Ben Williamson
@benpatrickwill.bsky.social
Researching data, tech, futures, and biological sciences in education | Senior Lecturer and co-director at the Centre for Research in Digital Education | University of Edinburgh | Editor of Learning, Media and Technology @lmt-journal.bsky.social
Pinned
Knowledge infrastructure crisis: digital democratic deficits and alternative designs for education
The production and circulation of knowledge in education increasingly depends on large-scale digital infrastructures. In this article we provide a critical review of the transformation of the conte...
doi.org
New paper just out on how changing sociotechnical systems of knowledge production and access - platforms, the cloud, AI - pose profound challenges to educational practice and research doi.org/10.1080/0305...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
I've heard through the grapevine about a few UK universities using research metrics to make redundancy or performance management decisions, and it's really troubling, but I think there is scope to push back and hold institutions to account. #AcademicSky
Regular reminder that research assessment reform is, above all, a labour issue.
I've learned that Edinburgh University is planning to cut 20% of academics in some departments
To decide who gets the chop, they generated an academic contribution metric that is a raw count of *any type* of output, including book reviews.
The management of UK Universities continues to amaze
To decide who gets the chop, they generated an academic contribution metric that is a raw count of *any type* of output, including book reviews.
The management of UK Universities continues to amaze
January 6, 2026 at 1:02 PM
I've heard through the grapevine about a few UK universities using research metrics to make redundancy or performance management decisions, and it's really troubling, but I think there is scope to push back and hold institutions to account. #AcademicSky
"The junkification of research"
"Our essay explores the political economy of academic publishing ... in terms of how the commodification of academic research has opened avenues for the same mechanisms that underpin the deterioration of digital marketplaces to infiltrate online academic publishing."
"Our essay explores the political economy of academic publishing ... in terms of how the commodification of academic research has opened avenues for the same mechanisms that underpin the deterioration of digital marketplaces to infiltrate online academic publishing."
January 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
"The junkification of research"
"Our essay explores the political economy of academic publishing ... in terms of how the commodification of academic research has opened avenues for the same mechanisms that underpin the deterioration of digital marketplaces to infiltrate online academic publishing."
"Our essay explores the political economy of academic publishing ... in terms of how the commodification of academic research has opened avenues for the same mechanisms that underpin the deterioration of digital marketplaces to infiltrate online academic publishing."
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Should European universities also consider using European tech, and not Microsoft, Google etc?
If you are thinking of following suit, here's a list of EU tech alternatives:
european-alternatives.eu
european-alternatives.eu
January 5, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Should European universities also consider using European tech, and not Microsoft, Google etc?
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Rethinking Schools published my article about pushing back on some of the arguments made by those seeking to rush AI tools into schools.
Resisting AI Mania in Schools
A former English teacher takes on many of the arguments of AI promoters.
rethinkingschools.org
January 3, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Rethinking Schools published my article about pushing back on some of the arguments made by those seeking to rush AI tools into schools.
Reposted by Ben Williamson
This is where the AI push into schools feels quite parallel to all other reforms of past decades:
1️⃣ introduce new policy/system/tool without evidence
2️⃣ then claim need for data/evidence to support success
3️⃣ THEN blame teachers/schools if it isn't successful
(#3 is already happening, btw)
1️⃣ introduce new policy/system/tool without evidence
2️⃣ then claim need for data/evidence to support success
3️⃣ THEN blame teachers/schools if it isn't successful
(#3 is already happening, btw)
Drew Bent, the education lead at Anthropic: "'We’re at a point now where we need to make sure that these things are backed by outcomes and figure out what’s working and what’s not working.'"
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
Tech Giants Are Racing to Embed A.I. in Schools Around the Globe
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:37 PM
This is where the AI push into schools feels quite parallel to all other reforms of past decades:
1️⃣ introduce new policy/system/tool without evidence
2️⃣ then claim need for data/evidence to support success
3️⃣ THEN blame teachers/schools if it isn't successful
(#3 is already happening, btw)
1️⃣ introduce new policy/system/tool without evidence
2️⃣ then claim need for data/evidence to support success
3️⃣ THEN blame teachers/schools if it isn't successful
(#3 is already happening, btw)
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Drew Bent, the education lead at Anthropic: "'We’re at a point now where we need to make sure that these things are backed by outcomes and figure out what’s working and what’s not working.'"
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
Tech Giants Are Racing to Embed A.I. in Schools Around the Globe
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Drew Bent, the education lead at Anthropic: "'We’re at a point now where we need to make sure that these things are backed by outcomes and figure out what’s working and what’s not working.'"
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
Convenient that *now* is the time for evidence, once these products are released and pushed into schools.
