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Reposted by Clare Downham

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · Sep 6

Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n

Abstract: Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or
even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in
the 21st with social media. For these collective blunders, we now regret our involvement or
apathy as scientists, and society struggles to put the genie back in the bottle. Currently, we
are similarly entangled with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, software updates are rolled out seamlessly and non-consensually, Microsoft Office is bundled with chatbots, and we, our students, and our employers have had no say, as it is not
considered a valid position to reject AI technologies in our teaching and research. This
is why in June 2025, we co-authored an Open Letter calling on our employers to reverse
and rethink their stance on uncritically adopting AI technologies. In this position piece,
we expound on why universities must take their role seriously toa) counter the technology
industry’s marketing, hype, and harm; and to b) safeguard higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, and scientific integrity. We include pointers to
relevant work to further inform our colleagues.

Figure 1. A cartoon set theoretic view on various terms (see Table 1) used when discussing the superset AI
(black outline, hatched background): LLMs are in orange; ANNs are in magenta; generative models are
in blue; and finally, chatbots are in green. Where these intersect, the colours reflect that, e.g. generative adversarial network (GAN) and Boltzmann machine (BM) models are in the purple subset because they are
both generative and ANNs. In the case of proprietary closed source models, e.g. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and
Apple’s Siri, we cannot verify their implementation and so academics can only make educated guesses (cf.
Dingemanse 2025). Undefined terms used above: BERT (Devlin et al. 2019); AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al.
2017); A.L.I.C.E. (Wallace 2009); ELIZA (Weizenbaum 1966); Jabberwacky (Twist 2003); linear discriminant analysis (LDA); quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA).

Table 1. Below some of the typical terminological disarray is untangled. Importantly, none of these terms
are orthogonal nor do they exclusively pick out the types of products we may wish to critique or proscribe.

Protecting the Ecosystem of Human Knowledge: Five Principles

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BremainInSpain @bremaininspain.com · 4h

Several sources told The Observer that the Electoral Commission had been given prior notice by a party, understood to be Reform UK, that it had received a donation made in cryptocurrency in recent weeks.
Reform is the only political party in Europe to accept donations in crypto

Calls for transparency on political funding after first crypto donation made to UK party

Electoral Commission notified of financial contribution, which is understood to have been handed to Reform UK

uk.news.yahoo.com

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Jonas Algers @jonasalgers.bsky.social · 13h

Norway are facing Israel in the Football World Cup qualifiers today

The Oslo Tram Driver’s Union will be striking on the tram lines to the stadium in solidarity with the people of Palestine

www.nrk.no/stor-oslo/va...

Varsler kollektiv-streik i Oslo før Norge-Israel

Oslo Sporveiers Arbeiderforening varsler streik 11. oktober, samme dag som Israel og Norge spiller landskamp i fotball på Ullevaal Stadion. Hensikten er å vise støtte til Palestina. Én time før kampst...

www.nrk.no

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פינחס יוסף מונד @pymundgenealogy.com · 1d

You know what happens if you come at a giant frog

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Prof. Elaine Chalus @profelainechalus.bsky.social · 2d

Assistant Professor in Irish and/or European Medieval History
Dublin City University - School of History & Geography #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOY744/a...

Assistant Professor in Irish and/or European Medieval History at Dublin City University

Discover an exciting academic career path as a Assistant Professor in Irish and/or European Medieval History at jobs.ac.uk. Don't miss out on this job opportunity - apply today!

www.jobs.ac.uk

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 2d

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

UK universities offered to monitor students’ social media for arms firms, emails show

Loughborough, Heriot-Watt and Glasgow corresponded with companies concerned about campus protests

www.theguardian.com

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Oswald's Raven @oswaldsraven.bsky.social · 3d

I'm giving an online lecture next Thursday evening, in aid of Peterborough Cathedral. I'll be talking about Oswald's cult at Peterborough and his continental connections. There will be arm relics and ravens! 💪 #MedievalSky

To book tickets: peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/event/in-per...

ppt slide. Title "The surprising afterlife of a Northumbrian king: the cult of St Oswald in Peterborough and beyond". Image from a medieval German manuscript shows Oswald and Aidan at the Easter feast, with beggars. Gold background and architectural frame.

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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 4d

These are scary times, and it’s okay to feel afraid. The challenge is learning how to respond instead of retreating. This piece offers insight into managing that fear and transforming it into courage, understanding, and tangible steps forward.

The Fear Factor

The right and the left both use fear to drive politics, but the difference in how is striking

thinkbigpicture.substack.com

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Saadia___m @saadia---m.bsky.social · 3d

Stephen Miller pretended to freeze on tv because he knew he fcked up.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 3d

#HillfortsWednesday
Old Sarum was an Iron Age #Hillfort constructed around 400 BC during the Iron Age by creating enormous banks and ditches surrounding the hill.

