In other discussions here, the notion that some jobs are “bullshit jobs”, an ambiguously defined term coined by David Graeber, has been subject of debate.

Timnit Gebru had a bullshit job. Indeed, her whole field, AI ethics, is a bullshit field.

Now, I’m not saying that AI ethics is unimportant. Indeed, it’s perhaps the single most important topic of consideration of our time.

The reason it’s a bullshit field, and Gebru had a bullshit job, is that ethics can’t be delegated. A firm is, at most, as ethical as it’s CEO and board of directors.

When Google hired Gebru, what they thought they were buying was a cosign of their policies by a “woman of color”. They had no interest in her critique, and they thought she was smart enough to understand that she wasn’t expected to think for herself.