Weapons of Mass Disruption Dr. Tamara Schwartz

What is art? Emerging technologies have always created new means for self-expression, a generative artificial intelligence such as DALL-E and and Stable Diffusion are two of the newest tools. When an AI generated picture won a prize in the Colorado State Fair last summer, there was a public outcry – did the image really qualify as art or was it simply a data analytics effort? When generative AI is used, is the resultant image truly creative? Is it truly art? On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz is joined once again by digital art curator Capucine Jenkins, to discuss the implications of generative AI and the future of art.

With behavioral surplus (the collection of personal behavioral data) becoming a traded commodity, and Behavioral Analytics improving, the pursuit of our personal data through what Dr. Shoshonna Zuboff calls “extraction architectures,” it’s difficult to imagine a company choosing privacy for competitive advantage, over the profitable exploitation of an absence of privacy. But as we the surveilled are catching on, the interest in business models that respect our privacy becomes more interesting to us. On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks with  York College cybersecurity management student Noah Wilt to explore the emerging market for data privacy.

Cryptocurrencies have become a widely talked about topic in recent weeks with the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange. These currencies are created and facilitated on a technology called Blockchain, a framework that allows hundreds of computers to work simultaneously to create and facilitate transactions of crypto currencies. This technology is considered by some to be Antifragile by nature, but is it? And how could this technology benefit cybersecurity as a whole? On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks with York College cybersecurity management student Matthew Shillingford to explore the possible benefits of antifragile principles and blockchain technology for cybersecurity.

Sophocles once said, “I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating.” No so in the world of video games, but “winners never cheat, and cheaters never win,” as the saying goes. And in the world of video game cheats, the consequences could be a significant loss in the pursuit of unearned victory. On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks with  York College cybersecurity management student Brendan Li to explore the gray market world of video game cheats, their link with the dark web, and cyberattack.

If you have ever spent time with a person who claims to be a jack of all trades and a master of none, you have spent time with a polymath. Today, you get to listen to the meandering chaos of a VUCA conversation between two such individuals. On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks with the author of polymathic being, Michael Woudenberg, who provides counter intuitive insights from technology innovation philosophy, psychology, and more. Hang on to your seat, as we start with blockchain and threatcasting, and see where the journey takes us.

Have you ever thought about how much of your daily experience is satellite driven? Maybe you used a map or GPS application to find your way somewhere today. Possibly you live streamed your favorite show or movie, or have plans to do that when you get home later.Maybe you listed to satellite radio during the commute. When the USSR launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, the world watched with wonder as the first satellite orbited the earth. Today, there are over 5,500 active satellites orbiting the earth, and one estimate predicts the launch of an additional 58,000 satellites by the year 2030! On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks withYork College cybersecurity management student Lance Fries about the proliferation of satellites and the startling absence of public policy.