I like #techwashing , hopefully accompanied by "come on boffins!"
July 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I like #techwashing , hopefully accompanied by "come on boffins!"
THIS. The techwashing narrative that our future is inevitably AI-driven is ingrained, but so wrong.
2. the strange but often repeated cultish mantra that we need to "embrace the future" — this is so bizarre given, e.g. how destructive industry forces have proven to be in science, from petroleum to tobacco to pharmaceutical companies.
(Section 3.2 here doi.org/10.5281/zeno...)
4/n
(Section 3.2 here doi.org/10.5281/zeno...)
4/n
![3.2 We do not have to ‘embrace the future’ & we can turn back the tide
It must be the sheer magnitude of [artificial neural networks’] incompetence that makes
them so popular.
Jerry A. Fodor (2000, p. 47)
Related to the rejection of expertise is the rejection of imagining a better future and the rejection
of self-determination free from industry forces (Hajer and Oomen 2025; Stengers 2018; van Rossum
2025). Not only AI enthusiasts, but even some scholars whose expertise concentrates on identifying
and critically interrogating ideologies and sociotechnical relationships — such as historians and gender scholars — unfortunately fall prey to the teleological belief that AI is an unstoppable force. They
embrace it because alternative responses seem too difficult, incompatible with industry developments,
or non-existent. Instead of falling for this, we should “refuse [AI] adoption in schools and colleges,
and reject the narrative of its inevitability.” (Reynoldson et al. 2025, n.p., also Benjamin 2016; Campolo and Crawford 2020; CDH Team and Ruddick 2025; Garcia et al. 2022; Kelly et al. 2025; Lysen
and Wyatt 2024; Sano-Franchini et al. 2024; Stengers 2018). Such rejection is possible and has historical precedent, to name just a few successful examples: Amsterdammers kicked out cars, rejecting
that cycling through the Dutch capital should be deadly. Organised workers died for the eight-hour
workday, the weekend and other workers’ rights, and governments banned chlorofluorocarbons from
fridges to mitigate ozone depletion in the atmosphere. And we know that even the tide itself famously
turns back. People can undo things; and we will (cf. Albanese 2025; Boztas 2025; Kohnstamm Instituut 2025; van Laarhoven and van Vugt 2025). Besides, there will be no future to embrace if we deskill
our students and selves, and allow the technology industry’s immense contributions to climate crisis](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vsyj5jtayxcq5dw5mtja4xtb/bafkreidzio5vcvzus3xjqxcpav64pwk2gwslwslogabl7b5dzhn6egf37i@jpeg)
September 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
THIS. The techwashing narrative that our future is inevitably AI-driven is ingrained, but so wrong.
11/ Tech companies talk about the massive benefits their dangerous and unregulated AI tech will bring. But many of their talking points are false.
So I debunked 30 common myths to tackle the growing issue of #techwashing. @pauseai.bsky.social #BoycottAI #BanAI
www.ryanmizzen.com/30-common-my...
So I debunked 30 common myths to tackle the growing issue of #techwashing. @pauseai.bsky.social #BoycottAI #BanAI
www.ryanmizzen.com/30-common-my...
30 Common Myths About AI – Debunking Techwashing - Ryan Mizzen
30 common myths about AI. In this post, I debunk common myths about AI, in an attempt to counter the growing problem of techwashing.
www.ryanmizzen.com
December 11, 2024 at 12:21 PM
11/ Tech companies talk about the massive benefits their dangerous and unregulated AI tech will bring. But many of their talking points are false.
So I debunked 30 common myths to tackle the growing issue of #techwashing. @pauseai.bsky.social #BoycottAI #BanAI
www.ryanmizzen.com/30-common-my...
So I debunked 30 common myths to tackle the growing issue of #techwashing. @pauseai.bsky.social #BoycottAI #BanAI
www.ryanmizzen.com/30-common-my...
We need a term that describes digital policy proposals that erroneously position technology as a magic solution. This week has been a week for it: age verification and digital ID are both white elephants that meet the "something must be done!" test without solving the underlying problem.
As much as I like seeing @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social sharing her wisdom, there is so much about this past week that has made me want to scream and this is not helping.
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
July 27, 2025 at 9:29 AM
*Techwashing* is a great addition to the 2025 lexicon.
May 15, 2025 at 12:55 AM
*Techwashing* is a great addition to the 2025 lexicon.
