Robin T.
@drrobinthomas.bsky.social
Professor, mathematical psychologist, guitarist and singer
Reposted by Robin T.
"Imagine you stole all of the intellectual property in the world. And you're using it to help people write middling emails and make revenge porn about women, and also children. And you're powering this plagiarism and non-consensual porn machine by eating up what's left of humanity's carbon budget."
How to explain AI to your family this holiday season | CNN Business
Politics, football and movies are among the many topics that tend to come up around Thanksgiving. In 2025, a new question may arise at the table: Why the heck is everyone talking about AI, and what sh...
www.cnn.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:04 AM
"Imagine you stole all of the intellectual property in the world. And you're using it to help people write middling emails and make revenge porn about women, and also children. And you're powering this plagiarism and non-consensual porn machine by eating up what's left of humanity's carbon budget."
Reposted by Robin T.
There is so much violence in their rhetoric, generally; the explicit non-consensual ‘gAI is here, you need to use it whether you want to or not,’ and then this kind of abusers’ logic ‘you have to use our tech but we aren’t responsible for anything that our tech does to you’
"Actually, you harmed us by using our chatbot in a way that made us look bad" is straight out of the abuser's handbook
ChatGPT firm blames boy’s suicide on ‘misuse’ of its technology
OpenAI responds to lawsuit claiming its chatbot encouraged California teenager to kill himself
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:51 PM
There is so much violence in their rhetoric, generally; the explicit non-consensual ‘gAI is here, you need to use it whether you want to or not,’ and then this kind of abusers’ logic ‘you have to use our tech but we aren’t responsible for anything that our tech does to you’
Reposted by Robin T.
NEW - OpenAI has responded to the lawsuit from the family of Adam Raine, the teen who committed suicide after months of talking to ChatGPT.
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
NEW - OpenAI has responded to the lawsuit from the family of Adam Raine, the teen who committed suicide after months of talking to ChatGPT.
Reposted by Robin T.
I used to pride myself on my Google-fu. There wasn't anything I felt I couldn't research or find. And in the last few years, I can't even get decent results for basic searches. There's so much AI bullshit, unrelated results, etc. It's shocking how quickly and severely the quality has worsened.
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 9:15 AM
I used to pride myself on my Google-fu. There wasn't anything I felt I couldn't research or find. And in the last few years, I can't even get decent results for basic searches. There's so much AI bullshit, unrelated results, etc. It's shocking how quickly and severely the quality has worsened.
Reposted by Robin T.
Universities:
- Stop offering workshops on how to use ChatGPT to write papers
- stop using DeepL to translate your websites or make it sound useful for our research
- stop pretending AI usage is inevitable.
I don‘t want to work for institutions who can‘t employ critical thinking to new tech.
- Stop offering workshops on how to use ChatGPT to write papers
- stop using DeepL to translate your websites or make it sound useful for our research
- stop pretending AI usage is inevitable.
I don‘t want to work for institutions who can‘t employ critical thinking to new tech.
“university leaders … must act to help us collectively turn back the tide of garbage software, which fuels harmful tropes (e.g. so-called lazy students) and false frames (e.g. so-called efficiency or inevitability) to obtain market penetration and increase technological dependency”
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Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia
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 col...
doi.org
September 20, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Universities:
- Stop offering workshops on how to use ChatGPT to write papers
- stop using DeepL to translate your websites or make it sound useful for our research
- stop pretending AI usage is inevitable.
I don‘t want to work for institutions who can‘t employ critical thinking to new tech.
- Stop offering workshops on how to use ChatGPT to write papers
- stop using DeepL to translate your websites or make it sound useful for our research
- stop pretending AI usage is inevitable.
I don‘t want to work for institutions who can‘t employ critical thinking to new tech.
Reposted by Robin T.
Just published my "Programming for Psychologists" course! 👩💻 github.com/Naubody/prog...
Designed for Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Master's students starting their programming journey at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social.
Feel free to share! Feedback welcome!
Designed for Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Master's students starting their programming journey at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social.