"Edtech presents its agenda as apolitical, as a matter of efficiency or smart management, concealing a far more insidious mission: the monetization of teaching and learning" - late to this by @ehayot.bsky.social @mattseybold.bsky.social but it's great to see such analysis out there
archive.md/PHqyF
archive.md/PHqyF
January 3, 2026 at 12:50 AM
"Edtech presents its agenda as apolitical, as a matter of efficiency or smart management, concealing a far more insidious mission: the monetization of teaching and learning" - late to this by @ehayot.bsky.social @mattseybold.bsky.social but it's great to see such analysis out there
archive.md/PHqyF
archive.md/PHqyF
Reposted by Ben Williamson
🟨Volume 50, Issue 4 (2025) of LMT🟪
In this editorial for our new issue, @discoursology.bsky.social, @lucipangrazio.bsky.social, @johnpp.bsky.social & @benpatrickwill.bsky.social reflect on the current moment of critical research on educational technologies.
Read all articles: tinyurl.com/5ewyb9fn
In this editorial for our new issue, @discoursology.bsky.social, @lucipangrazio.bsky.social, @johnpp.bsky.social & @benpatrickwill.bsky.social reflect on the current moment of critical research on educational technologies.
Read all articles: tinyurl.com/5ewyb9fn
December 29, 2025 at 2:39 PM
🟨Volume 50, Issue 4 (2025) of LMT🟪
In this editorial for our new issue, @discoursology.bsky.social, @lucipangrazio.bsky.social, @johnpp.bsky.social & @benpatrickwill.bsky.social reflect on the current moment of critical research on educational technologies.
Read all articles: tinyurl.com/5ewyb9fn
In this editorial for our new issue, @discoursology.bsky.social, @lucipangrazio.bsky.social, @johnpp.bsky.social & @benpatrickwill.bsky.social reflect on the current moment of critical research on educational technologies.
Read all articles: tinyurl.com/5ewyb9fn
New year, new editorial @lmt-journal.bsky.social setting out 4 challenges for critical research on edtech:
- taking political economy seriously
- better theory development
- affirmative critiques
- focus on environmental extractivism
Oh, and don't make AI write your papers!
doi.org/10.1080/1743...
- taking political economy seriously
- better theory development
- affirmative critiques
- focus on environmental extractivism
Oh, and don't make AI write your papers!
doi.org/10.1080/1743...
doi.org
January 3, 2026 at 12:17 AM
New year, new editorial @lmt-journal.bsky.social setting out 4 challenges for critical research on edtech:
- taking political economy seriously
- better theory development
- affirmative critiques
- focus on environmental extractivism
Oh, and don't make AI write your papers!
doi.org/10.1080/1743...
- taking political economy seriously
- better theory development
- affirmative critiques
- focus on environmental extractivism
Oh, and don't make AI write your papers!
doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
[blogged] Why Ghost References Still Haunt Us in 2025—And Why It's Not Just About LLMs aarontay.substack.com/p/why-ghost-...
Why Ghost References Still Haunt Us in 2025—And Why It's Not Just About LLMs
Ghost references existed long before LLMs. This post examines how Google Scholar's [CITATION] mechanism and web pollution may undermine RAG verification.
aarontay.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:48 PM
[blogged] Why Ghost References Still Haunt Us in 2025—And Why It's Not Just About LLMs aarontay.substack.com/p/why-ghost-...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
When viewing the fake article in Google scholar on my university network, there is a link to access the article via my uni's library. That link sends me to a library page that makes fake article appear real... Turns out library page is made programmatically from info on Google scholar 🤦
December 21, 2025 at 1:48 AM
When viewing the fake article in Google scholar on my university network, there is a link to access the article via my uni's library. That link sends me to a library page that makes fake article appear real... Turns out library page is made programmatically from info on Google scholar 🤦
Reposted by Ben Williamson
I think this post nails the actual problem, for researchers at least—AI hallucinations would simply not be a problem in academic work if we’d not normalized citation-as-signaling rather than actual engagement—you can only cite a fake paper if you’re not in the habit of reading the papers you cite
Do not cite an academic paper unless you’ve read it
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
www.rollingstone.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
I think this post nails the actual problem, for researchers at least—AI hallucinations would simply not be a problem in academic work if we’d not normalized citation-as-signaling rather than actual engagement—you can only cite a fake paper if you’re not in the habit of reading the papers you cite
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Yup: spot-checked a few things (because grading), and your non-existent article isn't the only non-existent article being cited! Your "datafication" article is even listed as a book from Routledge in this one: www.edupij.com/index/arsiv/...
(It also makes up something for Macgilchrist, and more.)
(It also makes up something for Macgilchrist, and more.)
Integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence and 3D Immersive Environments in Competency-Based Higher Education
www.edupij.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Yup: spot-checked a few things (because grading), and your non-existent article isn't the only non-existent article being cited! Your "datafication" article is even listed as a book from Routledge in this one: www.edupij.com/index/arsiv/...
