The ethicist is pretty concerned about the "arms race for attention", which seems to go far beyond software that simply grades assignments. Sure, the quality and price of those apps may have been disrupted, but there also seems to be a pseudo-social component to education apps that didn't exist in the early 2000's (at least my school).
I think we can agree that building quality CRUD apps has become much more straightforward in the last several years (which could explain the improved quality of grading apps), but there are many ethical questions around data collection, user-engagement, etc. that extend far beyond basic tooling that existed 20 years ago.
This feels like an extension of the overarching debate around social media in general, which Tristan Harris also criticizes regularly.
I think we can agree that building quality CRUD apps has become much more straightforward in the last several years (which could explain the improved quality of grading apps), but there are many ethical questions around data collection, user-engagement, etc. that extend far beyond basic tooling that existed 20 years ago.
This feels like an extension of the overarching debate around social media in general, which Tristan Harris also criticizes regularly.