Making good decisions takes a bit of work and thinking. Many people don’t do that already, making hasty decisions, and relying on #AI is going to weaken this uniquely human skill, according to a psychologist at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences who studies decision-making. “We owe it to ourselves to resist the siren’s call of AI and take back ownership of the true privilege – and responsibility – of being human: being able to think and choose for ourselves. We’ll feel better and, importantly, be better if we do.” Do you agree about embracing slower decision-making?
The Conversation US
Online Audio and Video Media
Boston, Massachusetts 9,650 followers
A nonprofit news organization dedicated to unlocking knowledge and expertise from academia for the public.
About us
The Conversation US arose out of deep-seated concerns for the fading quality of our public discourse – and recognition of the vital role that academic experts can play in the public arena. Independent and not-for-profit, it is part of a global network of newsrooms first launched in Australia in 2011. The Conversation began its US operations in 2014, and now also publishes in Canada, the UK, France, Indonesia, Africa, Spain as well as Australia. The Conversation’s mission is particularly resonant in the U.S., where people universally sense that the country’s social fabric is strained and the common ground people share is shrinking. Information always has been essential to democracy – a societal good, like clean water. But many now find it difficult to put their trust in the media. And with little consensus about what to believe, it only becomes harder to reach agreement with fellow citizens regarding what’s truthful. The Conversation US seeks to be part of the solution to this problem. The Conversation’s editorial process is deliberate and collaborative. Editors pay close attention to the news environment to identify the issues citizens are concerned about. They reach out to leading scholars across academia and work with them to unlock their knowledge for the broad public. Through a Creative Commons license, we share Conversation US articles – at no charge to news organizations – across the geographic and ideological spectrum. We pay particular attention to strengthening news organizations that are severely under-resourced. The Associated Press distributes The Conversation US articles daily to thousands of newsrooms. Importantly, The Conversation US is committed to information transparency and credibility. Authors are only allowed to write on a subject on which they have proven expertise. They must sign a disclosure statement outlining any relevant funding or affiliations. We ourselves disclose all of The Conversation US’ funders on our homepage and elsewhere.
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Updates
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Happy 10th anniversary! Our partnership with University of Florida began even before we launched, with stories they wrote for our UK sister site. We couldn't do what we do without the support of our university partners, and we're glad to help their faculty and researchers share their knowledge with the public. And if any academic researchers want to share their work with the public, they should pitch us here: https://lnkd.in/eKYUNuz
From why mosquitoes prefer some people to the best books for baby brains and even an incorrect taste map — University of Florida researchers have covered it all. Ten years ago, the collaboration with The Conversation US began with its first article on April 28, 2014. Since then, over 300 authors have contributed to nearly 500 articles, resulting in 25 million reads and counting!
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The Conversation US reposted this
Associate Professor | Economist & Population Health Scientist | Reproductive Health Equity Expert and Consultant | Principal Investigator of the Green Inequality Lab
Nao Hagiwara and I wrote a piece on implicit bias trainings in healthcare settings for The Conversation US. Why we conclude that current implicit bias trainings are insufficient to foster change: 1) Awareness is not enough. While awareness of one’s biases is a necessary first step to mitigating implicit bias, it alone is not sufficient. Providers must also be personally invested in and have the mental capacity to address their biases. 2) Not enough time for habit change to sink in. Mitigating implicit bias requires repeated and consistent practice. Implicit bias is like a habit: it is deeply ingrained and operates without intentional control, making it challenging to recognize and change. 3) Training is not linked to quality improvement. Third, training effectiveness is more accurately assessed through patient outcomes, such as care satisfaction, rather than self-reflection or implicit bias scores....changes in implicit bias scores do not necessarily result in decreased discriminatory behaviors, making it unclear how these programs can change the quality of care that Black patients experience. To researchers: we need to talk more across disciplines. The way psychologists talk about bias is VERY different from public health folks and clinicians. It's imperative that we think carefully about plausible theoretical mechanisms linking bias and health outcomes. It's the how and the why that matters. In my own area of expertise, reproductive health, I've been incredibly frustrated by the lack of careful thinking about whether and how implicit bias training has the capacity to shift the needle on Black-White inequities in birth outcomes. (My opinion: the chances are little to none at this time but I'd love to be wrong.) I've posted some of our thinking on this topic in the comments. If you're in healthcare leadership, we urge you to explicitly link any proposed trainings to quality improvement efforts and rigorous evaluation efforts. In other words, are these trainings actually improving patient experiences? Treatment patterns? Health outcomes? This is the only way to be clear on whether you're getting a return on your investment. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've made it to the end of this post! #implicitbias #racism #healthequity #healthdisparities #healthcare #qualityimprovement https://lnkd.in/gxpemzPd
