions only.
Reposted by Sona Rai
This is so dumb.
1. Yes, the posts were anti-semitic.
2. She was a teenager, 14 years ago.
3. She's now married to a Jewish guy.
4. The ADL itself has done more to foment anti-semitism by allying itself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than Catherine Almonte Da Costa or anyone else.
1. Yes, the posts were anti-semitic.
2. She was a teenager, 14 years ago.
3. She's now married to a Jewish guy.
4. The ADL itself has done more to foment anti-semitism by allying itself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than Catherine Almonte Da Costa or anyone else.
Mamdani Appointee Resigns After Decade-Old Antisemitic Posts Re-emerge
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This is so dumb.
1. Yes, the posts were anti-semitic.
2. She was a teenager, 14 years ago.
3. She's now married to a Jewish guy.
4. The ADL itself has done more to foment anti-semitism by allying itself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than Catherine Almonte Da Costa or anyone else.
1. Yes, the posts were anti-semitic.
2. She was a teenager, 14 years ago.
3. She's now married to a Jewish guy.
4. The ADL itself has done more to foment anti-semitism by allying itself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk than Catherine Almonte Da Costa or anyone else.
Reposted by Sona Rai
🚨 New today! In "Turning the Tide: Climate Action In and Against Tech," @tamigraph.bsky.social examines how, in a time of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism, climate-conscious tech workers and larger coalitions have attempted to reform the industry. 1/3 datasociety.net/library/turn...
December 10, 2025 at 3:19 PM
🚨 New today! In "Turning the Tide: Climate Action In and Against Tech," @tamigraph.bsky.social examines how, in a time of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism, climate-conscious tech workers and larger coalitions have attempted to reform the industry. 1/3 datasociety.net/library/turn...
Reposted by Sona Rai
On #ComputerSaysMaybe, D&S Executive Director Janet Haven and Board President @cmcilwain.bsky.social sat down with @alixdunn.com to discuss the tech industry’s co-opting of academia, how giving the reins to tech oligarchs hurts people, and why independent research is essential. youtu.be/xUJbo0KmbOk
December 5, 2025 at 7:57 PM
On #ComputerSaysMaybe, D&S Executive Director Janet Haven and Board President @cmcilwain.bsky.social sat down with @alixdunn.com to discuss the tech industry’s co-opting of academia, how giving the reins to tech oligarchs hurts people, and why independent research is essential. youtu.be/xUJbo0KmbOk
Reposted by Sona Rai
“In an odd way, maybe the Trump administration has taken inspiration from the Brussels Effect,” D&S Policy Director Brian J. Chen tells @politico.com. It’s just that “they want to be the ones setting those standards." www.politico.eu/article/brus...
Brussels is done being the world’s digital policeman
The “Brussels Effect” is dead. Now Washington is setting the pace on deregulation in Europe.
www.politico.eu
November 25, 2025 at 8:34 PM
“In an odd way, maybe the Trump administration has taken inspiration from the Brussels Effect,” D&S Policy Director Brian J. Chen tells @politico.com. It’s just that “they want to be the ones setting those standards." www.politico.eu/article/brus...
Reposted by Sona Rai
The unceremonious disbanding of DOGE (which, among other things, aimed to remake the government with AI) is a good time to revisit our policy brief rebutting the myth that AI can or will deliver efficiency for the public. www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
November 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The unceremonious disbanding of DOGE (which, among other things, aimed to remake the government with AI) is a good time to revisit our policy brief rebutting the myth that AI can or will deliver efficiency for the public. www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
Reposted by Sona Rai
In a new Points piece, D&S researchers @livgar.bsky.social and @briana-v.bsky.social reflect on what studying AI chatbots reveals about emotional attachment to machines, the power of illusion, and the norms and expectations that define care itself. datasociety.net/points/all-t...
December 1, 2025 at 5:47 PM
In a new Points piece, D&S researchers @livgar.bsky.social and @briana-v.bsky.social reflect on what studying AI chatbots reveals about emotional attachment to machines, the power of illusion, and the norms and expectations that define care itself. datasociety.net/points/all-t...
