Levi Checketts
@lchecketts.bsky.social
Ethicist at Hong Kong Baptist University, focusing on intersection of poverty, new technologies, and Catholic social ethics. Author of Poor Technologies: Artificial Intelligence and the Experience of Poverty.
Pinned
Levi Checketts
@lchecketts.bsky.social
· May 11
www.jstor.org
I don’t normally do a lot of self-promotion, but with Pope Leo XIV’s focus on AI and economic and labor justice, my work of the past 6 or so years is very timely. Starting off my monograph, which is specifically about poverty and AI.
www.jstor.org/stable/jj.57...
www.jstor.org/stable/jj.57...
When I wrote “Poor Machines,” I worried that my claim that AI could lead to a revival of eugenics would be seen as just anti-tech moral panic.
I see I was only wrong on how long I expected it to take.
I see I was only wrong on how long I expected it to take.
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
Should facial analysis help determine whom companies hire?
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
econ.st
November 7, 2025 at 1:32 PM
When I wrote “Poor Machines,” I worried that my claim that AI could lead to a revival of eugenics would be seen as just anti-tech moral panic.
I see I was only wrong on how long I expected it to take.
I see I was only wrong on how long I expected it to take.
Never thought I’d see the day when right wing Christians accuse Evangelicals of being too ecumenical to be true Christians.
At least according to this protestor, I’m in the right place as a Catholic! I was worried I’d stand out!
At least according to this protestor, I’m in the right place as a Catholic! I was worried I’d stand out!
October 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Never thought I’d see the day when right wing Christians accuse Evangelicals of being too ecumenical to be true Christians.
At least according to this protestor, I’m in the right place as a Catholic! I was worried I’d stand out!
At least according to this protestor, I’m in the right place as a Catholic! I was worried I’d stand out!
In the last 3 months, I’ve consulted for the #WCC NIFEA statement on AI in Pocheon, South Korea, spoke to the Catholic #NHNAI conference at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, consulted on the #CCA communique on AI in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, and am on my way to #WEAGA in Seoul to again talk about AI
October 28, 2025 at 3:57 AM
One thing I’ve noticed in religious conversations around AI is that the Evangelical attitude toward AI is really on its own compared to mainline Protestantism and Catholicism, and even compared to a lot of interreligious conversations.
Some thoughts:
1/6
Some thoughts:
1/6
October 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
One thing I’ve noticed in religious conversations around AI is that the Evangelical attitude toward AI is really on its own compared to mainline Protestantism and Catholicism, and even compared to a lot of interreligious conversations.
Some thoughts:
1/6
Some thoughts:
1/6
Anyone interested, hit me up!
Our research project, "AI and Vulnerable Populations in Hong Kong," is advertising for a (funded) PhD student. PI: @lchecketts.bsky.social; Co-I: @gillianchuphd.bsky.social, @drybis.bsky.social, and Prof. Rachel Robertson. Please apply (or have your students apply)! philjobs.org/job/show/29998
Hong Kong Baptist University PhD in AI ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University
- PhilJobs:JFP
Hong Kong Baptist University PhD in AI ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
October 26, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Anyone interested, hit me up!
Reposted by Levi Checketts
Our research project, "AI and Vulnerable Populations in Hong Kong," is advertising for a (funded) PhD student. PI: @lchecketts.bsky.social; Co-I: @gillianchuphd.bsky.social, @drybis.bsky.social, and Prof. Rachel Robertson. Please apply (or have your students apply)! philjobs.org/job/show/29998
Hong Kong Baptist University PhD in AI ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University
- PhilJobs:JFP
Hong Kong Baptist University PhD in AI ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
October 25, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Our research project, "AI and Vulnerable Populations in Hong Kong," is advertising for a (funded) PhD student. PI: @lchecketts.bsky.social; Co-I: @gillianchuphd.bsky.social, @drybis.bsky.social, and Prof. Rachel Robertson. Please apply (or have your students apply)! philjobs.org/job/show/29998
I watched #OneBattleAfterAnother last night. Interesting to see it as an American living in Hong Kong. Obviously the cultural and political elements hit hard, but my geographical remoteness allows a viewing that’s perhaps less immediate.
Still processing, but some thoughts.
Slight spoilers
1/9
Still processing, but some thoughts.
Slight spoilers
1/9
October 11, 2025 at 6:45 AM
I watched #OneBattleAfterAnother last night. Interesting to see it as an American living in Hong Kong. Obviously the cultural and political elements hit hard, but my geographical remoteness allows a viewing that’s perhaps less immediate.
