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Today, @dairinstitute is releasing the Luddite Lab Resource Hub. The hub hosts case studies, resources, and political education for unions, labor organizations, and workers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

As part of this Hub, we feature case studies from three initial labor partners detailing their strategies of resistance: National Nurses United, the New York Times Tech Guild, and the Ziff Davis Creators Guild. From these case studies, we learned about the diversity of tactics available to workers in the fight against AI at work and how these struggles are fundamentally tied to the broader fight for worker power, agency and dignity.

We are also releasing a new research primer, "Myths about Generative AI, Productivity, and Labor Displacement", which discusses five common myths around generative AI at work. This primer will be the first of many.

Additionally, we are building a Resource Library from partners who have been thinking about these issues for a long time, including from friends at Data + Society, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and PowerSwitch Action.

We hope to support unions, labor organizations, and worker organizers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

Visit https://labor.dair-institute.org for more information and to get in touch. Link in bio.

Today, @dairinstitute is releasing the Luddite Lab Resource Hub. The hub hosts case studies, resources, and political education for unions, labor organizations, and workers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

As part of this Hub, we feature case studies from three initial labor partners detailing their strategies of resistance: National Nurses United, the New York Times Tech Guild, and the Ziff Davis Creators Guild. From these case studies, we learned about the diversity of tactics available to workers in the fight against AI at work and how these struggles are fundamentally tied to the broader fight for worker power, agency and dignity.

We are also releasing a new research primer, "Myths about Generative AI, Productivity, and Labor Displacement", which discusses five common myths around generative AI at work. This primer will be the first of many.

Additionally, we are building a Resource Library from partners who have been thinking about these issues for a long time, including from friends at Data + Society, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and PowerSwitch Action.

We hope to support unions, labor organizations, and worker organizers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

Visit https://labor.dair-institute.org for more information and to get in touch. Link in bio.

Today, @dairinstitute is releasing the Luddite Lab Resource Hub. The hub hosts case studies, resources, and political education for unions, labor organizations, and workers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

As part of this Hub, we feature case studies from three initial labor partners detailing their strategies of resistance: National Nurses United, the New York Times Tech Guild, and the Ziff Davis Creators Guild. From these case studies, we learned about the diversity of tactics available to workers in the fight against AI at work and how these struggles are fundamentally tied to the broader fight for worker power, agency and dignity.

We are also releasing a new research primer, "Myths about Generative AI, Productivity, and Labor Displacement", which discusses five common myths around generative AI at work. This primer will be the first of many.

Additionally, we are building a Resource Library from partners who have been thinking about these issues for a long time, including from friends at Data + Society, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and PowerSwitch Action.

We hope to support unions, labor organizations, and worker organizers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

Visit https://labor.dair-institute.org for more information and to get in touch. Link in bio.

Today, @dairinstitute is releasing the Luddite Lab Resource Hub. The hub hosts case studies, resources, and political education for unions, labor organizations, and workers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

As part of this Hub, we feature case studies from three initial labor partners detailing their strategies of resistance: National Nurses United, the New York Times Tech Guild, and the Ziff Davis Creators Guild. From these case studies, we learned about the diversity of tactics available to workers in the fight against AI at work and how these struggles are fundamentally tied to the broader fight for worker power, agency and dignity.

We are also releasing a new research primer, "Myths about Generative AI, Productivity, and Labor Displacement", which discusses five common myths around generative AI at work. This primer will be the first of many.

Additionally, we are building a Resource Library from partners who have been thinking about these issues for a long time, including from friends at Data + Society, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and PowerSwitch Action.

We hope to support unions, labor organizations, and worker organizers who want to fight “AI” and automation at work.

Visit https://labor.dair-institute.org for more information and to get in touch. Link in bio.

The military is bailing out the AI industry. We interview author and activist @naomiaklein on our latest episode of Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, the podcast I co-host with linguist Emily M. Bender. Check out episode 72: How the War Department Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI. #techethics #aiethics #bigtech #google #military

[video description] Three people are speaking with each other on a horizontally split screen. One, Alex, is a brown trans woman with short curly black hair, wearing a white sweater, and in a room with purple and pink flowers hanging down from the ceiling. The second, Naomi Klein, is a white cis woman with brown hair, wearing a black jacket and glasses, with wooden bookshelves behind her in a brightly lit room. Emily is a white cis woman with curly brown hair, wearing glasses and a blue shirt and scarf, in a room with a floral wallpaper.

