09-27-2023 Google Partners with Howard University to Create AAVE Data Set

There’s lots going on today in the world of AI and tech for Black and Brown tech pros. Our lead story stands out most since its a nod to the validity of our unique way of speaking to each other. Yet, the firm that’s funding the research has a weak history of celebrating authentic, “speak truth to power” Black voices.

1/ Google Partners with Howard University to Create AAVE Data Set

Last week Google announced a partnership with HBCU Howard University to provide more accurate voice detection for people who speak African American English (AAE), what some also call African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Acknowledging what was once derided as Ebonics has been a trend that was kicked off by Clarence Major’s 1994 academic work “Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang” and may culminate with Henry Lewis Gates Jr.’s upcoming Oxford Dictionary of African American English.

@kahlilgreene

What words *need* to be included? 👇🏾 #hiddenhistory #blackculture #aave #culturalappropriation

Google doesn’t have the best track record engaging with HBCUs. We’ve previously reported on the tech firm’s firing of April Curley in 2020 after she called out hiring managers for providing vague reasoning for rejecting the vast majority of HBCU graduates for entry-level positions at the firm.

2/ Microsoft Goes Nuclear … to Power Its Data Centers

If you want to uncover what a tech company is planning, take a look at their job ads. Netflix recently posted an ad for an AI engineer that presaged its shift into that world. On Tuesday, our colleagues at The Verge spotted a Microsoft job posting for a nuclear engineer. This leads industry watchers to believe power concerns roil Microsoft’s plans for AI expansion/domination. In the hopes of having access to more stable nuclear energy, Microsoft is now on the search for a person to head its small modular reactors (SMR) efforts.

3/ Been Using Bard, Google’s AI chatbot? Your Conversations Could Show Up in Google Search Results

Privacy much, Google? The answer when it comes to AI is apparently no. Google is publicly indexing private chat messages with its new AI chatbot Bard, an answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This underlines the importance of caution when using / testing AI chatbots. Systems are recording, and in this case exposing, your usage data.

4/ Underage Workers Dupe Facial Recognition to Boost Side Hustle Earnings

In a rare win for facial recognition subjects, youngsters in Brazil trick food delivery apps into thinking they’re 18, old enough to deliver orders and make money from it. While child exploitation remains a detestable scourge on civil society, enterprising teens and pre-teens in Brazil taking initiative to earn a living doesn’t seem to fit in the ‘child exploitation’ category. Rest of World reveals the young people use several tactics including working with those who are ‘of age’ and using pictures of older people when the system asks for proof of age.

5/ Entertainment Execs Can Train AI Models on Writers’ Creations…But They’ll Get Paid for It

The Writers’ Union agreed to Hollywood studios training large language models (LLMs) on the work of entertainment writers. But, said writers will be compensated for any creations emerging from those LLMs.

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