Elaine Burke
@elaineburke.bsky.social
Talking tech, science and media. Journalist and broadcaster. Host of @fortechssakepod.bsky.social and Connected AI Podcast.
Me, in front of the TV on Wednesday.
November 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Me, in front of the TV on Wednesday.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
I remember when there was a discussion on Twitter about Shein's manufacturing practices and some apologists invented all sorts of fantastical machinery and technology to avoid facing the more horrifying truth. Reminds me of this comedian's joke.
IG bscomedian
IG bscomedian
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I remember when there was a discussion on Twitter about Shein's manufacturing practices and some apologists invented all sorts of fantastical machinery and technology to avoid facing the more horrifying truth. Reminds me of this comedian's joke.
IG bscomedian
IG bscomedian
Reposted by Elaine Burke
They published several rebuttals to Collison’s piece and last week their Inside Politics podcast had Orla Hegarty on to discuss the piece, and Ireland’s planning regs in general.
Orla Hegarty was excellent, by the way, far better prepared than the Progress Ireland Rep who was also on the ‘cast.
Orla Hegarty was excellent, by the way, far better prepared than the Progress Ireland Rep who was also on the ‘cast.
November 22, 2025 at 10:58 AM
They published several rebuttals to Collison’s piece and last week their Inside Politics podcast had Orla Hegarty on to discuss the piece, and Ireland’s planning regs in general.
Orla Hegarty was excellent, by the way, far better prepared than the Progress Ireland Rep who was also on the ‘cast.
Orla Hegarty was excellent, by the way, far better prepared than the Progress Ireland Rep who was also on the ‘cast.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
Heronkind work so hard to survive.
Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let someone else get the lunch in.
Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let someone else get the lunch in.
Here’s a common sight at the beach.
Smart herons hang out with fishermen, looking cute for a snack. These gray herons are pretty big, too. This one is about 3-4 feet tall. I hope he was rewarded for his patience this morning. 😋
Smart herons hang out with fishermen, looking cute for a snack. These gray herons are pretty big, too. This one is about 3-4 feet tall. I hope he was rewarded for his patience this morning. 😋
November 22, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Heronkind work so hard to survive.
Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let someone else get the lunch in.
Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let someone else get the lunch in.
The Irish Times published and lauded John Collison's op-ed, but did they fact-check it?
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
I’ve written something on John Collison’s Op-Ed and environmental democracy
Next time you’re out in Dublin, check if you’re being “socially de-risked” by a friendly face from his think-tank
elajucd.com/2025/11/21/o...
Next time you’re out in Dublin, check if you’re being “socially de-risked” by a friendly face from his think-tank
elajucd.com/2025/11/21/o...
On Environmental Democracy and the Collisons’ “Abundance-Verse”
Andrew Jackson 21 November 2025 I. Introduction A clamour of praise greeted John Collison’s “how to get Ireland moving” Op-Ed following its publication in the Irish Times on 25th October: the Irish…
elajucd.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The Irish Times published and lauded John Collison's op-ed, but did they fact-check it?
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
So, below is EU President von der Leyen saying that the EU is "not fighting fossil fuels, only emissions."
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
November 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM
So, below is EU President von der Leyen saying that the EU is "not fighting fossil fuels, only emissions."
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
re: roblox dude's interview crashout. the thing he wants to say but can't is "at scale, kids are gonna get hurt. that is the price for scale." the thing nobody wants to say out loud is "maybe scaling to a level where harm isn't manageable is bad, and scale should be contained"
November 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
re: roblox dude's interview crashout. the thing he wants to say but can't is "at scale, kids are gonna get hurt. that is the price for scale." the thing nobody wants to say out loud is "maybe scaling to a level where harm isn't manageable is bad, and scale should be contained"
Reposted by Elaine Burke
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
Roy Orbison is on the line 😎
Find out what @elaineburke.bsky.social thinks of Meta's glasses, what @earley.bsky.social thinks of the GTA 6 delay and the Steam Machine, and more in our latest episode: pod.fo/e/35650d
Find out what @elaineburke.bsky.social thinks of Meta's glasses, what @earley.bsky.social thinks of the GTA 6 delay and the Steam Machine, and more in our latest episode: pod.fo/e/35650d
November 21, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Roy Orbison is on the line 😎
Find out what @elaineburke.bsky.social thinks of Meta's glasses, what @earley.bsky.social thinks of the GTA 6 delay and the Steam Machine, and more in our latest episode: pod.fo/e/35650d
Find out what @elaineburke.bsky.social thinks of Meta's glasses, what @earley.bsky.social thinks of the GTA 6 delay and the Steam Machine, and more in our latest episode: pod.fo/e/35650d
Reposted by Elaine Burke
can anyone recommend a nice winter walking route in dub/north wicklow that has a carvery along the way somewhere
November 21, 2025 at 11:51 AM
can anyone recommend a nice winter walking route in dub/north wicklow that has a carvery along the way somewhere
Reposted by Elaine Burke
The grok stuff is pathetic but it’s also a perfect and undeniable illustration of chatbots as ideology. It’s no less true for chatgpt or other bots, but sometimes not as visible.
