A quarter of a century later, the year 2000 problem, also known as Y2K, may help us better understand our technology concerns. Historian Zachary Loeb explains the circumstances around Y2K and how the embedding of computer systems into US infrastructure opened it to vulnerabilities, which could potentially be echoed in the near future with the integration of AI.

In his review of Just Tech Fellow Rua Williams’s recent book, Disabling Intelligences: Legacies of Eugenics and How We Are Wrong about AI, Taylor Quinn highlights how Williams identifies the role eugenics and eugenic thinking influences tech, including artificial intelligence, as well as our perceptions of novel technologies.

The Just Tech program is happy to announce a new call for applications for our next cohort of Just Tech Fellows. Researchers, artists, and practitioners working at the intersection of technology and society are welcome to apply to the 2027 Just Tech Fellowship, a one-year unrestricted award of up to $60,000, from January to December 2027. Applications are due June 28. 

As artificial intelligence technologies proliferate in use and advance in capabilities, many countries in Africa risk falling behind. Here, Chinasa T. Okolo, a researcher and policy advisor on AI and digital technologies, outlines Africa’s current position in the broader geopolitical competition for AI dominance, examining how Western powers, China, Russia, and others are vying for influence in the continent. She argues that African leaders must balance the local technological development, foreign investment, and national independence.