"America's Academic Gulag (w/ MIT Student Activists) | The Chris Hedges Report": Key Points.

Key points from the article "America's Academic Gulag (w/ MIT Student Activists) | The Chris Hedges Report":

1. MIT’s Role in Military Research:

MIT leads in Department of Defense research contracts, focusing on IT, nanotechnology, robotics, and weapons, enhancing military systems' lethality.

2. Collaboration with Israeli Military:

MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), led by Daniela Rus, conducts research directly funded by Israel’s Ministry of Defense for AI-based drone and surveillance systems used in Gaza.

3. Coreset Compression Algorithms Project:

This research optimizes lightweight AI algorithms for autonomous drones, enabling tracking, facial recognition, and targeting capabilities in densely populated human environments.

4. Human Rights Violations in Gaza:

Technologies developed at MIT are linked to drone systems that misidentify and lethally target Palestinian civilians, including children and humanitarian workers.

5. Student Activism and Repression at MIT:

MIT students, including Richard Solomon and Prahlad Iyengar, face harassment, censorship, and disciplinary action for protesting military-industrial ties and genocide in Gaza.

6. Iyengar’s Lockheed Martin Encounter:

At an MIT career fair, Iyengar’s questioning of Lockheed Martin’s role in weapon manufacturing and environmental harm led to accusations of harassment and a one-year suspension.

7. MIT’s History of Political Divestment:

Activists point out MIT has previously distanced itself from politically contentious affiliations, such as during the Darfur genocide and cutting ties with a Russian university, calling for similar action regarding Palestine.

8. AI’s Role in Autonomous Warfare:

AI-enabled drones can operate with minimal human oversight, making autonomous decisions that escalate the dangers of warfare, increasing civilian casualties without accountability.

9. Broader Context of U.S. Empire and Middle East Politics:

Solomon highlights U.S. complicity in global violence and the suppression of democratic voices to maintain strategic alliances, linking this to Israel’s apartheid policies.

10. Criticism of Free Speech Suppression at Universities:

MIT and other universities are accused of stifling dissent and limiting student activism by implementing no-contact orders and retracting critical op-eds.

These points capture the essence of the discussion about academic complicity in warfare, the moral implications of technological research, and the consequences for students advocating for human rights.

Source:

https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/americas-academic-gulag-w-mit-student

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