Nan Nelson, Upward Mobility Signals Team
A recent American Library Association report found younger generations using public libraries, both in person and digitally, at higher rates than older ones. And they’re not just reading, but gaming, playing music, hanging out — essentially reimagining learning. Read the story here.
Nan Nelson, Upward Mobility Signals Team
With AI’s future still unwritten, Nightshade, a project from the University of Chicago, gives artists recourse from AI theft by rendering data useless or disruptive to AI model training. Ben Zhao, a professor who led the project, compared it to “putting hot sauce in your lunch so it doesn’t get stolen from the workplace fridge.” Read the story here.
Heidi Selberg, Envision Board President
Economic challenges come with a shrinking working-age population. An analysis published in the New York Times Interpreter newsletter describes how depopulation (primarily because of declining birthrates) leads people to become particularly receptive to far right politics. This is why: As the population decreases, the economy slows down because fewer workers generate tax revenue. The government pulls back services—schools close, public transportation becomes less available, even hospitals might close. People begin to feel neglected and undervalued by politicians.
Immigrants and disadvantaged populations can be scapegoated by far-right politicians as a way to attract voters. Then immigration – a partial way to address depopulation – becomes less likely. The authors conclude the article by saying, “ ..being able to attract and integrate large numbers of immigrants will be an important competitive advantage for countries in the coming decades. Doing so, however, will require overcoming political barriers that arise, partly, out of the same demographic shifts.”
Read the article here. “How Shrinking Populations Fuel Divisive Politics” by Amanda Taub and Lauren Leatherby, New York Times-The Interpreter, February 2, 2024.