Coworking is a weekly segment where we spotlight Tech Brew readers who work with emerging technologies. Click here if you’d like a chance to be featured.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?
I cover stories at the intersection of transportation and technology—topics like EVs and how automation and AI are changing transportation as we know it. There’s a lot happening in this space at the moment, from major policy and investment bets being placed on electrification as the future of personal travel to a huge effort to establish new supply chains to the ups and downs of autonomous-vehicle tech. I see my role as investigating the ways technology is reshaping transportation, understanding how stakeholders are navigating this shift, and breaking down relevant trends, policies, and innovations for our readers.
What technologies are you most optimistic about? Least? And why?
At the moment, I’m most and least optimistic about artificial intelligence.
Beyond its applications in the automotive industry, I didn’t pay much attention to AI until I started to observe the ways it was being used in my profession. I was involved in some discussions about developing an AI policy for a newsroom and the ways in which tools like ChatGPT could assist in reporting—for example, summarizing long documents it would otherwise take hours for a harried reporter to read through. But stories about news organizations using AI in baffling and ethically dubious ways also made me think more deeply about the ways these tools can have negative implications for journalists.
I’ve been reading a ton about AI lately, in part because it’s been in the news so much with the drama at OpenAI. It’s made me think about the potential positives—for example, AI helping workers like me better manage our day-to-day tasks (looking at you, overwhelming email inbox!) and helping people accelerate their careers.
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But I remain skeptical of just how useful generative AI tools really are for the average person, at least for now. Some of the existing uses feel like a reflection of society’s obsession with optimization and, at their worst, can be actively harmful.
What’s the best tech-related media you read/watch/listen to?
My daily news diet is usually a mix of coverage from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters, my local newspapers, the Atlantic, and tech-specific coverage in outlets like Wired, The Verge, and Vice.
I’m not a huge podcast person—the ones I listen to on a regular basis are Maintenance Phase and If Books Could Kill. Hit me up with recommendations on what I should be reading and listening to!
What’s something about you we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile?
I’m a big reader—of news, yes, but in my downtime I read tons of fiction. I love a good mystery or thriller, as well as keeping up with contemporary fiction. Some of my favorite books I’ve read this year are The Bandit Queens, I Have Some Questions for You, Demon Copperhead, Ripe, and None of This Is True.
What do you think about when you’re not thinking about tech?
I’m currently devoting a lot of brain space to my binge-watch of Suits, the state of journalism today, the books I want to read and places I want to travel to in 2024, my cats, and my ongoing exploration of everything to do, see, and eat in Detroit, which is where I’ve been based for the last few years.