I'm Going Back to Grad School for the PhD

...and lost my job as an AI product manager.

On July 29, 2024, I submitted my capstone and completed my Master of Science in Information Technology Management. I had finished a two-year degree in just 11 months and was pretty darn proud of myself.

But why the rush?

Western Governors University charged tuition based on completion time, and I had only budgeted enough money for two six-month semesters. Anything more than that would have required a student loan. I cannot thank friends, family, and paid subscribers enough for helping me graduate with no college debt.

Now, it’s time for me to get back into it again!

What am I studying?

I’m getting a PhD in AI Ethics.

This can fall under several different departments in a university and can follow different tracks or angles. For example, some departments require students to take a philosophical approach when studying ethical AI. Others require students to have a background in computer science and study ethics from a technical standpoint.

I chose to do mine from a social sciences angle. I’ll be studying the effect that automated systems can have on the ability of women and minorities to earn a stable income. Algorithmic bias and a tendency to automate lower-income jobs first can put these populations at a significant disadvantage.

What did I choose AI ethics?

When I worked on Google’s AI team, family and friends often asked me what I did for a living. I usually replied, “I train the bots and teach them not to kill us.”

For most of my time as a Google contractor, I was working on my master’s degree. My papers were littered with criticisms of artificial intelligence. I didn’t rant against the technology itself, but rather, how it was implemented by corporations around the world.

In time, Google would terminate my whole team, too. No job was safe.

I recently relearned that lesson as an AI product manager at a startup.

I managed the company’s technical newsletters. Over the past three months, it came under intense scrutiny for reasons that were never disclosed to me.

When I returned from sick leave in early June, I was informed that my role had been terminated. During the meeting, I was literally told (no exaggeration), “You are too focused on content quality, and we need you to use AI to scale operations.”

This comment came a week after I declined to use ChatGPT to edit the company’s technical content, some of which involved AI applications in healthcare and robotics. I raised concerns about:

• The risk of hallucinations

• Lack of transparency regarding what the bot edits and why

• Potential inaccuracies in the content, which could mislead our readers

None of that mattered more to them than the bottom line.
But it certainly mattered more to me than a paycheck.

Where am I getting my PhD?

My initial plan was to do my PhD at a university in Spain. It seemed like Fate that I should happen upon the school within days of deciding to do a PhD and just two months before moving.

But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be!

The admissions process was expensive and vexing. After months of frustration, I decided to look for another university. I considered several remote options in Germany, Norway, England, and even other schools in Spain.

Ultimately, a tiny private school in Ireland won me over, and I am very happy with my decision. I accepted my PhD research position there in March. In May, I attended and presented the school’s annual seminar in Paris, where I shared my research to date on AI ethics.

The school is 100% remote, so I can study from anywhere in the world. However, I’m not exaggerating when I say the Paris Seminar felt like a life-changing moment for me. I made great friends there and have already booked a summer trip to Dublin to meet up with schoolmates.

I’ll share more about this with paid subscribers in the coming months.

What does this mean for the newsletter?

I started this newsletter in December 2021. Since then, I’ve shared more than 200 posts of my adventures and travel tips. I wrote all throughout my master’s program and will continue writing throughout the PhD.

I’m not sure what my schedule or income will look like after I finish up my last few weeks as an AI product manager. However, there will always be a free newsletter, and paid subscribers will continue to receive 2 extra posts per month. Stay tuned for updates!

I’ll also do my best to keep the YouTube channel alive. I have so much footage to share, and it’s coming slowly but surely!

I look forward to sharing my PhD journey! But as always, the FREE RAMEN newsletter will focus primarily on travel and life as a digital nomad.

Stay tuned!