AI Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

Too Helpful to Help: AI, OCD, and Ethical Oversight

As Large Language Models are integrated into daily life, there is emerging research that suggests this kind of AI can worsen reassurance-seeking compulsions in users with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This exemplifies a larger issue of disability and accessibility as an afterthought in engineering projects. As a result, systems like AI can harm groups of people that were overlooked in the design process, which is unacceptable in the case of technologies intended to be integrated on such a large scale.

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

Building an Ethical Data Center

Alice Steele March 15, 2026 AI Artificial Intelligence data centers Noise Pollution Water Scarcity

A surge in data center construction is raising concerns about the environmental and social impact of these facilities on neighboring communities. However, not all data centers are built the same, and there is an opportunity for improvement in how data centers are constructed and the resulting effect they have on the people they surround.

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

DRAM Deficit: Global Decline in Memory Chip Supply Worsens

Mary Karapetyan February 23, 2026 AI datacenters DRAM memory shortage

Memory is a core component of all computing systems. Tech leaders are now warning of a potential global crisis in memory chip production, largely due to the accelerated growth of Artificial Intelligence and the data centers that support it. The pressures are estimated to persist over the next couple of years at least, signaling difficult times ahead for consumers and electronics manufacturers alike.

Fall 2025 Volume 8 Issue 3

The Ethics of CGI and Deepfakes in the Film Industry

Kariena Panpaliya November 25, 2025 AI Artificial Intelligence CGI Deepfakes Film

CGI and other visual effects have allowed filmmakers and game designers to create visually stunning movies and characters that were previously impossible. However, with the rise of this revolutionary and ultra-realistic technology comes significant potential for misuse. This article discusses the background of CGI and visual effects, their application in the film and entertainment industries, and the possible ways they can be exploited. It also addresses the
negative implications of this technology and suggests possible solutions and mitigation strategies.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

The Ethics of Humanoid Robots

Alice Steele October 26, 2025 AI AI companions childcare humanoid robots Optimus robots

Tesla’s vision for its Optimus humanoid robot fleet raises questions about the direction AI technology and robotics are taking. This is especially important to consider as people increasingly project human qualities – such as empathy – onto technology designed to mimic humanity.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

AI Actors Enter Hollywood

Kariena Panpaliya October 12, 2025 Actors Actresses AI Artificial Intelligence Eline Van der Velden Film Hollywood Particle6 Tilly Norwood TV Xicoia

AI talent is entering the film and entertainment industry. Eline Van der Velden’s company Xicoia is in the process of making AI performers, the first of which is Tilly Norwood. While the public has brashly criticized the entity, studios and agencies are excited to work with her.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

Showrunner: The Netflix of AI Turns Audiences into Filmmakers

Kariena Panpaliya September 14, 2025 AI Artificial Intelligence Film Hollywood TV

Showrunner’s SHOW-1 AI model creates animated scenes based on the user’s text prompts. It provides great potential for growing multiverses, introducing spinoffs, and exploring what-ifs of popular shows. Filmmakers who leverage AI might see better productivity, creativity, and monetary gains.

Spring 2025 Volume 8 Issue 2

Ethics Behind Industry-Funded Research

Warren Wang May 25, 2025 Academic Integrity AI Bias industry-funded Research Pharmaceutical

Many researchers who fail to obtain public funding turn to private companies for sponsorship, giving rise to “industry-sponsored research.” In comparison to publicly funded research, industry-sponsored research often displays more bias. More often than not, findings support sales promotions or generate revenue for sponsor companies. This bias raises questions regarding the ethics of industry-funded research. However, acknowledging the difficulty in obtaining public funding may help mitigate the harmful effects of industry-funded research. Several methods to mitigate the bias prevalent within industry-funded research may guarantee the legitimacy of sponsored reports.

Featured Spring 2025 Volume 8 Issue 1

Open, Upright, and True, Despite Temptation

Diego Adrian Rodriguez February 23, 2025 AI Authenticity Elizabeth Holmes Ethical Engineer Integrity Open-Mindedness

In an ever-evolving technological landscape, defining the ideal engineer is complex. The role of an engineer is not merely to innovate, for their responsibilities go beyond their field of study. Certain attributes form the foundation of a proficient engineer. These virtues, integrity, authenticity, and open-mindedness, can guide an engineer in developing their moral compass, which is an essential asset in practice. As servants to society, engineers should resist the temptation to exploit new technologies and remain true to themselves, exemplifying respectful attributes in the workplace. The future of engineering remains obscure due to the rapid pace of technological development. In such moments, it is crucial to remember why the role of an engineer is invaluable in the first place: to make the world a better place.