Reposted by Sona Rai
We’re delighted that Data & Society’s own @mwoluchem.bsky.social will be part of NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani’s Transition Committee on Technology, working to advance the public interest in collaboration with so many other visionary leaders we admire
I am beyond honored to join Mayor-elect Mamdani’s Transition Committee on Technology and help deliver this incredible vision for a city we all deserve. Genuinely, I also couldn’t more excited to do this alongside so many people I admire and respect so much.
www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces transition committees
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Monday the creation of 17 transition advisory committees made up of more than 400 people.
www.cbsnews.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:38 PM
We’re delighted that Data & Society’s own @mwoluchem.bsky.social will be part of NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani’s Transition Committee on Technology, working to advance the public interest in collaboration with so many other visionary leaders we admire
Reposted by Sona Rai
my main takeaway is it's crazy she's got her Christmas tree up already
Greene: I will be resigning from office, with my last day being January 5, 2026.
November 22, 2025 at 1:45 AM
my main takeaway is it's crazy she's got her Christmas tree up already
Reposted by Sona Rai
🚨NEW PAPER ALERT 🚨 @tamigraph.bsky.social @briana-v.bsky.social and I discuss wellness chatbots, their labor implications, & "private vibes" vs "privacy". We call for critical human-AI communication scholarship that takes into account context & political economy: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A chatbot for the soul: mental health care, privacy, and intimacy in AI-based conversational agents - Communication and Change
Artificial intelligence-based conversational agents—chatbots—are increasingly integrated into telehealth platforms, employee wellness programs, and mobile applications to address structural gaps in me...
link.springer.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:34 PM
🚨NEW PAPER ALERT 🚨 @tamigraph.bsky.social @briana-v.bsky.social and I discuss wellness chatbots, their labor implications, & "private vibes" vs "privacy". We call for critical human-AI communication scholarship that takes into account context & political economy: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Tomorrow! Next in our series w NYPL, D&S ED Janet Haven will talk to @cmcilwain.bsky.social, @juliaangwin.com & @catherinebracy.com about the power and potential of AI in the *public* interest. In-person spots are going fast; reserve yours or join the livestream! www.showclix.com/event/unders...
October 28, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Tomorrow! Next in our series w NYPL, D&S ED Janet Haven will talk to @cmcilwain.bsky.social, @juliaangwin.com & @catherinebracy.com about the power and potential of AI in the *public* interest. In-person spots are going fast; reserve yours or join the livestream! www.showclix.com/event/unders...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Packed room and a riveting discussion. @merbroussard.bsky.social describes AI as "mid," a useful deflation of hype & despair.
September 5, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Packed room and a riveting discussion. @merbroussard.bsky.social describes AI as "mid," a useful deflation of hype & despair.
Reposted by Sona Rai
The amazing Cindy Cohn, who we're so lucky to have on the D&S board, is stepping down as executive director of @eff.org after 25 years. We’re grateful for her countless contributions to the field and know she’s nowhere near done standing up for digital rights & justice. www.wired.com/story/eff-ci...
Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights
After 25 years at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cindy Cohn is stepping down as executive director. In a WIRED interview, she reflects on encryption, AI, and why she’s not ready to quit the battl...
www.wired.com
September 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The amazing Cindy Cohn, who we're so lucky to have on the D&S board, is stepping down as executive director of @eff.org after 25 years. We’re grateful for her countless contributions to the field and know she’s nowhere near done standing up for digital rights & justice. www.wired.com/story/eff-ci...
Reposted by Sona Rai
We’re delighted that @feliciawong.bsky.social, principal at @rooseveltinstitute.org — and a visionary leader with an unwavering commitment to inclusive, paradigm-shifting economic policy — has joined our board of directors! datasociety.net/announcement...
