Tech Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Summer 2023 Weekly News Profile

Why the Microsoft vs. Sony “Console War” May Be a One-Sided Battle

As Microsoft inches closer to finalizing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the console war between the Xbox and PlayStation systems continues. Although Microsoft has already conceded the Call of Duty franchise to Sony, it is unclear how the acquisition may tip the scales. Microsoft’s position as a global software powerhouse brings into question whether they even need to win the console war to survive.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

Mass Protests in Iran Garner U.S. Tech Support

Jackie Finnemeyer September 26, 2022 Human Rights Internet Iran Protest Satellites Tech

Iranian protests have made headlines – and social media feeds – around the world. As the internet becomes an increasingly important ally in the global fight for human rights, tech firms in the United States are seeking to expand internet access to Iranians.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

Activision Blizzard and The Harrowing Path for Diversity in the Video Game Industry

Kaylee Tseng April 19, 2022 Diversity Tech Video Games

Since 2021, video game companies such as Activision Blizzard have come under fire after several employees reported sexual misconduct. The legal battle between the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and Activision Blizzard shows how reformation within the industry’s social infrastructure is crucial.

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Inequality of Virtual Reality

Tyler Amano-Smerling February 22, 2021 Oculus Tech Virtual Reality

Virtual reality seems like a great escape, especially after nearly a year of lockdown, but it’s rife with inequities; do technology companies have a responsibility to combat these inequities before VR becomes a larger part of our daily lives?

Spring 2019 Weekly News Profile

Alexa Hears You, and so does Amazon

Huaning "Wendy" Wang April 12, 2019 Amazon Recording Speech Tech

4/12/2019 Profiled article C. Jee. “Amazon workers are listening to some of your conversations with Alexa”, MIT Technology Review, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613303/amazon-workers-are-listening-to-some-of-your-conversations-with-alexa/ About the…

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 Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

A Glacier’s Cry For Help: Arctic Amplification Concerns Rise

Mary Karapetyan July 1, 2025

The current state of the Arctic calls for immediate attention. The Arctic is warming at a rate four times the global average, and its ice cover is diminishing. Glaciologist John Moore’s research group at the University of the Arctic has identified 61 potential interventions to help reverse Arctic amplification. While geoengineering buys additional time to prevent conditions from worsening, the side effects of these techniques remain unknown and require extensive research to be fully understood.

Featured Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

Turbulence Expected in Aviation Regulation

Kariena Panpaliya June 25, 2025

Many tragic plane accidents are credited to the negligence of airlines and plane manufacturers. In the year 2025, crashes still occur regularly, costing hundreds of lives. It is imperative that the aviation industry prioritize passenger and crew safety above their profits and reputation.

Featured Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

High-Tech Dreams, Widening Gaps: The Downside of Costly Innovations

Mo Jiang June 15, 2025

Following Apple’s arguably overpriced headsets, other companies, such as Nintendo, also raised prices for their Switch 2 product. These incidents reveal a general trend of technology becoming increasingly expensive, yet growing evidence shows that unaffordable costs are worsening the digital divide, leaving low-income, minority, and disabled populations with less access to essential technology. More efforts are needed to make products affordable and accessible to everyone.

Featured Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

Science Fiction Turned Reality–AI Defiance on the Rise

Mary Karapetyan June 10, 2025

The influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rippling through society, especially via the rising accessibility of large language models (LLMs). OpenAI’s latest o3 model sabotaged shutdown after being told to “allow yourself to be shut down.” LLMs are unpredictable, and even with the necessary constraints and guidelines, they still hold the power to behave the way they find the “most optimal.”

Featured Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

Who’s Shaping Tomorrow’s AI Ethics? Universities Navigate Corporate AI Ethics Funding

Mo Jiang June 1, 2025

Tech giants like Netflix and Microsoft are making significant investments in AI ethics education and research at universities. These efforts raise concerns about potential corporate influence on academic independence. As colleges develop partnerships with the tech industry, they face the challenge of balancing valuable funding opportunities with the need to maintain academic integrity and ensure AI ethics research and education serve broader societal interests rather than corporate agendas.