November 20, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The grok stuff is pathetic but it’s also a perfect and undeniable illustration of chatbots as ideology. It’s no less true for chatgpt or other bots, but sometimes not as visible.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
A dystopian example of interface governance, here with an inaccurate, English-only chatbot pushed onto highly vulnerable people, and phone lines to humans who might provide more robust answers long closed. "Optimization" for whom?
"The Minister states that “the chatbot was tested extensively...checking responses to “55 questions out of which 53 were deemed successful"
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Our investigation into Irish Department of Justice use of chatbots. The department hides behind disclaimers while deploying misleading chatbots.
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
A dystopian example of interface governance, here with an inaccurate, English-only chatbot pushed onto highly vulnerable people, and phone lines to humans who might provide more robust answers long closed. "Optimization" for whom?
Since this interview, Ireland's Online Safety Commissioner led a meeting of global online safety regulators in Dublin, where she was appointed chair of their network.
Read on for more on how she and her growing team are writing the rulebook for online safety: www.businesspost.ie/tech/its-abo...
Read on for more on how she and her growing team are writing the rulebook for online safety: www.businesspost.ie/tech/its-abo...
‘It’s about guardrails, not barriers’: Niamh Hodnett on a year of Ireland’s online safety code
www.businesspost.ie
November 20, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Since this interview, Ireland's Online Safety Commissioner led a meeting of global online safety regulators in Dublin, where she was appointed chair of their network.
Read on for more on how she and her growing team are writing the rulebook for online safety: www.businesspost.ie/tech/its-abo...
Read on for more on how she and her growing team are writing the rulebook for online safety: www.businesspost.ie/tech/its-abo...
The EU was considered a world-leader in regulation. They stood their ground on rights-led rule-making in the face of intensive lobbying opposition and in doing so created a "Brussels effect" that drove others to follow.
To walk that back in order to simp for US money is, frankly, disgusting.
To walk that back in order to simp for US money is, frankly, disgusting.
November 20, 2025 at 10:24 AM
The EU was considered a world-leader in regulation. They stood their ground on rights-led rule-making in the face of intensive lobbying opposition and in doing so created a "Brussels effect" that drove others to follow.
To walk that back in order to simp for US money is, frankly, disgusting.
To walk that back in order to simp for US money is, frankly, disgusting.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
Easier... for US Big Tech.
Doing business online in Europe just got easier.
We’re making digital rules simpler, clearer and faster – while safeguarding privacy, fairness and security.
Our new Digital Package will save up to €5 billion in administrative costs by 2029 and unleash AI-driven innovation ↓
We’re making digital rules simpler, clearer and faster – while safeguarding privacy, fairness and security.
Our new Digital Package will save up to €5 billion in administrative costs by 2029 and unleash AI-driven innovation ↓
November 20, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Easier... for US Big Tech.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
The @ec.europa.eu and EPP president Von Der Leyen's shameful capitulation on Europe's tech regulation to Trump and his fascist tech bro posse.
2/3 of Europeans described the summer trade deal with the US as "a humilation". How much lower can you go?!
We will neither forgive nor forget.
2/3 of Europeans described the summer trade deal with the US as "a humilation". How much lower can you go?!
We will neither forgive nor forget.
