RealmIQ: SESSIONS with CRIS MOORE

This episode of Realm IQ Sessions kicks off Season 3 with guest Cris Moore, a professor at the Santa Fe Institute and a former professor at UNM. The discussion centers around AI regulation, bias in machine learning, and the role of AI in consequential decision-making like criminal justice, lending, and healthcare. Cris shares insights from his work auditing risk assessment algorithms used in the legal system and advocates for state-level AI legislation aimed at ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI-powered decisions. The conversation also explores big tech's resistance to regulation, the potential and risks of AI in creative fields, and the ethical implications of AI-driven decision-making.

Topics Discussed

1. AI in Criminal Justice – The use of AI in pretrial risk assessment and its potential biases.
2. AI and Bias – How machine learning perpetuates historical biases and the need for transparency.
3. Big Tech vs. Regulation – The resistance of tech giants against AI laws and consumer rights.
4. State-Level AI Legislation – House Bill 60 in New Mexico and similar efforts in other states.
5. Consumer Protection & AI – The need for disclosure and recourse in AI-driven decisions.
6. Privacy and Data Rights – How companies collect and monetize user data without consent.
7. AI in Creativity & Media – The impact of AI on artists, designers, and content creation.
8. AI and Critical Thinking – The importance of human judgment in using AI responsibly.
9. AI’s Role in the Future Workforce – How AI changes job markets, particularly in creative and technical fields.
10. Blockchain & Digital Provenance – Potential solutions for tracking and monetizing creative work.

Pull Quotes & Credits

• “It's not that AI is bad, it's that black boxes are bad.” – Cris Moore
• “If I could go back in time and replace a Jim Crow judge with an AI, I probably would.” – Cris Moore
• “Big tech does not always have small business people's best interests at heart.” – Cris Moore
• “AI should be a tool for liberation, not another force of inequality.” – Cris Moore
• “This just feels different.” – Curt Doty
• “AI is not just another tool—it's accelerating at a speed that makes it feel fundamentally different from past innovations.” – Curt Doty
• “We are the data. It’s not an abstract concept—everything we do is training these systems.” – Curt Doty
• “Creative-centered AI is the future—AI should enhance creativity, not replace it.” – Curt Doty