Prof. Dr Beth Singler
@bvlsingler.bsky.social
Anthropologist/Geek thinking about how you think about AI & robots. Assistant Professor in Digital Religions at UZH. Bvlsingler.com. She/her. π https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003256113/religion-artificial-intelligence-beth-singler
Pinned
Prof. Dr Beth Singler
@bvlsingler.bsky.social
Β· Aug 15
I will never stop banging this drum! π₯ There π₯ is π₯ no π₯ AI π₯ in π₯ the π₯ predictive π₯ policing π₯ in π₯ Minority π₯ Report!
Its three psychics in a paddling pool!!
Its three psychics in a paddling pool!!
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR βWe found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.β
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR βWe found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.β
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR βWe found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.β
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR βWe found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.β
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
I'll email over a proof, I can't see it online yet :)
February 4, 2026 at 9:22 AM
I'll email over a proof, I can't see it online yet :)
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Eine wirklich wichtige und tolle Stelle an einem wahrlich attraktiven Ort! #religionswissenschaft
#JobAlert Assistenz- #Professur mit #TenureTrack in #Religionswissenschaft mit Schwerpunkt auf #Geschlechterbeziehungen und Machtstrukturen 100 % @uzh-rws.bsky.social Uni #ZΓΌrich
UZH: Assistenzprofessur mit Tenure Track in Religionswissenschaft mit Schwerpunkt auf Geschlechterbeziehungen und Machtstrukturen
An der Theologischen und Religionswissenschaftlichen FakultΓ€t der UniversitΓ€t ZuΜrich ist auf den 1. August 2027 eine Assistenzprofessur mit Tenure Track in Religionswissenschaft mit Schwerpunkt auf G...
jobs.uzh.ch
February 4, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Eine wirklich wichtige und tolle Stelle an einem wahrlich attraktiven Ort! #religionswissenschaft
My new book chapter is here! In the paper flesh!
Book is on sale now. Some chapters are in German, some in English like mine :)
Book is on sale now. Some chapters are in German, some in English like mine :)
February 4, 2026 at 8:12 AM
My new book chapter is here! In the paper flesh!
Book is on sale now. Some chapters are in German, some in English like mine :)
Book is on sale now. Some chapters are in German, some in English like mine :)
This new chapter (just got my physical copy yesterday!) also gets into the Order of the Vermillion Star, another AI generated New Religious Movement:
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 AM
This new chapter (just got my physical copy yesterday!) also gets into the Order of the Vermillion Star, another AI generated New Religious Movement:
TL;DR humans have promoted AI to create a religion, but people think (or act) as though no one prompted them to do this. TTL;DR "AI make me a religion... OMG AI created a religion!!"
See also www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/pub...
See also www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/pub...
βWill AI Create a Religion?" Views of the Algorithmic Forms of the Religious Life in Popular Discourse
01 Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion
www.zora.uzh.ch
February 4, 2026 at 7:45 AM
TL;DR humans have promoted AI to create a religion, but people think (or act) as though no one prompted them to do this. TTL;DR "AI make me a religion... OMG AI created a religion!!"
See also www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/pub...
See also www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/pub...
I'm guessing explaining Moltbook and the new religion there is going to be my new focus for a bit...
a woman says that she has been training for this day my entire life
ALT: a woman says that she has been training for this day my entire life
media.tenor.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:31 AM
I'm guessing explaining Moltbook and the new religion there is going to be my new focus for a bit...
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Google books going down is just the latest in the long catalogue of βdonβt rely on big tech to save the commonsβ
February 3, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Google books going down is just the latest in the long catalogue of βdonβt rely on big tech to save the commonsβ
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
The robot apocalypse hasn't happened yet, but still I can't escape the feeling that something has gone horribly wrong... Cartoon for Dutch newspaper @trouw.nl.
More of my work for Trouw: www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tje...
#ArtificialIntelligence #creativity #work #GenerativeAI
More of my work for Trouw: www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tje...
#ArtificialIntelligence #creativity #work #GenerativeAI
February 2, 2026 at 7:38 AM
The robot apocalypse hasn't happened yet, but still I can't escape the feeling that something has gone horribly wrong... Cartoon for Dutch newspaper @trouw.nl.
More of my work for Trouw: www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tje...
#ArtificialIntelligence #creativity #work #GenerativeAI
More of my work for Trouw: www.trouw.nl/cartoons/tje...
#ArtificialIntelligence #creativity #work #GenerativeAI
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
I keep seeing shit on LinkedIn about "AI made a social network and are conspiring against humans!" as if the god damn LLMs made the website and put themselves on it.
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
I keep seeing shit on LinkedIn about "AI made a social network and are conspiring against humans!" as if the god damn LLMs made the website and put themselves on it.
The number of times I've used this to find a page number... :,(
I don't mean to seem alarmed, but it appears Google's book search function is, just...gone.
In a sane country it would be a huge deal, front page news, that a privately owned utility that millions researches, from journalists to scholars, rely on every day to advance knowledge can just disappear.