Bullshit (Frankfurtian sense)
Pipiking (from Klein’s Doppelganger)
Verisimilitude
Techwashing (hiding deliberate harm to groups behind machine cases)
Execrable
Pipiking (from Klein’s Doppelganger)
Verisimilitude
Techwashing (hiding deliberate harm to groups behind machine cases)
Execrable
April 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Bullshit (Frankfurtian sense)
Pipiking (from Klein’s Doppelganger)
Verisimilitude
Techwashing (hiding deliberate harm to groups behind machine cases)
Execrable
Pipiking (from Klein’s Doppelganger)
Verisimilitude
Techwashing (hiding deliberate harm to groups behind machine cases)
Execrable
I get all these organizations that need money... Here's hoping this sponsorship is just some "techwashing" and not an influence to change something at Godot.
June 26, 2025 at 8:51 AM
I get all these organizations that need money... Here's hoping this sponsorship is just some "techwashing" and not an influence to change something at Godot.
What caught our attention (selection): Structural change in Germany, 'techwashing' layoffs, supply chain resilience, and more…
open.substack.com/pub/incprodm...
open.substack.com/pub/incprodm...
June 8, 2025 at 8:55 PM
What caught our attention (selection): Structural change in Germany, 'techwashing' layoffs, supply chain resilience, and more…
open.substack.com/pub/incprodm...
open.substack.com/pub/incprodm...
"The techwashing that is being identified here is ShotSpotter is providing a technical justification for disproportionate deployment to Black neighborhoods for policing when that technical alert is neither accurate nor valid." hellgatenyc.com/nypd-shotspo...
83 Percent of ShotSpotter Alerts Might Not Have Been Gunfire at All
New data offers the deepest look yet at the NYPD’s very expensive, not very accurate gunfire detection system.
hellgatenyc.com
December 5, 2024 at 2:01 PM
"The techwashing that is being identified here is ShotSpotter is providing a technical justification for disproportionate deployment to Black neighborhoods for policing when that technical alert is neither accurate nor valid." hellgatenyc.com/nypd-shotspo...
Yeah, that's my exact fear--techwashing.
February 25, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Yeah, that's my exact fear--techwashing.
Hideous techwashing of phrenological racism, yikes
November 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Hideous techwashing of phrenological racism, yikes
🔹La Good Tech dans la NovLangue🔹
Dans certains cas, le concept de Good Tech est détourné à des fins marketing ou stratégiques pour masquer des pratiques discutables, dans une logique de "techwashing" ou de "greenwashing". ⤵️
Dans certains cas, le concept de Good Tech est détourné à des fins marketing ou stratégiques pour masquer des pratiques discutables, dans une logique de "techwashing" ou de "greenwashing". ⤵️
January 29, 2025 at 10:03 PM
🔹La Good Tech dans la NovLangue🔹
Dans certains cas, le concept de Good Tech est détourné à des fins marketing ou stratégiques pour masquer des pratiques discutables, dans une logique de "techwashing" ou de "greenwashing". ⤵️
Dans certains cas, le concept de Good Tech est détourné à des fins marketing ou stratégiques pour masquer des pratiques discutables, dans une logique de "techwashing" ou de "greenwashing". ⤵️
AI is techwashing every variety of misinformation, racism and political propaganda with a thick film of fake computer 'neutrality'
Fortunately Elon Musk is so far gone that he has lost all capacity for stealth
Fortunately Elon Musk is so far gone that he has lost all capacity for stealth
May 15, 2025 at 12:27 AM
AI is techwashing every variety of misinformation, racism and political propaganda with a thick film of fake computer 'neutrality'
Fortunately Elon Musk is so far gone that he has lost all capacity for stealth
Fortunately Elon Musk is so far gone that he has lost all capacity for stealth
rasha abdulhadi has been saying this for a while too and i'm so glad i saw it bc now this stuff just looks like obvious critihype as well as techwashing genocide (two for one)
December 29, 2024 at 6:55 PM
rasha abdulhadi has been saying this for a while too and i'm so glad i saw it bc now this stuff just looks like obvious critihype as well as techwashing genocide (two for one)
CCS isn’t a climate program it’s techwashing (spoiler: the tech is fake at scale).
June 6, 2025 at 9:40 PM
CCS isn’t a climate program it’s techwashing (spoiler: the tech is fake at scale).
MUSK USES US ARMS DEAL W/ SAUDIS TO HAWK TESLAS, SATELLITES & TUNNELS
tech [economy]…by [2030]…
*contretemps w/ Iran…*
*proxy militias…*
*nuclear power…*
*enriching uranium…*
techwashing….“forward-thinking”…sportswashing…
*[US] about-face on human rights*
$TSLA ☢️
www.jalopnik.com/1859184/musk...
tech [economy]…by [2030]…
*contretemps w/ Iran…*
*proxy militias…*
*nuclear power…*
*enriching uranium…*
techwashing….“forward-thinking”…sportswashing…
*[US] about-face on human rights*
$TSLA ☢️
www.jalopnik.com/1859184/musk...
