Janelle Shane
@janelleshane.com
I write about the strange side of AI at aiweirdness.com
Also a laser scientist.
She/her. Colorado, USA
Also a laser scientist.
She/her. Colorado, USA
Pinned
Janelle Shane
@janelleshane.com
· Dec 14
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
When I wrote a book on AI in 2019, it focused on AIs making sneaky shortcuts.
Aside from the vintage generative text (Pumpkin Trash Break ice cream, anyone?), the algorithmic shortcutting is still completely recognizable today.
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
Aside from the vintage generative text (Pumpkin Trash Break ice cream, anyone?), the algorithmic shortcutting is still completely recognizable today.
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
✅ Machine learning driven weather models that boost forecast accuracy
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
The National Weather Service used AI to create a forecast for Idaho. Low chances of wind for the nonexistent towns of Cocrerrireod, Orangeotild and Whata Bod www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
January 7, 2026 at 5:50 PM
✅ Machine learning driven weather models that boost forecast accuracy
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
Reposted by Janelle Shane
This is one of the wildest deep-sea mining stories to me.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Recovery of Paleodictyon patterns after simulated mining activity on Pacific nodule fields - Marine Biodiversity
Since the late 1980s, various experiments have been conducted in polymetallic nodule fields of the Pacific Ocean to assess the potential environmental impacts of future mining, specifically in two are...
link.springer.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:21 PM
This is one of the wildest deep-sea mining stories to me.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Reposted by Janelle Shane
“What's interesting about this apology is not only did it write that it had definitely let the dinosaurs loose, it detailed concrete steps it was already taking to mitigate the situation.”
New AIWeirdness post: ChatGPT will apologize for anything, including stuff that didn't happen. It's not reflecting on stuff it did wrong, it's improv.
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
January 3, 2026 at 4:32 AM
“What's interesting about this apology is not only did it write that it had definitely let the dinosaurs loose, it detailed concrete steps it was already taking to mitigate the situation.”
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
New AIWeirdness post: ChatGPT will apologize for anything, including stuff that didn't happen. It's not reflecting on stuff it did wrong, it's improv.
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
January 3, 2026 at 4:06 AM
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Been thinking about this list of Christmas Entities I generated using GPT-3 www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-en...
![Hostile Choir
The Hostile Choir is a group of 13 dark, gray-skinned men in robes of purple with glowing red eyes, whose appearance heralds death. They sing an ominous song alternating between "[X], [X], you're dead" and "Bum bum bum bum / You're dead".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kq6mqqfqf6zg7fvyeu2h7g2o/bafkreicxczgccz2s4z7q6g7xvi7rpe4bo4x476iotl7hoovdpgf34jtpda@jpeg)
December 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Been thinking about this list of Christmas Entities I generated using GPT-3 www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-en...
I am so proud of this
My 14-year-old tried to sing the lyrics from your 2019 post, and he fell on the floor laughing so many times that we finally had to put down pillows. He is in his room now, singing "everywhere in the barn there were beavers’ eyes."
December 20, 2025 at 3:48 AM
I am so proud of this
Highly amused by the stories of companies using agentic AI chatbots to run their internal company stores, only for their employees to immediately Bugs Bunny the chatbot into giving them free stuff www.aiweirdness.com/when-a-chatb...
When a chatbot runs your store
You may have heard of "agentic AI", which is basically the idea that you can hook up a large language model to controls that do real things. The controls might run internet searches, run commands to o...
www.aiweirdness.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Highly amused by the stories of companies using agentic AI chatbots to run their internal company stores, only for their employees to immediately Bugs Bunny the chatbot into giving them free stuff www.aiweirdness.com/when-a-chatb...
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Psst: Notice where this wind/weather data is coming from. It's coming from NCAR.
One tiny blip of the kajillion things NCAR does to improve/advance weather forecasting.
#COwx
One tiny blip of the kajillion things NCAR does to improve/advance weather forecasting.
#COwx
The wind has arrived...
60+ mph gusts at the Mesa Lab in Boulder, all kicking up within the last half hour.
This moves into the rest of the metro area in the next few hours.
#COwx
60+ mph gusts at the Mesa Lab in Boulder, all kicking up within the last half hour.
This moves into the rest of the metro area in the next few hours.
