1/ As governmental bodies rely on academics' expert advice to shape policy regarding #artificialintelligence, it is important that these academics not have conflicts of interests that may cloud or bias their judgement.

2/ The work of Mohamed and Moustafa Abdalla explores how #BigTech is actively distorting the #academic landscape to suit its needs. By comparing the well-studied actions of another industry, that of Big #Tobacco, to the current actions of Big Tech they witness similar strategies

3/ employed by both industries to sway and influence academic and public discourse. They demonstrate, in a rigorous manner, how Big Tech can affect #academia from the institutional level down to individual #researchers.

4/ Thus, I believe that it is vital, particularly for #universities and other institutions of higher learning, to discuss the appropriateness and the trade-offs of accepting funding from Big Tech,

5/ and what limitations or conditions should be put in place. #ai #ml #research #regulation
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2009.13676.pdf