NHL hockey stars to compete in Stamford in memory of Darien's Hayden Thorsen; CT Post, August 2, 2023

 Dave Stewart, CT Post ; NHL hockey stars to compete in Stamford in memory of Darien's Hayden Thorsen

[Kip Currier: I just learned about this inspiring Shoulder Check Initiative this Memorial Day from an update story reported on morning television. On this day when we thank all those who gave their lives while serving in our military branches, in furtherance of freedom, this is an important reminder for all of us to reach out to someone, check on someone, and show kindness and compassion.]

"The HT40 Foundation is named for Hayden Thorsen, using his initials and the No. 40 jersey he wore while playing ice hockey.

Thorsen, an avid hockey player, died by suicide in the spring of 2022, and his parents Rob and Sarah created the foundation to “bring people together through kindness and compassion, just as (Hayden) did throughout his life.”...

According to a press release,, the Shoulder Check Initiative “encourages reaching out, checking in, and making kindness a contact sport in the locker rooms, in the halls, on and off the ice.”"

TIME FOR A REFRESH; Creative Commons (CC), May 17, 2024

 Anna Tumadóttir, Creative Commons (CC) ; TIME FOR A REFRESH

"The CC team has been evaluating our progress toward our 2021-2025 strategy. Through that process, we have noticed the ways we have been organically adjusting to the social and technical shifts around us, as well as the ebbs and flows of funding availability. It would be an understatement to say that much has changed since we developed the strategy in 2020 and launched it in 2021. Turns out that our predictions and plans set forth in 2020 are not as helpful in the reality of 2024 and likely even less so for 2025 and beyond.

Rather than continuing to progress through the existing strategy, we have determined that the stronger, and dare we say more strategic, approach is to conduct a strategy refresh.

Refreshing Our Strategy

Organizational strategies are meant to be living documents that guide the efforts of the organization towards its north star—the mission and vision. What we thought would be a strategy that would guide us into 2025 has actually been the foundation of us better understanding CC’s role in a post-pandemic time of significant technological development with generative AI, a much needed social and racial justice reckoning globally, and a rapidly shifting socio-economic environment, all affecting our team and our community.

This strategic refresh process will build on past strategies, leveraging what has worked and learning from what hasn’t. Rather than a strategic shift for CC, we are steering this process with the goal of returning to the core of CC, as a movement, as a community, and as legal and technical infrastructure. Our goal is to emerge with an updated strategy that takes into account generative AI alongside the human act of creating and sharing; paired with a sound operational and sustainable organizational layer.

Intentional Engagement with our Community

Community involvement and engagement with this process will be critical for its success. As the CC team and Board grapple with the directions that this strategic refresh will take, we want to hear from you. What role do you see for CC in the future? How can CC support you and your community in stewarding openness practices and making available the knowledge that will help to solve the greatest challenges of our time? What are the elements that make a strong and effective CC, today, tomorrow, and into the future?

In June, we will begin scheduling a series of open community and stakeholder sessions to be held throughout July and August. Participation information will be shared on our blog and via social media. If you wish to indicate your early interest in participating, please sign up to our mailing list. We are looking forward to connecting with you on this process and we can’t wait to hear your insights on the future of CC."

Are Ethics Taking a Backseat in AI Jobs?; Statista, May 22, 2024

  Anna Fleck, Statista; Are Ethics Taking a Backseat in AI Jobs?

"Data published jointly by the OECD and market analytics platform Lightcast has found that few AI employers are asking for creators and developers of AI to have ethical decision making AI skills. The two research teams looked for keywords such as “AI ethics”, “responsible AI” and “ethical AI” in job postings for AI workers across 14 OECD countries, in both English and the official languages spoken in the 14 countries studied. According to Lightcast, out of these, an average of less than two percent of AI job postings listed these skills. However, between 2019 and 2022 the share of job postings mentioning ethics-related keywords increased in the majority of surveyed countries. For example, the figure rose from 0.1 percent to 0.5 percent in the United States between the four years and from 0.1 percent to 0.4 percent in the United Kingdom.

According to Lightcast writer Layla O’Kane, federal agencies in the U.S. are, however, now being encouraged to hire Chief AI Officers to monitor the use of AI technologies following an executive order for the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use Of Artificial Intelligence. O’Kane writes: “While there are currently a very small number of postings for Chief AI Officer jobs across public and private sector, the skills they call for are encouraging: almost all contain at least one mention of ethical considerations in AI.”"

Reed Smith Names AI Chief, Plans for Faster Deals and IP Work; Bloomberg Law, May 15, 2024

 Roy Strom, Bloomberg Law; Reed Smith Names AI Chief, Plans for Faster Deals and IP Work

"Richard Robbins is about a week into his role as Reed Smith’s first director of applied artificial intelligence, but—in a sign of how quickly the area is developing—there’s already a lot on his plate.

The law firm is working on at least eight generative artificial intelligence projects, ranging from testing new products to developing AI-fueled workflows for entire practice areas. Robbins, who joined the firm from legal tech company Epiq, will help usher those projects from the test phase to broader rollouts.

“It has been everybody’s part-time work, but we knew that this is so serious,” David Cunningham, Reed Smith’s chief innovation officer, said in an interview. “Just like we have heads of our data insights, our product design team, and our lab, we really needed to have an equal if not greater focus on how we apply AI and data science to the firm."

Law firms have been trying to develop strategies for how to invest in AI and where to deploy it to make their work more efficient."

Michael Wade and Tomoko Yokoi, Harvard Business Review (HBR); How to Implement AI — Responsibly

"Regrettably, our research suggests that such proactive measures are the exception rather than the rule. While AI ethics is high on the agenda for many organizations, translating AI principles into practices and behaviors is proving easier said than done. However, with stiff financial penalties at stake for noncompliance, there’s little time to waste. What should leaders do to double-down on their responsible AI initiatives?

To find answers, we engaged with organizations across a variety of industries, each at a different stage of implementing responsible AI. While data engineers and data scientists typically take on most responsibility from conception to production of AI development lifecycles, nontechnical leaders can play a key role in ensuring the integration of responsible AI. We identified four key moves — translate, integrate, calibrate and proliferate — that leaders can make to ensure that responsible AI practices are fully integrated into broader operational standards."

Walk-through of Portland State University’s library after three-night occupation reveals damage: ‘It’s ugly’; The Oregonian, May 2, 2024

 Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian; Walk-through of Portland State University’s library after three-night occupation reveals damage: ‘It’s ugly’

"By midday, Cudd, the university president, said she was grateful for the support of the mayor, police chief and district attorney to return the library to the school’s control but decried the extensive damage.

“We must take care of all of our students and provide a safe learning environment,” she said. “It is tragic that some of our students, along with others from outside, have so badly damaged our library and taken away that essential learning space. You know, as a philosophy professor and the daughter of librarians, that space is really a sacred space. And I’m really so sad to see what has happened to them.”

Cudd said she also had received reports from campus security and staff of potential thefts of rare archival material, including its full Dark Horse Comics collection."