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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 16

Interesting! Don't the multi breasted status also remind you of very old statues of fertility gods as well, though? (E.g. Diana of Ephesus)

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Reposted by James Mackay

electronic book review @electronicbr.bsky.social · Dec 8

Yet another interesting essay from our November issue: @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social and Polina Mackay share on the practice of creating cut-ups with commercial AI electronicbookreview.com/essay/experi...

Experiments in Generating Cut-up texts with Commercial AI

Most serious writers refuse to make themselves available to the things that technology is doing. I’ve never been able to understand this sort of fear. Many of them are afraid of tape recorders and the...

electronicbookreview.com

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 6

"AI is an automated amplifier of social norms and assumptions"

- well put by Selena Savić, speaking at "Rethinking the Inevitability of AI" conference today. Such a productive series of talks.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 6

It was a fantastic presentation, thank you.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 6

Good to see ebr on here!

electronic book review @electronicbr.bsky.social · Dec 6

Hi, #bsky! Here's an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal of critical writing on #digitalculture, #criticalAI, #e-literature, #gaming and all forms of digital creativity aka "digital futures of literature, theory, criticism, and the arts". You can check us out here: electronicbookreview.com

Front Page

digital futures of literature, theory, criticism, and the arts

electronicbookreview.com

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 3

At my university for about six months they were very sure what we did in the school of human tities.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 3

Interesting piece on the non takeup of GenAI by educators. This is a group that has been heavily targeted by edutech startups, yet they clearly don't see any huge benefit.

www.criticalinkling.com/p/students-u...

"Students Use AI. Teachers Do Not."

Two years later, neither ChatGPT nor generative AI live up to the hype.

www.criticalinkling.com

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Reposted by James Mackay

Katie (Kathryn) Conrad @kconrad.bsky.social · Dec 2

Fascinating. “Given the general sentiment about AI, scraping the web for content and the disintermediating of content creators, it’s not hard to imagine enterprising individuals adding ‘David Mayer’ …to their own content or website in an effort to make it disappear from ChatGPT’s output.” 👀

The Curious Case of David Mayer, the man ChatGPT cannot name.

ChatGPT users have noticed a curious behavior: It refuses to talk about a 'David Mayer'. We have the explanation and point out less obvious implications.

centreforaileadership.org

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 2

Outlawed in the EU's AI Act, so hopefully a dead end eventually

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 1

I really thought I had it for a moment... chatgpt.com/share/674c04...

ChatGPT - Gangster in Gatsby

Shared via ChatGPT

chatgpt.com

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Dec 1

It seems that someone called David Mayer has succeeded in bringing OpenAI to heel. It's impossible to get the chatbot to generate that name.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 29

This isn't true. In fact, only the part of the Internet curated by algorithm will fill up w/ slop. Human curated databases (libraries) are just fine, and still full of wonderful art. It's just that we've all got so used to having a machine do our thinking for us, and now we need #criticalAI skills.

Anthony Oliveira @meakoopa.bsky.social · Nov 29

you know, let me tell you at the vanguard of this sort of thing: the place where AI is just OBLITERATING public resources and cultural history is in Christian art

it's becoming impossible to search and access artistic representations of biblical scenes that aren't slop

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Reposted by James Mackay

Ana Brandusescu @anabrandusescu.bsky.social · Nov 29

"Not a single Whitehall department has registered the use of AI systems since the government said it would become mandatory, prompting warnings that the public sector is “flying blind” about the deployment of algorithmic technology affecting millions of lives."

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

UK government failing to list use of AI on mandatory register

Technology secretary admits government departments are not being transparent over way they use AI and algorithms

www.theguardian.com

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 29

Very reassuring piece. Though I'm not sure that "2% of global energy use" is all that minimal.

Anuj Gupta @mettalrose.bsky.social · Nov 29

Excellent article by Hannah Ritchie, a geoscientist, who contextualizes energy use by GAI using emerging data. I found it very helpful to think beyond the 1 prompt = 1 glass of water comparisons.

Thanks for sharing @nic221.bsky.social

www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/ai-energy-...

What’s the impact of artificial intelligence on energy demand?

The International Energy Agency (IEA) thinks we should all chill out a bit.

www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com

James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 28

A huge number of my followers describe themselves as AI artists and/or have feeds mostly filed with #AIart generated pictures. I would love to hear from any of you about what you find creatively satisfying about #GenAI art. Why do you enjoy doing this?

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 27

Has a political party anywhere in the world ever won a democratic election with manifesto promising to cut services while raising taxes? (Honestly curious, and it's tricky to research.)

James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 26

This is only a light little article, but it's the first time I've seen anyone in mainstream media talk about Ethiopian perspectives on Western charity drives.

www.theguardian.com/music/2024/n...

‘Everyone was happy, but it became annoying’: Ethiopians look back on Band Aid

London cafe owner Yared Markos, 48, saw ‘aeroplanes, biscuits, sweets and cake all over Addis Ababa’ after song’s release

www.theguardian.com

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 26

Absolutely fantastic issue: kudos.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 26

She's right, but the value to our students is so high, and academic use is a relatively trivial contribution to the overall harm. Better to concentrate on lobbying for regulation than to force your students into a hair shirt.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 25

These can be of anything more problematic, blurring the line between search engine & GenAI. If a mistake is made in paraphrasing the cited source, it's hard to spot.

James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 24

That's a great presentation. Thank you.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 24

Hence the rise of anti climate solution politics. Climate crisis requires length but also complexity in dealing with complex systems. Instead, the culture is digital shallowness, now hyperaccelerated by GenAI (itself ecologically destructive, not by coincidence.)

James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 24

But my take away is that microform cannot convey complexity, and stretching the tiny out into the infinite creates the ground for the fascism of easy solutions.

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James Mackay @jamesmackaycyp.bsky.social · Nov 24

The blurring between micro forms (Reels, Tiktok) and infinite form (the feed) came up again and again.

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