TechTakes

I honestly had no idea of the original Russian meaning of the gloss. To me "refusenik" implies some sort of hard-left hippie.

Edit finally went and read the linked article.

Schneier and Sanders:

We agree with Morozov that the “refuseniks,” as he calls them, are wrong to see AI as “irreparably tainted” by its origins.

Morozov:

Meanwhile, a small but growing group of scholars and activists are taking aim at the deeper, systemic issues woven into AI’s foundations, particularly its origins in Cold War–era computing. For these refuseniks, AI is more than just a flawed technology; it’s a colonialist, chauvinist, racist, and even eugenicist project, irreparably tainted at its core.

But the original term was not for people refusing to take an action - it was the state refusing to allow their actions! It's done a 180, but considering no-one now remembers the plight of Soviet Jews attempting to emigrate to Israel it's not that strange.