The FAIR Act would provide Massachusetts workers with much-needed protection against reckless and harmful uses of “bossware” technologies, electronic and algorithmic decision systems employers use to automate managerial functions, including determining whether workers get a job, tracking workers’ locations and communications throughout — and sometimes even after — the workday.
Technology
Posted inGovernment
The pandemic led to more access to local town meetings. Beacon Hill will decide what comes next.
If local officials weren’t livestreaming democracy before the pandemic, Massachusetts officials smoothed the path to the new paradigm by creating new provisions under the state’s Open Meeting Law.
Posted inGovernment
Researchers find some worry, some hope for AI in democracy
The risks are serious, but focusing only on artificial intelligence misinformation threatens to overtake conversations about where AI has been most impactful as a mass communication tool.
Posted inOpinion
AI was everywhere in 2024 elections — but the sky didn’t fall
These are also the first AI elections, where many feared that deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated misinformation would overwhelm the democratic processes. The dreaded “death of truth” has not materialized – at least, not due to AI.
Posted inTechnology
Advocates call for cameras on school buses
Automated enforcement has historically received pushback, with opponents citing concerns about privacy and racial profiling. Previous bills that would have allowed for automated enforcement of running red lights have failed on Beacon Hill.
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to hold social media companies accountable
Just as we eventually recognized the dangers of lead paint, asbestos, and cigarettes and took action through public policy, it’s time to hold companies accountable and take steps to mitigate the impact of social media on young people’s well-being.
Posted inState Government
As state leans in on artificial intelligence, AG Campbell waves a yellow flag
Attorney General Andrea Campbell says AI has tremendous potential, but warns it has “shown to pose serious risks to consumers, including bias, lack of transparency or explainability, implications for data privacy, and more.”
Posted inCourts
Is collecting your data the modern wiretap?
Could using AdTech software to monitor a public website visitor’s online actions amount to an illegal wiretap in Massachusetts?
Posted inOpinion
Surprise — not enough skilled workers to fill AI jobs
According to the IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2023, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of IBM, the top barrier hindering successful AI adoption at enterprises exploring or deploying the technology is “limited AI skills and expertise.”
Posted inTechnology
Taking shots at tech CEOs from Facebook’s birthplace
JUST A FEW BLOCKS from the dorm room where Mark Zuckerberg launched the first version of what would become Facebook, Gov. Maura Healey and tech journalist Kara Swisher got some […]
Posted inPolitics
What does #mapoli mean?
For years, Massachusetts had one of the most active state political universes on Twitter. Times – and the social media landscape – have changed. Legislative usage is down, usage of […]
Posted inMedia
Will artificial intelligence make or break newsrooms?
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is already in the newsroom. Smart transcription software helps reporters go through their notes faster and review meetings they didn’t have a chance to attend in person, large […]
Posted inTechnology
State questions need for 1,687 new parking spaces at Encore
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE JUST LIKE COMMUTERS on nearby Interstate 93, the planned expansion of the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett is being held up by traffic. The Executive […]
Posted inOpinion, State Government, Technology
A blueprint for a statewide cybersecurity ecosystem
THE THREAT OF a cyberattack sits perched just beyond our doorstep, targeting our privacy, economic prosperity, and national security. Motivated to act quickly, congressional and state leaders are pushing the […]
Posted inState Government, Technology
New state board charged with making digital spaces accessible
FOR MOST PEOPLE in Massachusetts, the biggest hassle about using digital technology is often a slow internet connection, a buggy device, or being in an inconvenient location to whip out […]
Posted inState Government, Technology
Does artificial intelligence belong in therapy?
FOR MANY, the nearest therapist these days isn’t someone sitting across from them in a room but a friendly face on the other side of a Zoom, or even a […]
Posted inState Government, Technology
The disconnections of digital equity
It seems like easy enough math. Add access to computers, plus stable internet, plus the training to use technology, and digital equity results. So why, in tech-savvy, educated Massachusetts, are […]
Posted inGambling
Envisioning a Massachusetts ‘iLottery’
IF THE MASSACHUSETTS LOTTERY expands onto the internet with a new “iLottery,” what could it look like? Let’s spin the wheel. Option 1 – Michigan. Started in 2014, the Michigan […]
Posted inArts and Culture
The promise and pitfalls of relying on artificial intelligence
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS changing the way we think about authorship, art, and white collar work. It may be changing how we think, full stop. As artificial intelligence, or machine learning, […]
Posted inOpinion
Digital access remains a problem
MORE THAN 1 MILLION people in Massachusetts don’t have a fixed broadband internet connection. More than 600,000 don’t have a desktop, laptop, or any computer at home. And many lack […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass. looks to line up lucrative CHIPS shot
CAN A MASSIVE federal effort to bolster national security in the semiconductor sector also boost the tech economy in the Northeast? That’s the idea behind a sprawling, multistate partnership of 85 […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government, Technology
Healey names cabinet secretaries for economic development, technology
ONE DAY BEFORE she is slated to be sworn in as governor, Maura Healey continued to fill out her cabinet roster, naming a business veteran to helm economic development and […]
Posted inEconomy
Massachusetts gets $145 million to expand broadband
MASSACHUSETTS HAS BEEN awarded $145 million in federal money to expand broadband internet access, the White House announced Thursday. Jacob Leibenluft, US Treasury Chief Recovery Officer, said in a conference […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re making huge federal investments in science research — and must do more
BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH opens doors to understanding our world from the smallest nanoparticles to the largest faraway universes. New discoveries can improve lives and help us confront the extraordinary challenges […]