Spring 2025 Weekly News Profile

Preserving the Past: AI in Indigenous Language Preservation

Mo Jiang February 21, 2025 AI Indigenous Communities Language Preservation

Recent breakthroughs in AI have expanded its use to translating endangered Indigenous languages. While it has promising preservation potential, these language technologies highlight the ethical scruples of using AI in cultural preservation. Careful attention is needed to implement AI preservation efforts that respect the sovereignty and cultural values of Indigenous communities.

Podcast

Podcast Spring 2025 Spring 2025 VCE Podcast

Virtue Ethics: Cultivating Moral Character in a Modern World

VCE March 8, 2025

Hosted by Aryan Shah with guest Branden leong This podcast explores the role of virtue ethics in engineering, emphasizing how virtues like compassion, integrity, and…

Podcast Spring 2025 Spring 2025 VCE Podcast

AR/VR and how they shape the future of technology

VCE March 8, 2025

Hosted by Aryan Shah, Deep Shah, with guests “Greta Hoffmeister, Kariena Panpaliya, Dasean Volk, Hang Nguyen, Grace Eamer In this episode, the guests delve into…

Grand Challenges Special Issue

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

Redefining Societal Progress for Engineers

Natasha Singh March 29, 2023

Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges focuses heavily on the pitfalls of technological determinism. This paper supports Cech’s argument through a discussion of current examples of the consequences of technological determinism, such as the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, medication accessibility, and facial recognition technology. Though the consequences of a zealous engineering mentality are commonplace in our society, there are also current examples of tech companies neglecting to develop technology due to its possible negative consequences.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

How the Technical Sciences and the Social Sciences Should Go Hand-in-Hand

Charles Liu March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges presented by the National Academy of Engineers (NAE) fail to involve ethics as a part of the solution to these issues. Traditionally, engineers have kept their work separate from its societal implications. Engineers and their non-technical counterparts have an obligation to view all technical solutions under the moral lens of ethicists and futurists. Going forward, engineers must be aware of their limits and work with experts outside of their fields to develop solutions that will be cognizant of society as a whole.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Lies We Tell to Inspire: Responding to the Engineering Double Standard

Shub Gaur March 29, 2023

The National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges are critiqued by Dr. Erin Cech for what she describes as a double standard in engineering. Though Cech rightly discusses a lack of accountability and acknowledgement within the profession, her argument lacks nuance. The Grand Challenges were ultimately a promotional tool meant to inspire the next generation of engineers, yet Cech holds them to a standard of being professional rules and guidelines. This paper will discuss the distinctions that Cech’s argument lacks, including placing an unreasonable amount of responsibility on engineers and overstating their influence.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Grand Challenges: Authorial Particularism and a Lost Opportunity for an Equitable Society

Huzaifa Aslam March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges were developed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in an effort to expose future generations to the wide range of innovation and technology that they could one day take part in. As detailed by the Challenges’ creators, the list includes challenges that are most significant to our current world. Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the Grand Challenges is that a lack of diversity in the panel of engineering experts led to a lack of oversight into issues that are actually pertinent to developing nations. Cech’s argument that the Grand Challenges are a missed opportunity for social justice holds validity, but her mischaracterization of the lack of diversity requires further consideration.

Weekly News Profile

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

Too Helpful to Help: AI, OCD, and Ethical Oversight

Alice Steele April 27, 2026

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

EU Children Kicked Off Social Media

Kariena Panpaliya April 22, 2026

The European Union has introduced an Age Verification App as part of ongoing efforts to restrict children’s access to platforms such as social media apps and adult websites. Aside from the controversies surrounding age verification and restriction, the app was found to be very flawed. The developments on restricting children from online threats continue across many European nations.

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

The Artemis II Mission: Ethical Concerns of Deep Space Organ-on-a-Chip Research

Mo Jiang April 14, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II mission is the first space mission to use “organ-on-a-chip” technology to study the effects of deep-space radiation and microgravity on human biological “avatars.” While this research helps establish safety guidelines for future Mars missions, it also raises questions about the ethics of human experimentation and the regulations governing deep space research. This mission points out a regulatory gap between government-led missions and the commercial space sector, raising concerns about the long-term protection and dignity of human subjects in deep space.

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

Building an Ethical Data Center

Alice Steele March 15, 2026

Featured Spring 2026 Weekly News Profile

The Unsinkable Burden: University of Rochester Researchers Engineer “Unsinkable” Aluminum

Mo Jiang March 9, 2026

University of Rochester researchers have developed superhydrophobic aluminum tubes that remain unsinkable and corrosion-resistant. While this technology benefits the maritime and energy industries economically, its durability creates an environmental conflict between long-term product lifespans and the risk of permanent ocean pollution. Integrating these “incorruptible” materials into the global market will require ethical and regulatory considerations to address issues of intergenerational justice and waste management.