In a sane country it would be a huge deal, front page news, that a privately owned utility that millions researches, from journalists to scholars, rely on every day to advance knowledge can just disappear.
February 3, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The number of times I've used this to find a page number... :,(
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
In today's installment of Old Lady Yells At Clouds:
February 3, 2026 at 2:42 PM
In today's installment of Old Lady Yells At Clouds:
Oooh and right next to the Lifton book that I also have :D
February 3, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Oooh and right next to the Lifton book that I also have :D
Re-watching the original V series and the bit where the holocaust survivor hides the scientist and his family in the pool house is feeling a little bit too contemporary :(
a woman wearing sunglasses is standing in front of a car
ALT: a woman wearing sunglasses is standing in front of a car
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:19 AM
Re-watching the original V series and the bit where the holocaust survivor hides the scientist and his family in the pool house is feeling a little bit too contemporary :(
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
February 3, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Not sure how Hariri got the stage that he did but woof
February 2, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Not sure how Hariri got the stage that he did but woof
I did an anniversary radio documentary for the Terminator in 2024 and you would not believe how many times I double and triple checked I wasn't wrong about the year during the pitching and production :D
February 2, 2026 at 12:40 PM
I did an anniversary radio documentary for the Terminator in 2024 and you would not believe how many times I double and triple checked I wasn't wrong about the year during the pitching and production :D
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Just to offer the counterpoint here, as I think it is very very important we do so: this is absolutely anticipatory obedience 101.
Much as university leaders might see it as their responsibility to βplanβ for this possibility, in effect REF are getting to set the agenda without winning any election
Much as university leaders might see it as their responsibility to βplanβ for this possibility, in effect REF are getting to set the agenda without winning any election
Before anyone gets too angry about this, several things. (1) Universities in the UK, unlike the US, are pretty much under the financial and admin control of central govt. If RefUK moves to wipe them out, as they will, then some will choose life. (1/3) www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
Universities try to woo Reform as party gains ground
Serious lobbying efforts under way, with right-wing party expected to be more sympathetic to elite universities than rest of the sector
www.timeshighereducation.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Just to offer the counterpoint here, as I think it is very very important we do so: this is absolutely anticipatory obedience 101.
Much as university leaders might see it as their responsibility to βplanβ for this possibility, in effect REF are getting to set the agenda without winning any election
Much as university leaders might see it as their responsibility to βplanβ for this possibility, in effect REF are getting to set the agenda without winning any election
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Elon Musk is claiming heβs risked everything to protect kids from sexual abuse mere weeks out from laughing while his AI chatbot was generating nearly 8,000 sexual abuse images per hour that overwhelmingly targeted girls and young women
February 1, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Elon Musk is claiming heβs risked everything to protect kids from sexual abuse mere weeks out from laughing while his AI chatbot was generating nearly 8,000 sexual abuse images per hour that overwhelmingly targeted girls and young women
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
Behold! The future of journalism! Axios:
February 2, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Behold! The future of journalism! Axios:
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
One common response to Moltbot is something like "We're so cooked."
We are pretty cooked. Not because Moltbots will bootstrap us to the Singularity. Just because people readily turn their hard drives and personal info over to programs they don't understand.
www.zdnet.com/article/molt...
We are pretty cooked. Not because Moltbots will bootstrap us to the Singularity. Just because people readily turn their hard drives and personal info over to programs they don't understand.
www.zdnet.com/article/molt...
The viral AI agent Moltbot is a security mess - 5 red flags you shouldn't ignore (before it's too late)
Handing your computing tasks over to a cute AI crustacean might be tempting - but you should consider these security risks before getting started.
www.zdnet.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM
One common response to Moltbot is something like "We're so cooked."
We are pretty cooked. Not because Moltbots will bootstrap us to the Singularity. Just because people readily turn their hard drives and personal info over to programs they don't understand.
www.zdnet.com/article/molt...
We are pretty cooked. Not because Moltbots will bootstrap us to the Singularity. Just because people readily turn their hard drives and personal info over to programs they don't understand.
www.zdnet.com/article/molt...
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
10 years after he went to jail for procuring a child for prostitution.
JK Rowling's team invited Jeffery Epstein to the deathly hallows play and to a Harry potter dinner.
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov
February 1, 2026 at 6:34 PM
10 years after he went to jail for procuring a child for prostitution.
Reposted by Prof. Dr Beth Singler
It is annoying that the all-bot website got so much attention on the same weekend that Quill-AI, a community in Santiago was running a chatbot where human volunteers would look up answers to your queries, aimed to highlight AI energy consumption and refocus on human contact. www.quili.ai
QUILI.AI
www.quili.ai
February 1, 2026 at 9:29 PM
It is annoying that the all-bot website got so much attention on the same weekend that Quill-AI, a community in Santiago was running a chatbot where human volunteers would look up answers to your queries, aimed to highlight AI energy consumption and refocus on human contact. www.quili.ai