Still processing, but some thoughts.
Slight spoilers
1/9
Still processing, but some thoughts.
Slight spoilers
1/9
Guy whose definitely going to go 10 minutes over in his talk: we’re already a little late, so I’ll keep this brief
October 4, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Guy whose definitely going to go 10 minutes over in his talk: we’re already a little late, so I’ll keep this brief
I’m attending a consultation for the Christian Conference of Asia on AI I. Malaysia. I’ve already done my portion, and we’re off to a good start!
www.cca.org.hk/news/interna...
www.cca.org.hk/news/interna...
International Consultation on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism’ commences in Cyberjaya, Malaysia | CCA
Cyberjaya, Malaysia: The international consultation on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism: Ethical and Theological Perspectives’ organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) commenced in...
www.cca.org.hk
October 1, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I’m attending a consultation for the Christian Conference of Asia on AI I. Malaysia. I’ve already done my portion, and we’re off to a good start!
www.cca.org.hk/news/interna...
www.cca.org.hk/news/interna...
#NihilismAndTechnology
This is bleak. Let’s burn the forests to make our students stupider in the name of capital.
This is bleak. Let’s burn the forests to make our students stupider in the name of capital.
OpenAI's VP for education recently said the company wanted to become "core infrastructure" for schools and universities. Any infrastructure, though, always depends on habituating users to its technical affordances - so I've been trying to track how it's doing that 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/t...
Welcome to Campus. Here’s Your ChatGPT.
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:41 AM
#NihilismAndTechnology
This is bleak. Let’s burn the forests to make our students stupider in the name of capital.
This is bleak. Let’s burn the forests to make our students stupider in the name of capital.
When I went to Hong Kong to work, everyone I knew warned me about being careful what I say. Weird how a territory of China has more liberty than Texas
Breaking: Texas Tech chancellor limits academic mentions of transgender and nonbinary identities at five universities.
Texas Tech chancellor limits academic mentions of transgender and nonbinary identities at five universities
Advocacy groups say the new state law, presidential executive order and gubernatorial letter Tedd Mitchell cited do not prohibit classroom discussions of particular LGBTQ+ identities.
www.texastribune.org
September 28, 2025 at 4:52 AM
When I went to Hong Kong to work, everyone I knew warned me about being careful what I say. Weird how a territory of China has more liberty than Texas
One of the surreal things about staying in hotels in different places in Asia is seeing what’s on TV. There seems to always be one English-language channel but it either only shows Australian programming or low-budget thrillers.
September 25, 2025 at 12:00 AM
One of the surreal things about staying in hotels in different places in Asia is seeing what’s on TV. There seems to always be one English-language channel but it either only shows Australian programming or low-budget thrillers.
Putting “You absolute” before Asian pastry names yields a whole new level of insult
September 23, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Putting “You absolute” before Asian pastry names yields a whole new level of insult
So nearly all flights to Taipei tomorrow are canceled due to #TyphoonRagasa except mine which either means I’m very lucky or, as one colleague pointed out, I may die🤷♂️
September 22, 2025 at 3:38 PM
So nearly all flights to Taipei tomorrow are canceled due to #TyphoonRagasa except mine which either means I’m very lucky or, as one colleague pointed out, I may die🤷♂️
I’m cited on the Social Anthropology page, but whoever cited me probably didn’t read my article.
September 20, 2025 at 9:28 AM
I’m cited on the Social Anthropology page, but whoever cited me probably didn’t read my article.
There’s a 45-50 year-old woman in a skin-tight dress dancing on the metro to the music in her AirPods and it’s probably the closest I’ve been to living a David Lynch movie
September 12, 2025 at 4:18 PM
There’s a 45-50 year-old woman in a skin-tight dress dancing on the metro to the music in her AirPods and it’s probably the closest I’ve been to living a David Lynch movie
One of the best rhetorical victories of the industrial age was making the popular uprising of the Luddites synonymous with being anti-tech and socially regressive.
We need to reclaim narratives
We need to reclaim narratives
Something I didn't get to say yesterday:
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
It has been really interesting to attend UNESCO's Digital Learning Week (though unfortunately I'm not able to stick around). My public lecture from yesterday can be found here:
www.youtube.com/live/l-OWi6V...
>>
www.youtube.com/live/l-OWi6V...
>>
September 3, 2025 at 11:29 PM
One of the best rhetorical victories of the industrial age was making the popular uprising of the Luddites synonymous with being anti-tech and socially regressive.
