AI And Censorship Have No Place In Old Town

Hi everyone, today is a serious post.

Many of our neighbors are struggling. We do what we can to advocate, and together voice concerns about things impacting our district.

When a City-funded organization employs generative AI in marketing materials, the community has a right to speak up. When critics are blocked by that organization, that’s called censorship.

Since yesterday, ten small businesses, artists, and even Evelyn Kocher — who is running for Beaverton City Council — have all been blocked from Beaverton Downtown Association’s Instagram account, after voicing concerns about the organization’s use of AI.

BURA (Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency) just voted to fund BDA for another year. This means taxpayer dollars are supporting community censorship.

Beyond the enormous ethical implication, who wants to be associated with an organization that dismisses its critics?

In a town full of artists, how does BDA’s use of AI not warrant scrutiny from the City funding it?

Why is BDA’s censorship tolerated by City leaders, unless they too support the practice?

Why is BDA allowed to run unchecked, destroying any remaining sense of public trust in the organization?

This is a time when differing opinions are needed. When artists need support more than ever. When political candidates should be able to challenge the status quo without fear of censorship.

Art is and always will be political. If history has proven anything, it’s that artists will never be silenced.

As a side note, all this is why we created this platform. Old Town Beaverton is a free service with a business directory, events calendar, news, and advocacy platform for our community. It is self-funded, run with journalistic integrity, and no, we don’t block people who disagree with us.

– David Anderson, Co-Owner
Syndicate Wine, LLC