Integrity-EDS Articles

A CSET survey finds a more nuanced situation than public perception might indicate. When Google employees protested their company’s work on Project Maven in 2018, their public letter against the company’s involvement in “the business of war” drew attention to the idea of a "culture clash" between the tech sector and the U.S. Department of Defense. A tense, adversarial relationship makes headlines — but how many AI professionals are actually unwilling to work with the U.S. military?

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted society and ordinary citizens on a scale not seen since the Second World War. Whole continents have been paralyzed, economies have been shut down, and civil rights have been restricted in an effort to fight the virus. One aspect of this society-wide shock has been the deep impact the pandemic is having on industries such as aerospace.

This new award was created to recognize the collaboration between these three entities of which Thrive students were the benefactors. The K-6 ACE program is designed to introduce students to aerospace-themed lessons focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics, character education, and physical fitness.

There’s an old saying that an “airplane is greater than the sum of its parts” – and that largely has to do with the incredible workforce that designs and builds them. For over 100 years, aerospace workers have built the unimaginable, supporting America’s economy and strengthening our security. Sadly today, this industry is also one of the most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Erstwhile handled by the human resources (HR) department, ironically the recruitment processes are now being taken over by artificial intelligence (AI). Large corporations and companies usually fall short of people in HR to address the needs of their huge workforce. The existing HR personnel tends to be so overworked that it does a poor job when it comes to recruiting more people. Start-ups and small-sized businesses are often lacking adequate financial resources to employ recruiters. The consequent hiring is hardly human.

The Defense Production Act, though regularly used before the pandemic, has been invoked more broadly and urgently since March. The Trump administration put the 70-year-old law to work in various ways: prioritizing U.S. government orders for N95 masks, directing companies to produce ventilators, and most recently, aiming to rebuild industrial capacity related to public health. The Biden administration should build on these efforts — and work to strengthen sections of the DPA that hinder its broader use.