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Newly released works from the University of Washington faculty include subjects from linguistics, Slavic languages and literature, as well as French studies. UW News engaged with the authors of four works to delve deeper into their contributions.

Analyzing and challenging AI exaggerations

Emily M. Bender, a UW linguistics professor, collaborated on “The AI Con: How to Combat Big Tech’s Exaggerations and Shape the Future We Desire” alongside Alex Hanna, the research director at the Distributed AI Research Institute.

The publication examines the pitfalls associated with technologies marketed as artificial intelligence. Bender and Hanna provide clear responses to pressing inquiries: Will AI dominate the planet? Have scientists from major tech firms produced an autonomous artificial entity?

This mindset reflects a syndrome known as AI hype, they argue, which distorts language and enables the affluent to prosper by rationalizing data appropriation and promoting surveillance capitalism. In “The AI Con,” Bender and Hanna detail methods to identify AI hype, dismantle it, and reveal the power moves it seeks to obscure.

The idea for the book originated from a podcast co-hosted by Bender and Hanna titled “Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000.”

“The podcast employs mockery as a strategy to manage and diminish the hysteria surrounding AI,” Bender noted. “Our objective with both the podcast and book is to tackle the existing hype cycle and empower our audience to use similar strategies against the hype they encounter. The book is an interdisciplinary venture, merging Alex’s sociology insights with my linguistics background to investigate why specific language technologies present hazards and how employing these technologies can lead to harm in varied contexts.”

For additional details, reach out to Bender at [email protected].

Two recent publications examine translation and 1990s Russia

José Alaniz, a professor of Slavic languages and literature, released two novels in March: “Moscow 93” and “Tales of Bart: A Novel in Three Acts.”

“Tales of Bart” chronicles the adventures of “diabolical” translator Fruitvale Bart as the narrative transitions from Republic-era Texas to 19th-century Czarist Russia, onto a distant future in Atalanta, and concluding in 1990s Los Angeles.

Each scene is purportedly translated by Bart himself. The book poses the question: What constitutes translation: adherence to a prior text or a creative endeavor? Both? Neither? “Tales of Bart” navigates these inquiries while also addressing the essence of art, the residues of colonialist brutality, the fragmentation of postmodern existence, and the terrors of self.

“I was fascinated by the translator’s role, the immense influence they wield in shaping communication across cultures,” Alaniz expressed. “And how translation inherently involves power, which can be wielded for both noble and nefarious purposes.”

The second work, “Moscow 93,” unfolds in 1990s Russia, where young Chicano reporter José Alonzo aspires to build his reputation. However, appearances can be deceiving in this newly liberated post-Soviet nation — one that grapples with achieving true freedom and democratic ideals. At the opening of an American-style nightclub in Red Square, attendees will face a life-altering national crisis.

“Moscow 93” is a semi-autobiographical narrative recounting Alaniz’s experiences preceding, during, and following the 1993 October events, which saw a violent uprising against President Boris Yeltsin unfold in the capital. By its conclusion, army tanks bombarded the parliament building. The narrative merges horror and absurdity, depicting Russia during the initial decade following communism through a disreputable expatriate lens.

“The brief civil war that erupted in Moscow in the fall of 1993, which I witnessed as a journalist, appeared to be an excellent perspective from which to analyze early post-Soviet Russia,” Alaniz reflected. “I chose to write a semi-autobiographical account of that period, which plays fast and loose with some of the facts but nonetheless provides a penetrating insight into what life and work were like then as an expatriate.”

For further inquiries, contact Alaniz at [email protected].

Tracing the history of ‘Ne me quitte pas’

Maya Angela Smith, a professor of French at UW, released “Ne me quitte pas: A Song by Jacques Brel and Interpreted by Nina Simone and Others” in February. The book traces the extensive and diverse history of the timeless song, “Ne me quitte pas.”

Brel, a Belgian singer-songwriter, first performed the song in 1959 as a poignant plea for his lover to return. In the mid-1990s, Nina Simone’s 1965 rendition so deeply moved a young Smith that it shaped her future career. In her book, Smith illustrates how the song traverses languages, cultures, genres, and decades while gaining evolving artistic and cultural meanings.

Smith added that the book evolved from “Reclaiming Venus,” a memoir she authored about Alvenia Bridges, a woman who contributed behind the scenes in the music industry.

“When this project was approved, I realized I had to refine my musical analysis abilities,” Smith reflected. “I opted to enroll in songwriting classes online at Berklee College of Music to adequately engage in close reading of the song. Thanks to UW’s RRF and the Simpson Center’s Society of Scholars, I had access to the resources and guidance necessary to write what has become my most treasured book project to date.”

For any additional information, contact Smith at [email protected].

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