AI is not a “team of geniuses”. Emily M. Bender and I take on the ridiculous marketing video which came out of OpenAI several months ago in Ep. 58 of our podcast The Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000.

[video description] Two people speaking with each other in a split screen. One, a brown trans woman with curly black hair against a background of a bookcase, the other a white woman wearing glasses, also with curly dark hair, against a background of floral wallpaper. They are watching a video of two white men, speaking to each other in a modern coffee shop.

#techethics #aiethics #chatgpt #science #workers

Had a conversation with a journalist today who asked if Emily and my position on "AI" was "extremist".

I thought... we have an almost median position on AI...

I wonder if the AI doomers get asked if their position is "extremist".

Or if the guys who say that jobs are completely going way, is that position "extremist"?

How about Hassabis, who says we're on the "foothills of the singularity." Is he an "extremist"?

I have a sense of people who cover "AI" constantly haven't sensed how much the Overton Window has shifted without them noticing.

Yeah, I'm against the ecosystem-polluting, internet-killing, deepfake-making, psychosis-inducing tech. This isn't an extremist position.

Background images: Richard A Carter (richardacarter.com), Polytope 1, 4, and 5.

Had a conversation with a journalist today who asked if Emily and my position on "AI" was "extremist".

I thought... we have an almost median position on AI...

I wonder if the AI doomers get asked if their position is "extremist".

Or if the guys who say that jobs are completely going way, is that position "extremist"?

How about Hassabis, who says we're on the "foothills of the singularity." Is he an "extremist"?

I have a sense of people who cover "AI" constantly haven't sensed how much the Overton Window has shifted without them noticing.

Yeah, I'm against the ecosystem-polluting, internet-killing, deepfake-making, psychosis-inducing tech. This isn't an extremist position.

Background images: Richard A Carter (richardacarter.com), Polytope 1, 4, and 5.

Had a conversation with a journalist today who asked if Emily and my position on "AI" was "extremist".

I thought... we have an almost median position on AI...

I wonder if the AI doomers get asked if their position is "extremist".

Or if the guys who say that jobs are completely going way, is that position "extremist"?

How about Hassabis, who says we're on the "foothills of the singularity." Is he an "extremist"?

I have a sense of people who cover "AI" constantly haven't sensed how much the Overton Window has shifted without them noticing.

Yeah, I'm against the ecosystem-polluting, internet-killing, deepfake-making, psychosis-inducing tech. This isn't an extremist position.

Background images: Richard A Carter (richardacarter.com), Polytope 1, 4, and 5.

Please join DAIR, the ASA sections on Science, Knowledge, and Technology and Children and Youth as we host a panel on non-academic careers for sociologists. We’ll be joined with experts from civil society and government who will discuss their career trajectories in getting where they are today.

https://twitch.tv/dair_institute

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

So incredibly grateful to be a part of making The AI Resist List, which launched today! We are a global team of journalists, researchers, and scholars across the world.

Resistance against the corporate AI machine is growing and we hope this compilation of resistance efforts will inspire and empower even more resistance across the world. Through this work, we got to meet some amazing people pushing back in some really creative ways. There is also an incredible list of alternative visions to the Silicon Valley vision of AI and technology - we don't have to accept just one narrative.

People are awake and they are learning how to push back. Please take a look at airesistlist.org.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

Our first live event is in the books! Thank you to the beautiful crowd who came out to Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 LIVE! at Starr Bar Brooklyn @starrbarbk last month. We had a great time picking apart the puff piece about Anthropic's resident philosopher. Thanks for playing around with all of our crowd participation antics. It was so fun - let's do it again soon. 📸: @jsams.photo #aiethics #techethics #nyc #drag #dragking

Image descriptions:
1. We see two people sitting on a stage in front of a projector screen with articles from the internet. Alex, a brown trans woman with short brown curly hair, is dressed as a drag king with facial hair drawn on, wearing a red plaid shirt and shorts. Emily, a white cis woman with brown curly hair, is wearing a red floral jacket over a black shirt, dangly gold and blue earrings, and a red face mask with a matching mask chain.
2. Alex pointing into the audience
3. Side view of the audience watching and smiling
4. Close-up of Emily speaking into the microphone
5.View of Alex and Emily from the perspective of the audience, with a two audience members in view from behind.
6. View of the audience facing the camera, intently listening in
7. Image of the live chat. One user says "I'm confused", another says "Finally, we've found a way to domesticate Roko's Basilisk."
8. Side view of Emily laughing on stage
9. Emily is talking to an attendee before the show
10. Alex is hugging a friend with long blue hair and glasses before the show.