#COwx
December 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Psst: Notice where this wind/weather data is coming from. It's coming from NCAR.
One tiny blip of the kajillion things NCAR does to improve/advance weather forecasting.
#COwx
One tiny blip of the kajillion things NCAR does to improve/advance weather forecasting.
#COwx
On this day of Christmas I bring to you: Christmas carols generated by a tiny vintage neural net.
This is from 2017, when I trained the neural net from scratch on my laptop using just Christmas carols.
In retrospect I can see the neural net got mixed signals
www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-ca...
This is from 2017, when I trained the neural net from scratch on my laptop using just Christmas carols.
In retrospect I can see the neural net got mixed signals
www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-ca...
![The story of the chimney see
Santa baby, and blood and joyous so world and joy and good will to see
Santa baby bore sweet Jesus Christ
Fa la la la la la la, la la la la la la la la.
King of toys and hippopotamuses [sic] full of the light of that stood at the dear Son of Santa Claus
He was born in a wonderful christmas tree
Run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolph, run, run Rudolf the new born King.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kq6mqqfqf6zg7fvyeu2h7g2o/bafkreid3da62yp5ng32esoqi4czq2l743s7fpocsakw7vwas4va7u57pji@jpeg)
December 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
On this day of Christmas I bring to you: Christmas carols generated by a tiny vintage neural net.
This is from 2017, when I trained the neural net from scratch on my laptop using just Christmas carols.
In retrospect I can see the neural net got mixed signals
www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-ca...
This is from 2017, when I trained the neural net from scratch on my laptop using just Christmas carols.
In retrospect I can see the neural net got mixed signals
www.aiweirdness.com/christmas-ca...
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Machine-learned AI is terrible for idea generation.
The algorithm is designed to *produce the most predictable next token*
Even as you try to push it to originality, it fights you and tries to pull it back to the most average tropes.
Its a PREDICTABILITY MACHINE.
The algorithm is designed to *produce the most predictable next token*
Even as you try to push it to originality, it fights you and tries to pull it back to the most average tropes.
Its a PREDICTABILITY MACHINE.
America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. But what if AI is the way to restart the world’s idea machine?
We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.
What if the best use of AI is restarting the world’s idea machine?
www.vox.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Machine-learned AI is terrible for idea generation.
The algorithm is designed to *produce the most predictable next token*
Even as you try to push it to originality, it fights you and tries to pull it back to the most average tropes.
Its a PREDICTABILITY MACHINE.
The algorithm is designed to *produce the most predictable next token*
Even as you try to push it to originality, it fights you and tries to pull it back to the most average tropes.
Its a PREDICTABILITY MACHINE.
FACT
If you give someone "Automatic Noodle" as a gift consider also promising to take them out for noodles after they finish reading the book. I assure you, they will need it.
If you need some last-minute gifts, books are the very best thing you can buy. Support your local indie bookstore, and give your friends and family a gift that will keep them warm and entertained during the holidays!
December 15, 2025 at 9:04 PM
FACT
Reposted by Janelle Shane
this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
December 15, 2025 at 2:21 AM
this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
Reposted by Janelle Shane
can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 AM
can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot
Reposted by Janelle Shane
One of my neighbors has been putting up these fish facts posters. All kinds of different fish, marine, freshwater, deep, shallow, all kinds. This is a good one. “Stg this real fish” took me out. Good work, neighbor.
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 PM
One of my neighbors has been putting up these fish facts posters. All kinds of different fish, marine, freshwater, deep, shallow, all kinds. This is a good one. “Stg this real fish” took me out. Good work, neighbor.
Reposted by Janelle Shane
We have this up on our TV like a Yule Log
Y'all the latest episode of the #Kilauea #eruption just went CRAZY. It looks like pressure built up enough to explode out the ground around the two existing vents (first few seconds), leading to a massive surge in lava fountaining.🌋🤯
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
December 6, 2025 at 8:40 PM
We have this up on our TV like a Yule Log
This was a really good episode! I never knew the Voynich manuscript was so old and interesting, and that there’s stuff linguists HAVE figured out about it
People are being significantly more excited about this Voynich manuscript episode than a typical bonus episode and it's just really fun to see!
