Big Tech's guide to talking about AI ethics

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Abstraction: Satirical glossary exposing big tech AI ethics language as corporate deflection

Key points:

Satirical A-Z glossary by Karen Hao (MIT Technology Review, April 2021) decoding the gap between AI ethics rhetoric and substantive accountability
"Accountability" = blaming someone else; "ethics board" = powerless advisors for appearance; "transparency" = practically impossible due to proprietary concerns
"Responsible AI" is PR branding; "audit" means appearing transparent without requiring change; "regulation" means deflecting responsibility to policymakers
"Democratize" means scaling at all costs; "DEI" means hiring marginalized people to display without structural change; "long-term risks" used to distract from immediate harms
"Impact assessment" = self-review that changes nothing; "human in the loop" = any person involved, including those faking AI capabilities
Highlights consistent pattern: vague, high-level principles without enforcement mechanisms or power redistribution

Connections: Google · Facebook · AI Ethics · Responsible AI