$25M from a deepfake scam?? 🤦🏽We walk through Fresh AI Hell (with some chasers) on Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000’s latest episode “Hotter than (AI) Hell”. #techethics #aiethics #scams #podcast #socialengineering

[video description] Two people are speaking with each other on a horizontally split screen. They are looking at a screen capture of a Techcrunch article, also shown. Alex is a brown trans woman with short curly black hair, wearing a dark blue sweater, and in a room with purple and pink flowers hanging down from the ceiling. Emily is a white cis woman with curly brown hair, wearing glasses and a blue blouse and scarf in an office.

Update:They won!!!! Strike is off.

Give to the AFSCME 3299 strike fund!Don’t cross the picket line!Solidarity Forever!!! Strike fund link is beneath my bio.

Update:They won!!!! Strike is off.

Give to the AFSCME 3299 strike fund!Don’t cross the picket line!Solidarity Forever!!! Strike fund link is beneath my bio.

Update:They won!!!! Strike is off.

Give to the AFSCME 3299 strike fund!Don’t cross the picket line!Solidarity Forever!!! Strike fund link is beneath my bio.

Update:They won!!!! Strike is off.

Give to the AFSCME 3299 strike fund!Don’t cross the picket line!Solidarity Forever!!! Strike fund link is beneath my bio.

Update:They won!!!! Strike is off.

Give to the AFSCME 3299 strike fund!Don’t cross the picket line!Solidarity Forever!!! Strike fund link is beneath my bio.

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Me and three other @ucberkeleyofficial commencement speakers are refusing to cross the picket line! The UC needs to come to the table with service and healthcare workers.

Our statement:
Dear University of California President Milliken and the UC Board of Regents:

We are honored to be invited speakers at UC Berkeley’s Commencement ceremonies this May 2026.
We have been looking forward to celebrating the graduating students.

However, we hear that the AFSCME workers will begin a strike on May 14, 2026 and we are unwilling to cross a picket line.

AFSCME workers are the lowest paid workers in the UC system. They are the custodians and groundskeepers who maintain University of California campuses, classrooms, and dormitories. They are the hospital staff who do direct patient care: treatments for cancer patients, scheduling appointments, supporting surgeries, and much more. Their wages have been outpaced by inflation, and they have been working without a contract for two years.

We are writing to urge you and AFSCME to work in good faith to find a mutually agreeable contract before the graduation ceremonies begin.

Sincerely,

Alex Hanna
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Sociology Department commencement

Catherine Lhamon
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley School of Education commencement

Laurie Palmer
Invited speaker for UC Berkeley Art Department commencement

Veena Dubal
Invited speaker for Department of Geography commencement

Emily and I are so excited to announce that THE AI CON has been selected as Book in Common for 2026-27 at Cal State Chico!

"AI is now part of nearly every aspect of our lives," said Kristen Mahlis, coordinator of the Book in Common Program and a professor in the Department of Ethnic, Gender, and Queer Studies. "This book helps readers understand not just what AI does, but how it works, and encourages us to question both the hype and the real consequences."

We're excited for thousands of folks to read and engage with our work. We'll be visiting campus on April 7, 2027 for a public event.

SPECIAL FUNDRAISER: THE DAIR INSTITUTE X GHOST IN THE MACHINE

RENT: PAY WHAT YOU CAN ON KINEMA BETWEEN MAY 10TH-MAY 13TH AND THEN JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL DISCUSSION AND Q&A.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO DAIR, be generous, support the freshest research in the space.

​VIRTUAL Q&A EVENT WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH AT 10 AM PT | 1 PM ET | 6 PM BST

​FEATURING CAST MEMBERS EMILY M BENDER, MILAGROS MICELI, KRYSTAL KAUFFMAN, MAUREEN CHIVERI, AND ALEX HANNA.

“An admonition to resist the fuck out of AI. AI domination is not a foregone conclusion. JUST SAY NO TO AI.”
- The Seattle Stranger

​The Sundance hit Ghost in the Machine “delivers a searing takedown of AI, Elon Musk and Techno-Fascism.”
- The Wrap

​The DAIR Institute is an independent, non-profit organization founded by Dr. Timnit Gebru in December 2021 to counter Big Tech’s influence on AI.