In this interview, Ben Shneiderman mentions FAT ML—Fair, Accountable, and Transparent Machine Learning. With the years that have passed since the interview was conducted in 2018, I believe we have moved farther from this ideal. The rapid release of large and complex models, especially in generative AI, has outpaced efforts to ensure fairness, accountability, and transparency. As society becomes increasingly reliant on AI, tech companies remain reluctant to share information about how their models work, causing many of them to remain "black boxes." As AI becomes more embedded in high-stakes industries like finance, criminal justice, and healthcare, it is crucial to revisit Shneiderman’s message and ensure AI is used as a tool to improve our lives—but only to the extent that we can understand how it operates.

The interviews—but primarily the reading—got me thinking about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life could reshape our sense of identity and our place in the universe. Johnson’s point about how limited and Earth-centered our definitions of life are made me wonder how we would respond emotionally and culturally to life that looks or behaves nothing like us. Would we be excited, scared, or in denial? Could it perhaps even inspire awe? This is a difficult question for me to answer, but I’d love to explore it further in class. Much of our science, religion, and daily lives are built on the assumption that we are unique. Discovering that we aren’t alone could be deeply unsettling. Personally, I would still rather know. I believe that if extraterrestrial beings exist, the risks they pose would be present whether we know about them or not—so it’s better to be informed and prepared. And thinking more optimistically, we could learn a great deal from them.