Last Wednesday evening, the College’s weekly “In the News” event hosted a Q&A session with Katie Drummond, WIRED magazine’s Global Editorial Director. This conversation was led by co-moderators Ben Baker, assistant professor of philosophy, and Hanna Noyes `27.
Katie Drummond is an active global journalist at WIRED, which is an American publication that focuses on examining the impact of emerging technologies on politics, the economy, and culture. WIRED releases bimonthly magazines widely recognized for investigative journalism on politics and big tech companies.
Drummond began her career at WIRED directly after graduating from college and became a reporter covering national security during the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is highly distinguished in her journalism career and has received many awards such as the Peabody Award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism and Emmy Awards.
Drummond has always been passionate about journalism. In response to a question about her motivation for writing, she says: “I love to cause chaos when it’s deserved. I love to find and point out wrongdoing, and… I have a very strong sense of right and wrong, and I want to see right done, and I want to see wrong addressed publicly. Once I realized that, it was like combining the love of writing with a fierce desire to uncover wrongdoing.”
Flyers for this “In The News” event were posted around campus with the title, “Did Big Tech Capture the Government?” This is exactly what Drummond examined — the impact of large-scale technology companies intersecting with the government, especially through presidential campaigns. She stated that over $100 million was received in donations from OpenAI and Elon Musk. Large-scale donations enable tech companies to have extreme political power. Similarly, Drummond argues that the current president’s administration has potent leverage over AI, as its primary use is collecting personal information and breaching privacy.
Co-moderator and assistant professor of philosophy Ben Baker reiterates the advancement in AI and its potential flaws. “AI is getting better and better, but it’s a very different approach to technology, in the sense that it’s trying to replicate humans, rather than advance technology,” Baker said.
Drummond expressed strong disapproval of the President’s use of AI. A student in the audience asked Drummond if she could write one federal rule on AI regulation and what it might be. She responded, “If your models do something illegal, you should be held criminally liable.” Drummond continuously echoed the need for regulation and global governance of the political use of AI.
Noyes `27 agreed that the lack of AI regulation in government is an issue. “I agree with every point that she [Drummond] made; I think that this is a massive problem. If you use AI, it can be used for good. However, in most of these examples, it’s not being used for good. It’s not just about minimizing harm when it occurs, but preventing it before it happens,” Noyes said.
Drummond also shared her experience being a female journalist in a male-dominated field. Large tech corporations are largely led by men, and the treatment of women in the field of journalism is very outdated. “This industry could be different if not just women but if diversity across the board was genuinely prioritized, everyone would benefit so much,” Drummond said.
~ Elsie Scott `30
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