Media Mentions

Opening statements began last week in federal court in Oakland for the corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and recycling executives David and Andy Duong. KQED Forum's Alexis Madrigal discusses the alleged scheme and how the case is unfolding and what to expect from the trial.

Alexis Madrigal: Based on what you have heard, let’s imagine that these allegations of what happened are correct. How out of the ordinary do you think this sort of arrangement would have been?

Davina Hurt: Out of the ordinary? Not really. This is somewhat an issue of political access, which is pretty routine. But the ethical question that this turns on, about being independent, fair, and explainable, is where there’s a lot of concern.

And I think you’ll hear a lot of reaction from the community. These cases, they’re not unprecedented. And, in fact, relationships are what get you elected, but it’s how far those relationships go. Whether it’s recycling or it’s a local business down the street, once you take that oath of office, there’s a real need to have safeguards and separate the duties of them helping you get elected from being accountable to the public at large.

 

Davina Hurt, director, government ethics, interviewed by KQED Forum. The episode can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms by searching "KQED Forum."

Anthropic followed through on its promise to pick a third-party auditor. It’s an organization it knows very well.

"Conflicts of interest aren’t only about money," says Brian Patrick Green, Ethics Center's director of technology ethics.

"In a world where starting your own business at home is more regulated than AI, some oversight is better than none," Green said, and suggested companies may need an oversight board made up of several independently funded organizations, with limits on how people move between the labs and the evaluators.

“Maybe you even need to have not just third-party evaluators,” Green said, “but somebody who’s also going to be watching the watchers.”

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by The San Francisco Standard.

Documents reviewed by Reuters show that Konstantin Sokolov, chosen by President Trump to lead a $201 million investment fund in the Caucasus, holds major telecom and mining interests in the region and formerly ran a Russia-focused investment firm with claimed ties to the Kremlin.

The position would be a conflict of interest because his role would give him control of government money that could potentially benefit his companies.

Ann Skeet, interim executive director at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics cautions, "I think Congress should be asking questions."

Ann Skeet, interim executive director, quoted by Reuters, and republished by The Miami Herald and other outlets.

Kelly Johnson’s counseling services are the centerpiece of an organization that does not disclose its donors. The nonprofit, a part-time endeavor run solely by Johnson, provides counseling, delivers speeches and conducts “spiritual heritage tours” of the U.S. Capitol that highlight the nation’s Christian history. Financial disclosures show Johnson was paid $50,000 for 10 hours of work per week in 2024.

Young staffers could also feel pressured to participate in Johnson’s counseling and Bible study, said Davina Hurt, director of government ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Who extends the invitations? Does the speaker’s name gets invoked? Is attendance is ever shared with the boss of a Hill staffer?

“The institutional concern one should have is the power that’s present in those situations,” Hurt said. “If you want to advance through the ranks, you will feel pressure to some degree.”

Davina Hurt, director, government ethics, quoted by The Washington Post.

Middle East U.S. diplomat, Thomas Barrack, pushed for a firm to take part in the development of an oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria–a firm run by Barrack's business partner. The action appears to violate federal ethics rules.

“The ethical concern is the appearance of a conflict of interest,” said Ann Skeet, interim executive director at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Ann Skeet, interim executive director, quoted by Reuters.

Ethics Center Director of Technology Ethics, Brian Green, was a panelist at the "Where Rome Meets Silicon Valley: Conversations on Human Dignity, Ethics and AI" Conference held at Our Lady of Peace Church in Santa Clara, CA on June 6th, 2026.

Green, spoke at the conference about three themes from Magnifica Humanitas, the papal encyclical, and quoted Pope Leo's position that, "Truth is a gift to be shared."

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, featured in a video from Diocese of San José.

Following a July hacking attack that rogue AI systems orchestrated and recent warnings from Amodei and other AI pioneers like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a new flood of proposals has poured out of Congress, on both sides of the congressional aisle, to prioritize the regulation and oversight of AI development.

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, spoke with WORLD News Group and argued that at this point, “anything is better than nothing” when it comes to congressional intervention.

“We’ve already had people dying because of these models telling them to commit suicide or to take drugs or to do other unsafe sorts of behaviors,” said Green. “And so we have to ask ourselves, why are we allowing this to happen?”

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by WORLD News Group.

OSV News reports, "Recent calls from several artificial intelligence leaders for a slowdown in the technology’s development are worth heeding — and the Church is already helping to shape the discussion around AI concerns."

“The people who are closest to the technology are most aware of what it is capable of. And therefore, their judgment should be very respected when it comes to their opinion on this subject,” said Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and a member of the Vatican working group on AI ethics.

Green also said, “we should remember is that God is out there in the world. He’s working with us right now, with individual people on earth doing concrete things to try to make the world a better place.”

Brian Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by OSV News.