Do implicit bias trainings on race improve health care? Not yet – but incorporating the latest science can help hospitals treat all patients equitably
theconversation.com
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Almost 40% of vehicles on the road in the early 1900s were electric. So while #EV sales have been soaring recently, it’s not because the idea is new. It’s because of a confluence of improved infrastructure, improved technology, and the right mix of government incentives and regulations. Hovig Tchalian, who teaches #entrepreneurship, at the University of Southern California looks at the many factors that go into "overnight success". Will your next car be electric? https://lnkd.in/ed5VC6q5 #sustainability
Electric vehicles are suddenly hot − but the industry has traveled a long road to relevance
theconversation.com
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Some forms of #stress are a speedway ticket to accelerated aging and even early death. A psychiatrist and medical professor helps lay out the differences between good stress and the toxic kind. How can we treat it? By adopting daily habits that help the stress response system self-regulate. Learn more:
How much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains the links between toxic stress and poor health − and how to get help
theconversation.com
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Corporate boards are no longer made up of white men, white men, more white men and a token woman. A look at the boards of the top US 50 companies from 2011 to 2023 found that the share of white men directors dropped below half, to 49.5% Overall: 📉 White directors dropped to 73.6% 📉 Men dropped to 65.3% 📈 Asian Americans tripled from 1.8% to 6.1%. 📈 Black directors went from 9.4% to 15.1% in 2023. The article has more stats for subgroups from the analysis. #diversity #inclusion #representationmatters #governance
White men are now less than half of corporate board members – after a decade of progress
theconversation.com
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In Florida, the average homeowners #insurance premium is now an eye-watering $6,000 a year. That’s more than triple the national average and about 3x what Floridians paid on average for insurance premiums in 2018. A law professor who researches disaster resilience says other states need to learn from Florida’s mistakes, or their insurance markets could end up the same. #risk #climatechange
How Florida’s home insurance market became so dysfunctional, so fast
theconversation.com
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Forcing a Chinese company to sell #TikTok won’t solve the biggest problem with TikTok: the fact that so people get their “news” from platforms that are designed to hijack attention for commercial gain, not to deliver reliable information. If China wants information on Americans, they can buy it from companies since there are no effective privacy laws. And American-owned Facebook and X have shown themselves to be as bad or worse as TikTok at spreading #misinformation, according to a UMass Boston expert in applied ethics, who also talks about his project to boost digital #medialiteracy. Who else is doing good work in this area?
TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age
theconversation.com
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The Conversation US reposted this
There are many ways to kill microbes that cause dangerous infections. Combining genetic screening with machine learning can help researchers identify new antimicrobials. This is a fascinating read originally published by The Conversation US and republished by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance https://lnkd.in/dJTZa86w
Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how
gavi.org
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The Conversation US reposted this
Fellow & Visiting Scholar @ The Future of Free Speech, Vanderbilt University I Responsible Tech Policy
New article on #AI and freedom of #expression in The Conversation US. Our key message is that the usage policies of major AI chatbots don’t meet international human rights standards; they are overly restrictive and vague. We argue that AI providers should adopt a principled free-speech culture, which is compatible with addressing undeniable risks and harms. Published with my colleague, Jacob Mchangama (The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University), building on a report we recently released. The Conversation article: https://lnkd.in/e3NbAmdy Our report: https://lnkd.in/eXsYjJdR
AI chatbots refuse to produce ‘controversial’ output − why that’s a free speech problem
theconversation.com