Second option:

Podcast: podcast by Timnit Gebru, Don’t Fall for the AI Hype
Video: Model Employee

What are 2-3 things that surprised you or shocked you in the film/video/podcast? Or if not shocking, then something new you learned?

One thing that really shocked me in the video “Model Employee” was how companies are trying to study every tiny detail of human behavior in order to eventually replace workers with AI or robots, sometimes without people even realizing it. In the video, the main character was a DJ who also worked at a restaurant, and her manager required employees to wear a tracking wristband to monitor their productivity and performance. At first, the device seemed like it was only meant to improve efficiency at work, but it slowly became clear that the company was collecting detailed information about the way employees moved, behaved, and completed tasks in order to train automated systems to imitate them. What disturbed me most was the idea that workers may unknowingly help train the technology that could later replace them. The fact that the wristband even tracked aspects of her life outside of work made the situation feel even more invasive and unsettling. It made me think about how much personal data companies may already collect from us without us fully understanding how that information could be used in the future. 

Another thing that shocked me was learning about Timnit Gebru’s experience at Google in the podcast “Don’t fall for the AI hype”.  I was surprised that she was fired from Google simply because she wanted to speak openly about the dangers and ethical problems behind large AI systems. Before listening to the podcast, I assumed that Big technology companies encouraged honest research and criticism in order to improve their products. However, the podcast showed how corporate interests and profit can sometimes become more important than transparency or ethics. I found it especially unsettling that researchers who try to warn the public about the harmful effects of AI may face consequences instead of being supported. This made me realize how much control large technology companies have over how people see AI and what information the public gets to know about it.

Lastly, one important thing I learned from the podcast is that AI cannot always be fully trusted, even when it sounds confident or intelligent. Timnit Gebru explains that many AI systems, especially language models, do not truly “understand” information the way humans do. Instead, they predict patterns based on enormous amounts of data. One idea that stayed with me was her discussion of “stochastic parrots,” meaning that AI systems can repeat and remix language without actually understanding its meaning. This made me reflect on how easily people, including myself, sometimes trust AI-generated answers simply because they sound convincing or professional. The podcast made me realize that AI can spread misinformation, reproduce bias, and generate inaccurate content while still appearing reliable, which is something that I had not seriously thought about before.

What was an important connection between what you learned in the film/video/podcast and things we did in the course?

An important connection between the podcast, the video, and our course was our class discussions about AI, ethics, and whether technology can truly replace genuine human connection and human roles in society. In class, we talked about how technology can imitate certain human behaviors or interactions, but that does not mean it can fully replace real human emotions, experiences, or relationships. Both The Model Employee video and Timnit Gebru’s podcast made me think about these discussions in a much deeper way.

The Model Employee video showed this in a disturbing way by presenting workers less as human beings with individuality and emotions, and more as systems that could be studied, copied, and eventually replaced. The workers were constantly being tracked and monitored so the company could study their behavior and eventually automate their tasks. It is almost like the employees slowly became treated more like patterns, statistics, and data rather than actual people. This made me think about our discussions on whether AI is beginning to replace not only human jobs, but also parts of human identity and value.

Similarly, in the podcast, Timnit Gebru explained how AI systems are often presented as intelligent, helpful, and advanced while hiding many ethical problems behind them, such as exploitation, bias, and misinformation. This connected directly to our course discussions about AI literacy and why it is important to question technology instead of automatically trusting it. We also did this activity in class where we described AI in one word, and many of the responses were directed towards how AI can sometimes be biased or unreliable. The podcast strengthened this idea by showing how AI systems can seem trustworthy while still spreading misinformation or unfair ideas specifically  about certain groups of people. Both the podcast and the video made me realize that AI is not just a simple neutral tool, and that people should think more carefully about the ethical and social effects of these technologies.

Given who you are as a person, your identity, and your life experiences so far, what is something you will do differently (an action, a decision, a behavior) based on what you learned in the video? 

After watching Model employee and listening to Timnit Gebru’s podcast, I think I will become much more careful and aware of how much personal information and behavior I share with technology and AI systems. Before this, I never really thought deeply about how companies collect data from people or how that data could later be used to monitor, influence, or even replace human workers. The video especially made me realize that people sometimes unknowingly contribute to training the same technologies that may eventually take over their jobs or invade their privacy. This also made me realize that technology is not as harmless as it looks just because it is presented  as innovative or advanced. Therefore, I believe I will start questioning technology and AI more critically instead of just accepting new AI systems without thinking about their ethical consequences, hidden labor, or effects on people’s lives. 

What is something you think should be covered in the course in future, based on what you learned in the film/video/podcast, which was not already covered in class?

I  think the course should talk more about privacy and surveillance connected to AI.  The video specifically made me realize how common surveillance has become in workplaces and technology today. Since AI is becoming part of everyday life, I think it is important for students to learn more about how companies collect people’s data, how AI systems use the information people give them, and the ethical problems that can come from that. Many people share personal information with AI tools without really thinking about where that data goes or how it could later be used, stored, or analyzed.