(It also makes up something for Macgilchrist, and more.)
(It also makes up something for Macgilchrist, and more.)
Reposted by Ben Williamson
It‘s a whole lot weirder than you think. I started looking at the journals. The first few were, as I expected, predatory outlets publishing garbage. But then, there‘s one by a Dr. Emily Carter, whose institutional affiliation is supposedly Cambridge: pjbr.com.pk/index.php/jo...
December 19, 2025 at 6:34 PM
It‘s a whole lot weirder than you think. I started looking at the journals. The first few were, as I expected, predatory outlets publishing garbage. But then, there‘s one by a Dr. Emily Carter, whose institutional affiliation is supposedly Cambridge: pjbr.com.pk/index.php/jo...
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
I'm sorry, but using AI like this should be considered academic malpractice. I would be infuriated to find out that reviewers were placing my work into AI systems without my consent.
www.frontiersin.org/documents/un...
www.frontiersin.org/documents/un...
December 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
I'm sorry, but using AI like this should be considered academic malpractice. I would be infuriated to find out that reviewers were placing my work into AI systems without my consent.
www.frontiersin.org/documents/un...
www.frontiersin.org/documents/un...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
At least one academic publisher is now outsourcing article production to an AI firm. How's it going?
Problems with Publishers Moving to AI-Based Production - Daily Nous
Straive is a firm that uses AI to, among other things, help publishers with various tasks "across the publishing value chain". One of its clients is Springer Nature, the publisher of many philosophy j...
dailynous.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
At least one academic publisher is now outsourcing article production to an AI firm. How's it going?
Reposted by Ben Williamson
This details the costs of buying AI subscriptions at universities. Co-pilot, which my university subscribes to, is around $30 per month per user.
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
OpenAI Inks Deals With Colleges, Seizing Early Lead in Education Market
OpenAI has established a beachhead at many US colleges, overcoming university administrators’ wariness of artificial intelligence and giving ChatGPT a headstart on becoming the go-to assistant for the...
www.bloomberg.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
This details the costs of buying AI subscriptions at universities. Co-pilot, which my university subscribes to, is around $30 per month per user.
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
An analysis of X posts from the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology suggests it is overwhelmingly pro-AI.
I analysed the sentiment of every X post from DSIT that mentioned "AI" this year. Of 122 posts, 110 were positive about AI, and only 7 mentioned its downsides.
🧵 1/2
I analysed the sentiment of every X post from DSIT that mentioned "AI" this year. Of 122 posts, 110 were positive about AI, and only 7 mentioned its downsides.
🧵 1/2
December 19, 2025 at 9:40 AM
An analysis of X posts from the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology suggests it is overwhelmingly pro-AI.
I analysed the sentiment of every X post from DSIT that mentioned "AI" this year. Of 122 posts, 110 were positive about AI, and only 7 mentioned its downsides.
🧵 1/2
I analysed the sentiment of every X post from DSIT that mentioned "AI" this year. Of 122 posts, 110 were positive about AI, and only 7 mentioned its downsides.
🧵 1/2
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Academics are making the decision to shove unpublished original research that isn’t even theirs into the plagiarism machine. I can’t.
I find this very alarming. AI is being used in explicitly prohibited ways. No doubt this will soon be the norm. The consequences of this will be dramatic. Over the holidays, the publishers and the whole of academic community are doing nothing else but working on a solution to this, right? RIGHT?!
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
A survey of 1,600 academics found that more than 50% have used artificial-intelligence tools while peer reviewing manuscripts.
www.nature.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Academics are making the decision to shove unpublished original research that isn’t even theirs into the plagiarism machine. I can’t.
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Should scientists apply to OpenAI's fund for research on AI & mental health? Should policymakers consider it a credible safety effort?
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Beware of OpenAI's 'Grantwashing' on AI Harms | TechPolicy.Press
J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps say OpenAI's announced research funding is the perfect corporate action to make sure we don't find answers for years.
www.techpolicy.press
December 18, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Should scientists apply to OpenAI's fund for research on AI & mental health? Should policymakers consider it a credible safety effort?
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Reposted by Ben Williamson
Academics and technologists are sounding the alarm about a growing crisis in scholarship as we know it: AI-generated citations of nonexistent papers that have infested real journals. Despite being fake, the sources are widely assumed to be authentic the more they appear in published literature.
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
www.rollingstone.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Academics and technologists are sounding the alarm about a growing crisis in scholarship as we know it: AI-generated citations of nonexistent papers that have infested real journals. Despite being fake, the sources are widely assumed to be authentic the more they appear in published literature.
Reposted by Ben Williamson
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
December 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.