November 19, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The @ec.europa.eu and EPP president Von Der Leyen's shameful capitulation on Europe's tech regulation to Trump and his fascist tech bro posse.
2/3 of Europeans described the summer trade deal with the US as "a humilation". How much lower can you go?!
We will neither forgive nor forget.
2/3 of Europeans described the summer trade deal with the US as "a humilation". How much lower can you go?!
We will neither forgive nor forget.
Reposted by Elaine Burke
if you are considering submitting an application for this position, you still have just under 2 weeks to do so
any and all suitable candidates, please apply. everyone else, pls share with your networks
any and all suitable candidates, please apply. everyone else, pls share with your networks
📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd...
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
if you are considering submitting an application for this position, you still have just under 2 weeks to do so
any and all suitable candidates, please apply. everyone else, pls share with your networks
any and all suitable candidates, please apply. everyone else, pls share with your networks
Reposted by Elaine Burke
ICCL invites members of the public to contact us if they have received wrong answers from the AI chatbots used by the Department of Justice, and have suffered adverse consequences as a result.
Learn more ➡️ www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Learn more ➡️ www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Was the Department of Justice using experimental chatbots to give immigration advice? It has now retired its asylum chatbot Erin, but has infused Tara, the non-asylum immigration chatbot with AI. Read more here www.dublininquirer.com/was-the-depa...
Was the Department of Justice using experimental chatbots to give immigration advice?
“The public should not be used as guinea pigs, particularly vulnerable groups in a legal process which could be impacted by a chatbot giving an incorrect answer.”
www.dublininquirer.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:27 PM
ICCL invites members of the public to contact us if they have received wrong answers from the AI chatbots used by the Department of Justice, and have suffered adverse consequences as a result.
Learn more ➡️ www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Learn more ➡️ www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Reposted by Elaine Burke
"The Minister states that “the chatbot was tested extensively...checking responses to “55 questions out of which 53 were deemed successful"
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Our investigation into Irish Department of Justice use of chatbots. The department hides behind disclaimers while deploying misleading chatbots.
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Department of Justice chatbots mislead people seeking information
Irish Department of Justice internalises the AI hype and takes no responsibility for misleading chatbots.
www.iccl.ie
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
"The Minister states that “the chatbot was tested extensively...checking responses to “55 questions out of which 53 were deemed successful"
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Reposted by Elaine Burke
A new game seeks to get Dubliners to think about who is tracking them online. Two free exhibitions, hosted at the Beta Festival over the coming weekend, also explore the future of data privacy. www.dublininquirer.c...
November 19, 2025 at 8:40 AM
A new game seeks to get Dubliners to think about who is tracking them online. Two free exhibitions, hosted at the Beta Festival over the coming weekend, also explore the future of data privacy. www.dublininquirer.c...
Reposted by Elaine Burke
This is terrifying.
"[AI agents] can... infer a researcher's latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them."
...
"We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people" [email protected]
"[AI agents] can... infer a researcher's latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them."
...
"We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people" [email protected]
November 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This is terrifying.
"[AI agents] can... infer a researcher's latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them."
...
"We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people" [email protected]
"[AI agents] can... infer a researcher's latent hypotheses and produce data that artificially confirms them."
...
"We can no longer trust that survey responses are coming from real people" [email protected]
Reposted by Elaine Burke
Check out @earley.bsky.social on @newstalkfm.bsky.social chatting about the GTA 6 delay: www.newstalk.com/podcasts/new...
The Multibillion Game Delay That Has Everyone Losing the Plot | Newstalk
The release date for Grand Theft Auto VI has slipped again — it’s now not expected until late...
www.newstalk.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Check out @earley.bsky.social on @newstalkfm.bsky.social chatting about the GTA 6 delay: www.newstalk.com/podcasts/new...
"Europe faces an existential choice: build genuine technological sovereignty now, or accept governance by platforms whose architects view democracy as an obsolete operating system."
www.authoritarian-stack.info
www.authoritarian-stack.info
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
www.authoritarian-stack.info
November 18, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"Europe faces an existential choice: build genuine technological sovereignty now, or accept governance by platforms whose architects view democracy as an obsolete operating system."
www.authoritarian-stack.info
www.authoritarian-stack.info