axbom - digital ethics and compassionate design

Faux-tonomy - the dangers of fake autonomy

The word autonomy is being thrown around these days, often to imply that software is running without human intervention. But it still does not mean software can make decisions outside of the constraints of its own programming. Software can not learn what it was not programmed to learn. Importantly, it

fediverse

A Brief Mastodon Guide for Social Media Worriers

Tips and advice for getting started with Mastodon. Especially if you're used to Twitter.

digital ethics

The Trouble Diamond

Asking the right questions for moral management at each stage of the design process

communication theory

That unpleasant job posting from Nielsen Norman Group

How a job posting communicates culture and values. Are you ready to join the elite?

Person by computer. Online meeting, and a cameraperson in the same room ask: "is everyone okay with recording this meeting?"

digital ethics

Consent for recording meetings

Things to keep in mind when recording digital meetings. Consent is often requested far too late.

digital lifestyle

A metaverse-inspired poem

Sometimes I sit down and play around with words. Yesterday was one of those times. Alt-universe I wouldnt’ say I’m risk averse but aren’t things just much much worse when that smart thing in your purse is a megaphone for vicious slurs as if that is how we

Illustration of a globe with different landscapes, seasons and animals, a desert, a farm, a volcano and a tropical island.

digital ethics

Design for universal wellbeing

Why I avoid the term human-centric and what I mean by universal wellbeing.

digital ethics

CEO-splaining to Spotify employees part 2: the memo

The memo sent to Spotify employees over the weekend raises new questions.

digital ethics

CEO-splaining the Rogan deal to Spotify employees

Is Spotify's CEO expressing the values of the company as he addresses employee concerns over Rogan controversy?

Mobile resting in the palm of a hand and title: "What does AI have to do with Human Rights?"

digital ethics

AI and Human Rights

Content for Raoul Wallenberg Talk on AI and Human Rights. Full transcript, slidedeck and references.

Ad for the seminar with a picture of Per and the heading What does AI have to do with human rights?

digital ethics

Raoul Wallenberg Talks #1

What does AI have to do with human rights?

Happy panda eating cereal from a bowl labelled "AI" with colorful 1:s and 0:s. The milk carton is labelled ML.

tools

The AI Spoon

A simple artefact to aid discussions around digital ethics and responsible AI.

tools

The world map that reboots your brain

Most maps grossly misrepresent the size of countries and contribute to confusion. Let's revise our tools to help us get better results.

Still image from video. Rabbit and bear in superhero attire. The theme is written across the image.

Happy World Usability Day 2021

This year's theme is Design of our Online World: Trust, Ethics and Integrity. Here's what that means: * You are either building trust or destroying it. * Trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair. * Ethics means doing and making things with the wellbeing of others in mind.

design

High-speed threats in a shared public space

In this illustration, streets in a city scene are replaced by an abyss. There are people on the sidewalk, standing and walking, one holding a small child by the hand. One person is crossing the abyss on a plank, indicating a cross-walk. The illustration was commissioned for a report on

Illustration of flying paper airplane leaving behind a track of step-by-step circles in a wavy timeline. Per Axbom waving.

design ethics

A Design Ethics Track for Yearlong Bite-Sized Learning

Per Axbom will be leading the Ambition Empower track: Design Ethics = Good Business.

Illustration of an apple with a worm crawling through it. Peeking out out of the center of the apple is a human-looking eye.

digital ethics

Apple Child Safety Harms

How Apple is moving into mass surveillance. A walkthrough of all the risks.

Illustration of Per Axbom writing with a pen in a diary with hearts on the cover.

compassion

Questions for self-reflection

This text is the content of my auto-reply (out of office message) during the summer of 2021. I always try to provide value back to the person trying to reach me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello! I am sparingly checking e-mail during my personal downtime and upkeep. I'm back full-time on Wednesday August

Illustration of penguins on an iceberg. One on top of the iceberg, says to the other: "Shhh, don't mention the physics, we

visualisation

The topple of an iceberg: You're drawing it wrong

It turns out all those "tip of an iceberg"-drawings are giving the wrong idea.

Sketch of Per Axbom sitting on a beanbag with his laptop, waving to an online class on a screen.

digital guidance

Teaching Online

How to plan your days, communicate, listen, set up your room and tech, as well as a comprehensive list of tools that are helpful for online teaching.

digital ethics

Surfacing Podcast interview with Per Axbom

I was recently interviewed by Lisa Welchman and Andy Vitale for their Surfacing Podcast [https://www.surfacingpodcast.com/per-axbom], where they "have conversations with the people who design and create experiences for our world." It's such a warm, reflective podcast and I felt really welcome and at ease being interviewed

digital guidance

Types of Bad Accessibility Excuses

I love a good meme and have been looking through many of the different versions of the "Types of Scientific Paper [https://axbom.com/types-of-ai-ethics-paper/]" meme on Twitter. Not a single one I've come across has had an image description in the form of ALT (alternative) text. Unfortunately this is

digital ethics

Types of AI Ethics Paper

Political philosopher Dr Annette Zimmermann [https://www.annette-zimmermann.com/] published a very piercing cartoon on Twitter [https://twitter.com/drzimmermann/status/1388526687814656004?s=21]. It is a pastiche of the XKCD cartoon Types of Scientific Paper [https://xkcd.com/2456/], and creatively reimagines titles of papers that expose flawed thinking

digital ethics

Apple launches tracking device with potential for abuse enablement

This week, Apple launched a new physical product aimed at keeping track of your belongings: AirTag [https://www.apple.com/airtag/]. These are small round tiles that you can attach to keys, bags and vehicles, allowing you to see where they are on a map. They also introduce a risk

digital ethics

The Elements of Digital Ethics

A chart to help guide moral considerations in the tech space.