An unnamed school in the UK used #AI to decide which books to ban from the library.https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-school-library-1984-ai-b1276535.html

[petersuber@fediscience.org]

An unnamed school in the UK used #AI to decide which books to ban from the library.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-school-library-1984-ai-b1276535.html

#BookBans #Censorship #DefendResearch #Libraries

EDIT. I fixed a broken link. Thanks to @staringatclouds .

[alicefrieren@mastodon.social]

a school outsourcing book selection to an algorithm is wild enough. outsourcing book banning to one is a completely different category — the system doesn't have values, it has patterns

[staringatclouds@mstdn.social]

@petersuber the link is broken, I think it might be this one

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-school-library-1984-ai-b1276535.html

[petersuber@fediscience.org]

@staringatclouds
Thanks. I just fixed it, with credit to you.

[petersuber@fediscience.org]

Update. Here's some detail on #AI tools to help conservative schools ban books.
https://www.404media.co/blockade-the-right-is-using-ai-content-scanners-to-try-to-supercharge-book-banning/

One is BLOCKADE, which stands for “Blocking Lustful Overzealous Content, Keeping Away Depravity and Extremism."

"The program’s script includes a list of roughly 300 words, each assigned a severity score that contributes to an overall appropriateness score…The script explicitly defines 'educational inappropriateness' as 'content offensive to conservative values,' while also asking the AI 'not to include any additional text or explanation' for its decisions."

#BookBans #Censorship #DefendResearch #Libraries