The Tech Policy Press Podcast In Age of Disruption, a Defense of Incrementalism
11 snips
Mar 1, 2026 
Albert Fox Cahn, founder of STOP and civil rights advocate focused on surveillance and tech policy. Evan Selinger, philosophy professor and co-author exploring technology ethics and incremental innovation. They critique move-fast culture. They defend steady upgrades over risky disruption. They discuss AI hype, surveillance pitfalls like Ring, cybersecurity as incremental defense, and a practical upgrader checklist.
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Talk To Small Business Owners Who'd Already Adopted AI
- Evan recounts speaking to small business owners who already rushed into AI and ignored his warnings.
- Audience faces AI slop problems: reduced efficiency, error cleanup costs, and damaged workplace morale after premature adoption.
LLMs Are Brainstormers Not Responsible Advisors
- LLMs shifted from information retrieval to giving advice, a use they are poorly equipped for.
- Selinger: models lack metacognition and don’t know what they don’t know, so they should be constrained to brainstorming, not prescriptive advice.
Limit LLMs To Brainstorming Purposes
- Avoid designing LLMs to give definitive advice; instead limit them to brainstorming and information retrieval.
- This reduces harm from bad legal, medical, or psychological guidance when users substitute models for professionals.