The site was then used by the #Romans, who called it Sorviodunum

#Archaeology

📷 (Historic England Photo Library

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 3d

Today's Knowledge Commons share 'The Chronology of the Last Scandinavian Kings of York 937-954' #medievalsky #york #vikings #history works.hcommons.org/records/jhhx...

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 3d

This musn't become normal www.wbez.org/immigration/...

Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by ICE agents, ‘touched the lives of so many’

Neighbors and activists remember Silverio Villegas González as a friendly dad. They are grappling with questions, anger and fear about his killing and ICE's presence in Chicago. "May Silverio’s memory...

www.wbez.org

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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 5d

Israel’s arms imports from UK hit record high values

Last week, our FactCheck team exclusively revealed that Israel’s imports of UK arms hit a record high value in June. Now, we can reveal new figures showing September was the second highest month on re...

www.channel4.com

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 5d

This whole obsession with "too many people going to uni" is such a classic example of the parochialism of UK policymaking. No one bothers to ask why the % here is lower than in most other developed countries or whether that might be relevant.

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Karen Desmond @karendesmond.bsky.social · 5d

CFP update! The CFP deadline for the upcoming ERC-BROKENSONG (Maynooth University, Ireland, 15-16 May, 2026),has been extended to Oct 24, 2025. We will cover 2-3 nights' accommodation, and a contribution towards travel. Pls be in touch with questions ahi.maynoothuniversity.ie/brokensong/i...

Call for Papers – BROKENSONG

ahi.maynoothuniversity.ie

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 5d

Filming in Ireland today. Very lucky with the weather. I had my big coat, hat and scarf ready for being in the Wicklow mountains in October. Photo of Glendalough - such a special place. #archaeology #history #medievalsky #ireland #bbcni

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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 5d

No indication yet from major media that the FBI has any interest whatsoever in investigating this apparent attempted assassination of a well-known judge openly targeted on social media by the far-right activist—Harmeet Dhillon—currently calling herself Assistant Attorney General of the United States

Beachfront home of South Carolina judge, ex-senator burned to ground, injuring 3

Ex-senator Arnold Goodstein, along with two additional people, were rescued by several neighbors and paramedics from a marshy, remote area behind the home after jumping from the fist floor.

nypost.com

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 6d

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” —FDR, 1944

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Dr. Divya 🇵🇸🧿 (offline) @divyampersaud.com · 5d

Ok yall birthday drive ✨ we’ve got 23 hours to get as close to this goal as possible for the KIDS—besieged in Gaza City, yet taking exams this week💡

Spark Space is providing their electricity, but needs fuel for the generator. Let their sumud & sabr be a light. 667/1000 chuffed.org/project/spar...

🇵🇸 Gaza Needs Your Support: Help Build a Lifeline for Students and Remote Workers!

In Gaza, war has destroyed homes, blocked roads, and left countless people without work. Yet, amidst the rubble, hope remains. Students and remote workers face daily struggles—power outages, broken…

chuffed.org

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 5d

Most societies were sadly slave owning then, and other cultures embraced Scandinavian culture creating new hybrid identities. Cultural hybridity and slave trading happened in both directions. This is history.

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Clare Downham @downham.bsky.social · 6d

My Mum is currently in Rum and has just sent a very evocative pic of the weather conditions #hebrides #scotland

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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 6d

It’s not that Heseltine has moved to the left, but that the Tory Party has moved to the right.

The Observer @theobserveruk.bsky.social · 6d

"The overwhelming majority of asylum seekers want to share in our standards and escape from persecution or civil war. To describe them as thieves or rapists is not just dishonest but encourages the worst sort of prejudice in our communities," writes Michael Heseltine.

https://bit.ly/4mUIeM

The Conservatives must never have any part in Farage’s po...

To describe asylum seekers as thieves or rapists encourages the worst sort of prejudice. We don’t need Trump’s mouthpiece anywhere near No 10

bit.ly

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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 6d

youtu.be/HUgN0uD6dds?...

Green Party Leader Condemns Synagogue Attack

YouTube video by Good Morning Britain

youtu.be

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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 6d

One-third of UK children grow up in poverty, higher risk of dying young.

In some areas 62% of children live in poverty.

Children’s education, health, future employment prospects destroyed.

Caused by govts - austerity, low wages, spending cuts, fiscal rules.

Poverty is a political choice.

One-third of UK children grow up in poverty with higher risk of dying young

Children in the most deprived areas of the UK face higher death rates as childhood poverty continues to rise, according to research.

www.nursinginpractice.com

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ianxz.bsky.social @ianxz.bsky.social · 6d

They told us ICE was only going to go after immigrant criminals.
Then is was just immigrants.
Now it is citizens.
The escalation won't stop, until they are stopped.

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