If you've been on the fence about subscribing to the Lingthusiasm Patreon maybe this is your sign to go for it 👀
If you've been on the fence about subscribing to the Lingthusiasm Patreon maybe this is your sign to go for it 👀
A book containing puzzling drawings and a strange writing system has intrigued cryptographers, historians, linguists, and more for centuries...
In our latest bonus episode we get enthusiastic about the mysterious Voynich Manuscript with @chirila.bsky.social!
In our latest bonus episode we get enthusiastic about the mysterious Voynich Manuscript with @chirila.bsky.social!
December 6, 2025 at 5:18 AM
This was a really good episode! I never knew the Voynich manuscript was so old and interesting, and that there’s stuff linguists HAVE figured out about it
Don’t use text generators for search! Scroll right on past the “AI overview”! Unless you want an endless faucet of lies. Imaginary cats and lies
December 4, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Don’t use text generators for search! Scroll right on past the “AI overview”! Unless you want an endless faucet of lies. Imaginary cats and lies
Reposted by Janelle Shane
I so appreciate Lydia organizing this and making it easy for the rest of us to do a good thing. We’re more than halfway there now.
A mom in Portland has been separated from her child since June bc ICE kidnapped her. The only thing standing between her & her baby right now is a $7,500 bond. There's 5k to go. PLEASE let's do this. Many hands make light work. This is literally the reason for the gd mfing season gofund.me/3e980d9d3
Donate to Help us get an asylum seeker released from ICE detention, organized by CLEAR Clinic
Our client Lorena (pseudonym) is a single-parent asylum-seeker w… CLEAR Clinic needs your support for Help us get an asylum seeker released from ICE detention
gofund.me
December 2, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I so appreciate Lydia organizing this and making it easy for the rest of us to do a good thing. We’re more than halfway there now.
An interesting article illustrating why we go to the effort to make extra narrowband lasers
…AND a cautionary tale about using LLMs to write alt text!
…AND a cautionary tale about using LLMs to write alt text!
November 28, 2025 at 4:50 PM
An interesting article illustrating why we go to the effort to make extra narrowband lasers
…AND a cautionary tale about using LLMs to write alt text!
…AND a cautionary tale about using LLMs to write alt text!
Reposted by Janelle Shane
On sale in Germany, too (for €3.99).
The You Look Like a Thing and I Love You ebook is on sale for $2.99 at most US ebook places!
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:29 PM
On sale in Germany, too (for €3.99).
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Sorry I am still stuck on this infographic (unfographic)
If this was what it is like to be autistic in an allistic world I would also accept it. This is a pretty decent representation of auditory processing disorder. (Me in a meeting)
But again, not what they were going for.
If this was what it is like to be autistic in an allistic world I would also accept it. This is a pretty decent representation of auditory processing disorder. (Me in a meeting)
But again, not what they were going for.
"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se
November 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Sorry I am still stuck on this infographic (unfographic)
If this was what it is like to be autistic in an allistic world I would also accept it. This is a pretty decent representation of auditory processing disorder. (Me in a meeting)
But again, not what they were going for.
If this was what it is like to be autistic in an allistic world I would also accept it. This is a pretty decent representation of auditory processing disorder. (Me in a meeting)
But again, not what they were going for.
Reposted by Janelle Shane
This book is so funny and readable. I used it as the main text in my AI literacy class, and even though it predates the LLM horror-madness, it provided all the foundation we needed to really dig in. Great deal!
The You Look Like a Thing and I Love You ebook is on sale for $2.99 at most US ebook places!
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
This book is so funny and readable. I used it as the main text in my AI literacy class, and even though it predates the LLM horror-madness, it provided all the foundation we needed to really dig in. Great deal!
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Also available for CAD$2.99 at Canadian sites like Kobo!
The You Look Like a Thing and I Love You ebook is on sale for $2.99 at most US ebook places!
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Also available for CAD$2.99 at Canadian sites like Kobo!
The You Look Like a Thing and I Love You ebook is on sale for $2.99 at most US ebook places!
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The You Look Like a Thing and I Love You ebook is on sale for $2.99 at most US ebook places!
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
If you want a text-searchable copy of my book, now's your chance! Now you can find phrases such as:
- peeled rosemary
- Chaosrug
- King of the Poop Bug
- Silly Walks