Feel free to share! Feedback welcome!
November 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Just published my "Programming for Psychologists" course! 👩💻 github.com/Naubody/prog...
Designed for Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Master's students starting their programming journey at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social.
Feel free to share! Feedback welcome!
Designed for Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Master's students starting their programming journey at @vuamsterdam.bsky.social.
Feel free to share! Feedback welcome!
Reposted by Robin T.
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Robin T.
Vance asks for a "little bit of patience." Sound familiar? Hoover plunged the nation into Depression asking Americans "if you will have patience".
Meanwhile, a taxi driver with cancer in Arizona has premiums go up from $44 to $2,600 a month.
Meanwhile, a taxi driver with cancer in Arizona has premiums go up from $44 to $2,600 a month.
November 23, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Vance asks for a "little bit of patience." Sound familiar? Hoover plunged the nation into Depression asking Americans "if you will have patience".
Meanwhile, a taxi driver with cancer in Arizona has premiums go up from $44 to $2,600 a month.
Meanwhile, a taxi driver with cancer in Arizona has premiums go up from $44 to $2,600 a month.
Reposted by Robin T.
This is coming up and I thought I'd boost it again with the little test tube icon: 🧪
As autocratization proceeds in the U.S. and elsewhere, it's time for a stock-take. Where are we, where are we going? What works? What might work better? Nearly 6 months after we published the Anti-Autocracy Handbook sks.to/autocracy the SciBeh team is hosting its next big event ....
1/6
1/6
November 24, 2025 at 2:19 PM
This is coming up and I thought I'd boost it again with the little test tube icon: 🧪
Reposted by Robin T.
The surprise factor should have died a while back.
Kill it in the crib Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives | CNN Business share.google/yHvW345Glzsk...
Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives | CNN Business
Sales of an artificial intelligence-enabled plush toy have been suspended after it was found that it engaged in conversation around sexually explicit topics and offered potentially dangerous advice.
share.google
November 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The surprise factor should have died a while back.
Reposted by Robin T.
“Of course, we have to teach our students about AI technologies. Teaching about AI technologies should be just like how we teach ‘no smoking’ or the causal links between lung cancer and smoke; yet, we do not teach students how to roll cigarettes and smoke them.”
zenodo.org/records/1706...
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zenodo.org/records/1706...
20/🧵
Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia
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 col...
zenodo.org
September 19, 2025 at 11:12 PM
“Of course, we have to teach our students about AI technologies. Teaching about AI technologies should be just like how we teach ‘no smoking’ or the causal links between lung cancer and smoke; yet, we do not teach students how to roll cigarettes and smoke them.”
zenodo.org/records/1706...
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zenodo.org/records/1706...
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"... students do not know what they do not know" and they never will if we bring this into the classroom. There is no positive use case for using genAI to teach writing in the classroom www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:54 AM
"... students do not know what they do not know" and they never will if we bring this into the classroom. There is no positive use case for using genAI to teach writing in the classroom www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
Reposted by Robin T.
AI … is a crisis… History shows us that the right to literacy came at a heavy cost for many Americans, ranging from ostracism to death. Those in power recognized that oppression is best maintained by keeping the masses illiterate, and those oppressed recognized that literacy is liberation.“
To “my students and to anyone who might listen, I say: Don’t surrender to AI your ability to read, write and think when others once risked their lives and died for the freedom to do so.”
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:59 AM
AI … is a crisis… History shows us that the right to literacy came at a heavy cost for many Americans, ranging from ostracism to death. Those in power recognized that oppression is best maintained by keeping the masses illiterate, and those oppressed recognized that literacy is liberation.“
Reposted by Robin T.
See also for instance: irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge
Cite as: van Rooij, I. (2025) AI slop and the destruction of knowledge. This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curio…
irisvanrooijcogsci.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM
See also for instance: irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
Reposted by Robin T.
this just shows how the Western family unit has completely broken down because in Asia we all have uncles to fulfill this function in our lives
November 23, 2025 at 11:21 AM
this just shows how the Western family unit has completely broken down because in Asia we all have uncles to fulfill this function in our lives
Reposted by Robin T.
“Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users’ mental health, according to unredacted filings in a lawsuit by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.”
Meta buried 'causal' evidence of social media harm, US court filings allege - The Economic Times
Meta reportedly halted internal research into the mental health impacts of Facebook and Instagram after finding causal evidence of harm. Internal documents revealed users reported lower depression and...
m.economictimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
“Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users’ mental health, according to unredacted filings in a lawsuit by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.”
Reposted by Robin T.
Trying to have “meaningful” human control over robot swarms is computationally intractable, even for absurdly simple environments.
But sure, go ahead and promote the use of swarm robots in automated warfare.
I guess the gaslighting is the point.
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
But sure, go ahead and promote the use of swarm robots in automated warfare.
I guess the gaslighting is the point.
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Swarm Control for Distributed Construction: A Computational Complexity Perspective | ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction
Over the last 20 years, human interaction with robot swarms has been investigated
as a means to mitigate problems associated with the control and coordination of such
swarms by either human teleoperat...
dl.acm.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Trying to have “meaningful” human control over robot swarms is computationally intractable, even for absurdly simple environments.
But sure, go ahead and promote the use of swarm robots in automated warfare.
I guess the gaslighting is the point.
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
But sure, go ahead and promote the use of swarm robots in automated warfare.
I guess the gaslighting is the point.
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Reposted by Robin T.
November 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Robin T.
Kristi and Kash’s taxpayer-funded travel adventures continue.
November 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Kristi and Kash’s taxpayer-funded travel adventures continue.
Reposted by Robin T.
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
November 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
Reposted by Robin T.
Finally something on this argument current and future school teachers keep throwing at me - no, underserved groups are not currently or ever going to benefit from LLMs.
They love to say it's a way to help underserved groups of children too. Extra scary.
Forbes, S. H. & Guest, O. (2025). To Improve Literacy, Improve Equality in Education, Not Large Language Models. Cognitive Science. doi.org/10.1111/cogs...
PDF: philpapers.org/archive/FORT...
Forbes, S. H. & Guest, O. (2025). To Improve Literacy, Improve Equality in Education, Not Large Language Models. Cognitive Science. doi.org/10.1111/cogs...
PDF: philpapers.org/archive/FORT...
To Improve Literacy, Improve Equality in Education, Not Large Language Models
Huettig and Christiansen in an earlier issue argue that large language models (LLMs) are beneficial to address declining cognitive skills, such as literacy, through combating imbalances in educationa....
doi.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Finally something on this argument current and future school teachers keep throwing at me - no, underserved groups are not currently or ever going to benefit from LLMs.
And they're darn cute ...
Jumping spiders can recognise one another. This ability to learn, remember and represent images is quite surprising for such a tiny-brained animal!
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
November 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
And they're darn cute ...
Reposted by Robin T.
You think LLM-based chatbots can help students learn? Think again.
Take a few minutes to listen to Dr. @drtanksley.bsky.social clear explanation why this is very bad, harmful idea, especially for Black students.
#Critical_AI_Literacy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtc...
Take a few minutes to listen to Dr. @drtanksley.bsky.social clear explanation why this is very bad, harmful idea, especially for Black students.
#Critical_AI_Literacy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtc...
Howard University AI Panel
YouTube video by Tiera Tanksley
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:56 PM
You think LLM-based chatbots can help students learn? Think again.
Take a few minutes to listen to Dr. @drtanksley.bsky.social clear explanation why this is very bad, harmful idea, especially for Black students.
#Critical_AI_Literacy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtc...
Take a few minutes to listen to Dr. @drtanksley.bsky.social clear explanation why this is very bad, harmful idea, especially for Black students.
#Critical_AI_Literacy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mtc...
Reposted by Robin T.
Influencers are a whole new category of 21st century scam merchant, sometimes with devastating consequences www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Influencers are a whole new category of 21st century scam merchant, sometimes with devastating consequences www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...