We need to reclaim narratives
We need to reclaim narratives
Participated in this consultation I last week in Pocheon-si South Korea. It was a very rewarding experience and I’m grateful I could contribute to the WCC’s response to AI. A communique will be forthcoming. And you can spot me at the podium in this thumbnail.
www.cwmission.org/news/spotlig...
www.cwmission.org/news/spotlig...
NIFEA consultation addresses global inequality, rise of AI, Fourth Industrial Revolution - Council for World Mission
www.cwmission.org
September 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Participated in this consultation I last week in Pocheon-si South Korea. It was a very rewarding experience and I’m grateful I could contribute to the WCC’s response to AI. A communique will be forthcoming. And you can spot me at the podium in this thumbnail.
www.cwmission.org/news/spotlig...
www.cwmission.org/news/spotlig...
This is the same energy as comic book writers declaring Batman is a super genius while he fails to understand rudimentary connections between local poverty and crime rates.
When you don’t understand the limits of your own understanding, it’s easy to be dazzled by sophisticated bullshit
When you don’t understand the limits of your own understanding, it’s easy to be dazzled by sophisticated bullshit
OpenAI releases the newest version of the AI model that powers its popular ChatGPT chatbot, with CEO Sam Altman promoting it as like having a “team of Ph.D. level experts in your pocket.”
OpenAI releases GPT-5, calling it a ‘team of Ph.D. level experts in your pocket’
OpenAI says its latest version of the popular AI model is better at coding, more accurate and less deceptive than previous versions.
nbcnews.to
August 8, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This is the same energy as comic book writers declaring Batman is a super genius while he fails to understand rudimentary connections between local poverty and crime rates.
When you don’t understand the limits of your own understanding, it’s easy to be dazzled by sophisticated bullshit
When you don’t understand the limits of your own understanding, it’s easy to be dazzled by sophisticated bullshit
Given that Wyatt Earp basically invented the Western, and given that it’s all based on two specific events in Tombstone and Dodge City, I think it’s safe to say the whole US gun fetish owes its legacy to one washed up lawman advising Hollywood studios 100 years ago.
August 8, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Given that Wyatt Earp basically invented the Western, and given that it’s all based on two specific events in Tombstone and Dodge City, I think it’s safe to say the whole US gun fetish owes its legacy to one washed up lawman advising Hollywood studios 100 years ago.
I may be wrong about this, but I feel like one of the reasons transhumanism is such a vapid philosophy is it lacks any real soul. I don’t know that transhumanists really have hearts that beat in their chests. All their art is kitsch, their anthropologies culture-less, and their futures bleak.
August 8, 2025 at 9:14 AM
I may be wrong about this, but I feel like one of the reasons transhumanism is such a vapid philosophy is it lacks any real soul. I don’t know that transhumanists really have hearts that beat in their chests. All their art is kitsch, their anthropologies culture-less, and their futures bleak.
New article just published in NanoEthics on #AIEthics from a specifically Asian perspective, including specific Asian concerns and Asian philosophical frameworks.
rdcu.be/eyMoN
rdcu.be/eyMoN
Ethical and Social Concerns of Artificial Intelligence in Asia
rdcu.be
August 1, 2025 at 2:51 AM
New article just published in NanoEthics on #AIEthics from a specifically Asian perspective, including specific Asian concerns and Asian philosophical frameworks.
rdcu.be/eyMoN
rdcu.be/eyMoN
Yes, certainly, but let’s also note how amazingly stupid this is. I currently do control my computer with hand gestures. What the hell do they think typing is? Hopefully this fails worse than their Second Life knock-off corporate simulator
July 27, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Yes, certainly, but let’s also note how amazingly stupid this is. I currently do control my computer with hand gestures. What the hell do they think typing is? Hopefully this fails worse than their Second Life knock-off corporate simulator
I think we don’t talk about how big of a phenomenon #ThePrinceofEgypt was. You had Val Kilmer, Jeff Goldblum, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin and Martin Short all voicing this religious kids’ movie.
July 27, 2025 at 7:14 AM
I think we don’t talk about how big of a phenomenon #ThePrinceofEgypt was. You had Val Kilmer, Jeff Goldblum, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin and Martin Short all voicing this religious kids’ movie.
A point I made in my dissertation, which I think is still deeply relevant, is the way we imagine the future. Consider these two Peaceable Kingdom artworks.
July 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
A point I made in my dissertation, which I think is still deeply relevant, is the way we imagine the future. Consider these two Peaceable Kingdom artworks.