Sam Liebeskind

Participants report that talking to the system’s chatbots is “freeing” and rewarding. In one example, a student who interacts with a “teacher” chatbot is asked to share their stories or memories of interacting with teachers. Based on what the student shares, the “teacher” bot might respond, “Sometimes I don’t effectively listen to what my students... See more

These are the sorts of ways in which speech moderation online must embrace the political. The main question we must be asking about a speech platform is not what are the standards for moderation but who moderates and what is the moderator’s relationship to the community .

I’ve taken to accepting that I’m messing up all kinds of things, and mainly just try to have fun with my little friend. To the extent that I have a strategy, it’s basically:

Spend lots of (phone-free) time with her

Show her that the world is a fun and fascinating place

Encourage her to reason from first principles

Don’t interrupt her when she’s focused... See more

The prime directive in Japanese society is “thou shalt not discomfit thy neighbor.” Ever. Even on trivial things. Prosocial behavior is a totalizing ideology. People take it seriously. A blanket taboo bans any behavior that might create any inconvenience to people around you, let alone—heaven forbid—open conflict. Kids get this ethos drilled into... See more

It’s possible to provide these services and argue – as the Panthers did – that these services are an alternative to unfair government services. It’s also possible to argue, as Occupy has sometimes done, that these services are an example of what we want governments to provide and a way of pressuring government to do the right thing. This second... See more