September 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM
We’re delighted that @feliciawong.bsky.social, principal at @rooseveltinstitute.org — and a visionary leader with an unwavering commitment to inclusive, paradigm-shifting economic policy — has joined our board of directors! datasociety.net/announcement...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Yesterday, Governor Polis announced that Colorado’s General Assembly will be convened on August 21, 2025 for a Special Session to address the impacts of the Federal budget bill, H.R.1. 1/7
August 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Yesterday, Governor Polis announced that Colorado’s General Assembly will be convened on August 21, 2025 for a Special Session to address the impacts of the Federal budget bill, H.R.1. 1/7
Reposted by Sona Rai
i'm so late that i'm a full episode behind but this episode of @techwontsave.us with @danmcquillan.bsky.social is excellent. for everything where AI is presented as "the answer", we must attack the political economy and everything that led anyone to that conclusion
Decomputing For a Better Future w/ Dan McQuillan — Tech Won't Save Us
Paris Marx is joined by Dan McQuillan to discuss the global push by governments to rapidly adopt AI at all costs and how citizens can critically rethink our dependence on these technologies while imag...
overcast.fm
August 5, 2025 at 10:42 PM
i'm so late that i'm a full episode behind but this episode of @techwontsave.us with @danmcquillan.bsky.social is excellent. for everything where AI is presented as "the answer", we must attack the political economy and everything that led anyone to that conclusion
Reposted by Sona Rai
Google is indexing conversations with ChatGPT that users have sent to friends, families, or colleagues — including those that reveal deeply personal details — turning private exchanges intended for small groups into search results visible to millions. www.fastcompany.com/91376687/goo...
Exclusive: Google is indexing ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive user data
Thousands of shared ChatGPT chats are now appearing in Google search results.
www.fastcompany.com
July 31, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Google is indexing conversations with ChatGPT that users have sent to friends, families, or colleagues — including those that reveal deeply personal details — turning private exchanges intended for small groups into search results visible to millions. www.fastcompany.com/91376687/goo...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Trump is attempting to forestall state AI regulation. Just like the moratorium that was stricken from the reconciliation package, this attempt threatens significant harm, raises legal questions, and potentially violates the Constitution, writes ACLU senior policy counsel Cody Venzke.
Trump AI Action Plan Raises Legal Questions, Potentially Violates Constitution | TechPolicy.Press
ACLU senior policy counsel Cody Venzke says Congress should conduct oversight to ensure agencies stay within legal and constitutional boundaries.
www.techpolicy.press
July 31, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Trump is attempting to forestall state AI regulation. Just like the moratorium that was stricken from the reconciliation package, this attempt threatens significant harm, raises legal questions, and potentially violates the Constitution, writes ACLU senior policy counsel Cody Venzke.
Reposted by Sona Rai
Data Centers Aren't the Future of American Prosperity- @tamigraph.bsky.social & @mwoluchem.bsky.social bust the myths of data centers: they don't massively increase jobs, they don't increase clean energy investment, and they don't benefit local communities! OH SNAP datasociety.net/library/data...
Data Centers Aren’t the Future of American Prosperity
Tamara Kneese and Maia Woluchem cut through lobbying points and speculative myths to focus on what the evidence reveals about the tech industry’s claims.
datasociety.net
July 22, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Data Centers Aren't the Future of American Prosperity- @tamigraph.bsky.social & @mwoluchem.bsky.social bust the myths of data centers: they don't massively increase jobs, they don't increase clean energy investment, and they don't benefit local communities! OH SNAP datasociety.net/library/data...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Grateful to @justinhendrix.bsky.social for facilitating this necessary conversation between @smw.bsky.social, Ryan Gerety, and me on why this AI Action Plan is so dangerous and what we can do about it. Listen/read here:
Yesterday, the Trump administration unveiled its AI Action Plan. Shortly after it was published, Justin Hendrix sat down with the AI Now Institute's Sarah Myers West, Data & Society's Maia Woluchem, and the Athena Coalition's Ryan Gerety to discuss the plan and what it portends for the future.