December 9, 2025 at 1:00 PM
MUSK USES US ARMS DEAL W/ SAUDIS TO HAWK TESLAS, SATELLITES & TUNNELS
tech [economy]…by [2030]…
*contretemps w/ Iran…*
*proxy militias…*
*nuclear power…*
*enriching uranium…*
techwashing….“forward-thinking”…sportswashing…
*[US] about-face on human rights*
$TSLA ☢️
www.jalopnik.com/1859184/musk...
tech [economy]…by [2030]…
*contretemps w/ Iran…*
*proxy militias…*
*nuclear power…*
*enriching uranium…*
techwashing….“forward-thinking”…sportswashing…
*[US] about-face on human rights*
$TSLA ☢️
www.jalopnik.com/1859184/musk...
Techwashing: a cultura por trás de Silicon Valley
Techwashing: a cultura por trás de Silicon Valley
Sessão apresentada no Fórum Socialismo 2024 pelo dirigente bloquista Moisés Ferreira.
dlvr.it
August 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Techwashing: a cultura por trás de Silicon Valley
At a time when journalism is guilty of techwashing for industry, I expected a richer analysis from Atlantic. All the more so when reporting about a corporate partner!
I've enjoyed many of your Atlantic pieces, which is why this one surprised me.
I've enjoyed many of your Atlantic pieces, which is why this one surprised me.
August 9, 2025 at 1:28 AM
At a time when journalism is guilty of techwashing for industry, I expected a richer analysis from Atlantic. All the more so when reporting about a corporate partner!
I've enjoyed many of your Atlantic pieces, which is why this one surprised me.
I've enjoyed many of your Atlantic pieces, which is why this one surprised me.
The Brazilian military‑industrial complex, right-wing politicians and evangelical‑Zionist lobby blocs promote deeper ties with Israel, […] under the guise of technological partnerships and climate-friendly agriculture, white-washing the Israeli crimes
#techwashing
www.tni.org/en/article/f...
#techwashing
www.tni.org/en/article/f...
From the Favelas and Rural Brazil to Gaza | Transnational Institute
Brazil’s solidarity movements have long supported Palestine, but economic and military ties with Israel continue to deepen. As Brazil prepares to host COP30, grassroots campaigns are exposing links be...
www.tni.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:10 AM
The Brazilian military‑industrial complex, right-wing politicians and evangelical‑Zionist lobby blocs promote deeper ties with Israel, […] under the guise of technological partnerships and climate-friendly agriculture, white-washing the Israeli crimes
#techwashing
www.tni.org/en/article/f...
#techwashing
www.tni.org/en/article/f...
Highly relevant!
"Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs" by Laura Nurski.
"The narrative is clear: AI is coming for entry-level jobs – and there’s nothing we can do about it. But this deterministic view ignores a simple truth: machines don’t make history. People do."
www.ceps.eu/stop-techwas...
"Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs" by Laura Nurski.
"The narrative is clear: AI is coming for entry-level jobs – and there’s nothing we can do about it. But this deterministic view ignores a simple truth: machines don’t make history. People do."
www.ceps.eu/stop-techwas...
Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs – and start co-designing the future of work
In recent weeks, headlines have taken a sharp turn, with Anthropic’s CEO warning that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years. Business media echo the same worry...
www.ceps.eu
June 4, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Highly relevant!
"Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs" by Laura Nurski.
"The narrative is clear: AI is coming for entry-level jobs – and there’s nothing we can do about it. But this deterministic view ignores a simple truth: machines don’t make history. People do."
www.ceps.eu/stop-techwas...
"Stop ‘techwashing’ layoffs" by Laura Nurski.
"The narrative is clear: AI is coming for entry-level jobs – and there’s nothing we can do about it. But this deterministic view ignores a simple truth: machines don’t make history. People do."
www.ceps.eu/stop-techwas...
Techwashing doesn't really describe what's happening though and it could feasibly describe all manner of unrelated things.
Let's just call it what it is; dumb and misguided.
Let's just call it what it is; dumb and misguided.
July 27, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Techwashing doesn't really describe what's happening though and it could feasibly describe all manner of unrelated things.
Let's just call it what it is; dumb and misguided.
Let's just call it what it is; dumb and misguided.