COMING SOON

OUTSMARTING AI

At YR Media, when we turn our attention to an issue shaping young people’s lives, we go deep. As of fall 2019, that issue is Artificial Intelligence. Leveraging our track-record for producing groundbreaking learning experiences and award-winning media, we are launching a new desk: A.I. in Life.

A.I. is a shaping force of the 21st century. It’s got the potential to address some of our biggest challenges and unlock new forms of creativity. But A.I. can also exacerbate humanity’s worst traits, like bias and violence. We are the next generation of A.I. creators and users. We need to understand the technology, embrace its potential, insist on its ethical application, expose its harms and tell its stories.

With support from the National Science Foundation and in partnership with stellar university and industry collaborators including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.)’s App Inventor team, we’re producing:

Mover and Shaker interview series

public conversations on YR Media social channels between young people and A.I.’s leading (and hidden) players. Our first interview series went live Spring 2020: “In the Black Mirror: What Artificial Intelligence Means for Race, Art and the Apocalypse.” Here and here are some relevant Q+As from our archives and a DIY resource for creators out there who want to make one with us.

Interactives and Apps

dynamic, data-rich and interactive news-and-arts content that explores and/or utilizes A.I. features, with accompanying “how we made this” posts so others can build on what we’ve done.

Investigations

that go deep and hold power accountable when A.I. causes harm and/or operates in unethical and non-transparent ways. YR Media has a 25+ year track record of creating content with young people that has been recognized with some of journalism’s top honors including investigations that won Peabody, Murrow, Dupont, Kennedy and the Investigative Reporters and Editors awards. Right now we’re digging into use of A.I. in criminal justice. Stay tuned for more.

Consumer Product Reviews

that analyze new A.I.-powered tools and applications entering the marketplace. We were among the first to report on mobile apps using A.I. to provide therapy in our radio feature, Will Your Next Therapist be Your Phone? We’ve also reviewed use of A.I. as birth control, in products that predict and sell you style, by artists to raise awareness of how much of ourselves we give away to tech, and by law enforcement despite evidence of racial bias. Coming soon: more round-ups of the dread and/or delight sparked by A.I. products designed to transform our lifestyles, health, politics, safety and jobs.

STAY INVOLVED

  1. Check out our learning resources

    Here’s our fresh critical A.I. literacy learning resource for anyone looking to explore A.I. through an ethics-and-equity lens. We also invite you to dig into our other DIY tools for making media and tech with young people.

  2. Create stories with us

    Join our amazing national network of next-generation journalists and artists telling today’s stories and making media on our terms. Pitch YR Media here or request access to our Slack.

  3. Follow our research

    The whole time that we’re reporting on A.I., we’re also researching our own efforts in the context of wider developments in the fields of science and technology, journalism, media arts and education. We’ll share links to talks and publications as they come. From our archives: No One’s Source, Data Agency, Beyond Coding. We’ve got a book coming out with M.I.T. Press called Code for What?