Considering Trump’s AI Plan and the Future It Portends | TechPolicy.Press
A podcast discussion with the AI Now Institute's Sarah Myers West, Data and Society's Maia Woluchem, and Athena for All's Ryan Gerety.
www.techpolicy.press
July 24, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Grateful to @justinhendrix.bsky.social for facilitating this necessary conversation between @smw.bsky.social, Ryan Gerety, and me on why this AI Action Plan is so dangerous and what we can do about it. Listen/read here:
Reposted by Sona Rai
We are working to build a future where technology is governed in the public interest and used to support people and communities, rather than driving surveillance, control, and oppression. Explore our ✨new strategy✨ to learn more about our goals and priorities. datasociety.net/strategy-3/
July 28, 2025 at 2:25 PM
We are working to build a future where technology is governed in the public interest and used to support people and communities, rather than driving surveillance, control, and oppression. Explore our ✨new strategy✨ to learn more about our goals and priorities. datasociety.net/strategy-3/
Reposted by Sona Rai
We’re very excited to partner with @brown.edu for this new NSF-funded AI research institute, focused on developing a new generation of AI assistants for use in mental and behavioral health that are capable of trustworthy, sensitive, and context-aware interactions. www.brown.edu/news/2025-07...
Brown University to lead national institute focused on intuitive, trustworthy AI assistants
A new institute, based at Brown and supported by a $20 million National Science Foundation grant, will convene researchers to guide development of a new generation of AI assistants for use in mental a...
www.brown.edu
July 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
We’re very excited to partner with @brown.edu for this new NSF-funded AI research institute, focused on developing a new generation of AI assistants for use in mental and behavioral health that are capable of trustworthy, sensitive, and context-aware interactions. www.brown.edu/news/2025-07...
Reposted by Sona Rai
🚨New! Data centers aren’t destiny. With the Trump administration set to release its AI action plan, @tamigraph.bsky.social & @mwoluchem.bsky.social cut through lobbying points and speculation to focus on what the evidence reveals about the tech industry’s claims. datasociety.net/library/data...
July 22, 2025 at 5:44 PM
🚨New! Data centers aren’t destiny. With the Trump administration set to release its AI action plan, @tamigraph.bsky.social & @mwoluchem.bsky.social cut through lobbying points and speculation to focus on what the evidence reveals about the tech industry’s claims. datasociety.net/library/data...
Reposted by Sona Rai
Today the OpenAI Nonprofit Commission released a report asserting OpenAI is ‘positioned to be a force of good in this Age of Intelligence’. The report also claims that AI Now was among the orgs participating in the listening process that led to this report. We did not.
July 18, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Today the OpenAI Nonprofit Commission released a report asserting OpenAI is ‘positioned to be a force of good in this Age of Intelligence’. The report also claims that AI Now was among the orgs participating in the listening process that led to this report. We did not.
Reposted by Sona Rai
On This Machine Kills, Director of Research @alicetiara.bsky.social talks about how generative AI is unleashing a new world of scams and fraud. player.fm/series/this-...
413. ScamGPT – How AI Supercharges Fraud (ft. Alice Marwick)
We chat with Alice Marwick — director of research at Data & Society — about a new report she co-authored on how generative AI is now unleashing a new world of scams and fraud. AI is supercharging ...
player.fm
July 9, 2025 at 7:08 PM
On This Machine Kills, Director of Research @alicetiara.bsky.social talks about how generative AI is unleashing a new world of scams and fraud. player.fm/series/this-...
Reposted by Sona Rai
it’s absurd that NYT forced him to delete these skeets, which … convey the factual information that Zohran Mamdani is, in fact, a man of South Asian descent who was born and raised in Africa, and that the pseudonymous source of the hacked material is a white supremacist eugenicist.
July 4, 2025 at 3:05 AM
it’s absurd that NYT forced him to delete these skeets, which … convey the factual information that Zohran Mamdani is, in fact, a man of South Asian descent who was born and raised in Africa, and that the pseudonymous source of the hacked material is a white supremacist eugenicist.