Velislava Hillman is the founder of the EDDS Institute, teaches at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is the author of Taming Edtech: Why Children Stand to Lose in an Unregulated Digitised Classroom.
Recent US intelligence documents hype up the threat of “anti-tech violent extremist activity” against data centers. Casting protests as ideologically extreme is a shortcut to silencing critics of AI and removing democratic constraints on Big Tech.
When it comes to AI and data regulation, Europe often leads the way. But the US Federal Trade Commission could spur a major shift on behalf of ordinary people against corporate interests — so long as there’s the political will.
The rise of online learning during the pandemic has accelerated the already rapid growth of the educational technology sector. But the Silicon Valley firms taking over the classroom remain far too unaccountable — and they’re massively extending the automated processes that unfairly decide children’s futures.
Since the start of the pandemic it’s become common to suggest that education will have to adapt to a “new normal,” with increased use of online platforms. But private tech firms risk having an oversized say in what the “new normal” is — ignoring the needs expressed by teachers and learners themselves.