404 Media: Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate and now head of the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), told government tech workers in a meeting this week that the administration plans to widely deploy AI throughout the government. Shedd also said the administration would need help altering login.gov, a government login system, to further integrate… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders
Ars Technica: “Two years ago, a Canadian writer named Cory Doctorow coined the phrase “enshittification” to describe the decay of online platforms. The word immediately set the Internet ablaze, as it captured the growing malaise regarding how almost everything about the web seemed to be getting worse. “It’s my theory explaining how the Internet was… Continue Reading
Data Governance in Open Source AI: Enabling Responsible and Systemic Access
“As the Open Source Initiative convened its process to define Open Source AI, it became clear that organizations that care for open, fair and public-interest AI need to pay particular attention to and establish a shared position on data sharing and data governance. Open Source Artificial Intelligence (AI) development presents an opportunity to democratize technological… Continue Reading
Six ways to send a message to your representatives
The Verge: “We are living through what can charitably be called interesting times, and one of the questions that many people are asking is: “What can I do?” One answer to that question — no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on — is to contact your federal or local representatives and… Continue Reading
Millions of federal workers face Feb. 6 deadline over whether to resign
CBS News: “More than 2 million federal employees face a looming deadline: By midnight Eastern time on Thursday, they must decide whether to accept a “deferred resignation” offer from the Trump administration. If workers accept, according to a White House plan, they would continue getting paid through September but would be excused from reporting for… Continue Reading
Federal workers: Here’s how to lock down your communications
Washington Post unlocked: “Tips and apps that can help everyone talk about sensitive topics safely. Chances are, until now, most people haven’t worried much about their private group chats or jokey social media posts being used against them. But under the Trump administration, privacy experts say there’s a new urgency to making sure people understand… Continue Reading
Federal Worker Union Sues to Stop Trump’s Resignation Offer
Bloomberg Law: “The nation’s largest federal employee union is suing to halt the Trump administration’s voluntary resignation offer, arguing agencies can’t promise to pay employee salaries before Congress sets aside the money. The American Federation of Government Employees is seeking to stop the Office of Personnel Management’s exit offer known as “Fork in the Road.”… Continue Reading
The DOGE Has Arrived
Gibson Dunn – Client Alert | February 4, 2025 – “Ever since President Trump announced that he would create a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), clients have raised questions regarding how it would be established, what powers it would have, and how its work could affect their operations. Gibson Dunn previously addressed some of those… Continue Reading
Personal Discretion Over the Treasury’s Payments System Means the End of Democracy
Liberal Currents – Elizabeth Popp Berman: “On Friday night [January 31, 2025], Elon Musk’s team gained access to the Department of Treasury’s payments system, which processes the federal spending that makes up more than a fifth of the U.S. economy. Social Security, Medicare, agricultural supports, the National Parks—a large majority of government spending flows through… Continue Reading
What Is OpenAI’s Powerful New Deep Research Tool Capable Of?
LawSites: I Use It to Analyze the Legality of President Trump’s Pause of Federal Grants – “Over the weekend, OpenAI released Deep Research, an AI agent capable of completing multi-step research tasks and synthesizing large amounts of online information. OpenAI’s chief product officer Kevin Weil said it can complete complex research tasks in minutes that… Continue Reading
Blog on British TV Crime and Mysteries
Timothy J. Barron – “This page contains an extensive list of British crime and mystery television series and movies that I have watched or have some degree of knowledge. Though I am American, my appetite for these series and movies is insatiable and beyond an addiction level. As compared to their American counterparts, the British… Continue Reading
Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Law Libraries
Parsons, Patrick and Niedringhaus, Kristina L. and Zhang, Alex, Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Law Libraries (December 01, 2024). Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5118446 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5118446 – “The Southeast Roundtable Report summarizes the discussions from a day-long conference held on March 1, 2024, at… Continue Reading
