Eran was interviewed by Sharon Goldman from VentureBeat about the fracture in the AI community over Israel-Hamas war + A PDF Version. Here is the full text of the interview:

Eran Toch, associate professor at Tel Aviv University, whose research focuses on the boundary between humans and computers, focusing on usable privacy and security, machine learning, and online safety, added that “I think it makes Israeli members of the critical AI community feel very alone.” In Israel, as well as elsewhere, he said, “people of this community are more political and are more progressive than others,” he said. “The fact that people we thought were part of our community have shown zero empathy and curiosity about our experience stings bitterly.”  Many Israelis in AI ethics, he said, “try to fight for a resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians and human rights, including digital ones for both Palestinians and Israelis. It’s tough to do that with no external allies.” Beyond politics, he added, “many fear, and I experienced discrimination in professional circles. People review our papers as if it’s a social media thread battle.” 

In addition, he said that he is “particularly concerned” with what he said is a “conspiracy theory that is propagated in the anti-Israel letters written by members of the community.” The idea, he explained, is that Israel “is the epicenter of inhuman AI technology, used against Palestinians and then against other people in the Global South—this theory repeats centuries-old anti-semitic tropes that connect Jews, technology, and oppression.” While he agreed that Israel is a technological hub, and that he is critical himself, the technologies are “no different from the ones produced in Silicon Valley or London.” Creating the idea of Israel as the mastermind of AI “is a conspiracy theory that I already see propagated in deep anti-semitic circles. I think these letters are dangerous.”