Lisa Messeri
@lmesseri.bsky.social
anthropologist of sci & tech. Prof @Yale. author of "Placing Outer Space" and VR book "In the Land of the Unreal". tech criticism with good vibes.
Pinned
Lisa Messeri
@lmesseri.bsky.social
· Oct 21
AI Surrogates and illusions of generalizability in cognitive science
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated enthusiasm for using AI simulations of human research participants to generate new know…
www.sciencedirect.com
Can the human sciences exist w/out the human? Proposals for using AI as human research subjects suggest yes. But @mjcrockett.bsky.social and I respond with, ‘not so fast.’ In fact, silicon subjects say more about the problems of the research paradigm than the promises of AI. 🚨New article, thread 1/
Really enjoyed this piece by @pranavdixit.bsky.social on the demise of the Supernatural VR app. Grateful that Pranav quoted the central lesson I teach to undergrads in my "Technology and Culture" class. Highlight, tho, is the Roomba named "Mark Suckerberg."
www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-m...
www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-m...
February 3, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Really enjoyed this piece by @pranavdixit.bsky.social on the demise of the Supernatural VR app. Grateful that Pranav quoted the central lesson I teach to undergrads in my "Technology and Culture" class. Highlight, tho, is the Roomba named "Mark Suckerberg."
www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-m...
www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-m...
Using five courses i took in undergraduate to tell a specific story:
1. Unified Engineering
2. Autonomous Reasoning and Decision Making
3. Space Systems Engineering
4. Probabilistic Systems Analysis
5. The Rise of Modern Science
5, uh, set me on a completely different path
1. Unified Engineering
2. Autonomous Reasoning and Decision Making
3. Space Systems Engineering
4. Probabilistic Systems Analysis
5. The Rise of Modern Science
5, uh, set me on a completely different path
very fun:
1. Systems and Their Theory
2. Anthropology of Sound
3. Art and Ideology
4. The Medieval Book
5. White Masculinity and Sexuality in US Popular Culture
1. Systems and Their Theory
2. Anthropology of Sound
3. Art and Ideology
4. The Medieval Book
5. White Masculinity and Sexuality in US Popular Culture
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
January 31, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Using five courses i took in undergraduate to tell a specific story:
1. Unified Engineering
2. Autonomous Reasoning and Decision Making
3. Space Systems Engineering
4. Probabilistic Systems Analysis
5. The Rise of Modern Science
5, uh, set me on a completely different path
1. Unified Engineering
2. Autonomous Reasoning and Decision Making
3. Space Systems Engineering
4. Probabilistic Systems Analysis
5. The Rise of Modern Science
5, uh, set me on a completely different path
“Or do productivity increases from AI assistance undermine skill development?… We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery”
Another study showing that AI creates a world where we are producing more, but understanding less.
AI Bad.
Another study showing that AI creates a world where we are producing more, but understanding less.
AI Bad.
The latest from Anthropic: using Anthropic's products makes you worse at your job
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:52 AM
“Or do productivity increases from AI assistance undermine skill development?… We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery”
Another study showing that AI creates a world where we are producing more, but understanding less.
AI Bad.
Another study showing that AI creates a world where we are producing more, but understanding less.
AI Bad.
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
The latest from Anthropic: using Anthropic's products makes you worse at your job
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:47 PM
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
In 2021 I was telling people in my field of art history to stop legitimizing the use of image recognition, to stop applying for grants to use AI in identifying the subjects of portraiture bc this was what such work was being used to further. All this was obvious. theconversation.com/how-ai-is-hi...
January 30, 2026 at 12:24 PM
In 2021 I was telling people in my field of art history to stop legitimizing the use of image recognition, to stop applying for grants to use AI in identifying the subjects of portraiture bc this was what such work was being used to further. All this was obvious. theconversation.com/how-ai-is-hi...
I have a new article out! It’s about the “technological fictions” that Big Tech leaders perform during corporate keynotes, particular Zuck and Cook as they tried to sell the metaverse and spatial computing. 1/
Visions of Computing Futures: Meta, Apple, and the Technological Fictions of Digitally Real Worlds - Lisa Messeri, 2026
The vision of seamlessly integrating virtual and physical environments—variously called spatial computing and the metaverse—has been around for decades. Recentl...
journals.sagepub.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:40 PM
I have a new article out! It’s about the “technological fictions” that Big Tech leaders perform during corporate keynotes, particular Zuck and Cook as they tried to sell the metaverse and spatial computing. 1/
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
Just in time to be in conversation with Meta's backing off of Horizon Worlds--new from me in Games & Culture: "Metaverse Engineering: Epic v. Apple, Ontopolitical Play, and Gaming the Law."
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Just in time to be in conversation with Meta's backing off of Horizon Worlds--new from me in Games & Culture: "Metaverse Engineering: Epic v. Apple, Ontopolitical Play, and Gaming the Law."
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I haven't had words to capture what i've been feeling, so i've just been reading others' words. The Boss reminds: just say the names and describe the acts of the people who are evil. that's enough for now. Get Noem and Miller and anyone who was even close to this out of power. ICE out now.
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 11:45 PM
I haven't had words to capture what i've been feeling, so i've just been reading others' words. The Boss reminds: just say the names and describe the acts of the people who are evil. that's enough for now. Get Noem and Miller and anyone who was even close to this out of power. ICE out now.
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
AI can crunch data. It can’t replace scientists.
Real discovery still depends on human judgment, creativity and collaboration. buff.ly/g48SKCW
Real discovery still depends on human judgment, creativity and collaboration. buff.ly/g48SKCW
AI cannot automate science – a philosopher explains the uniquely human aspects of doing research
While AI can streamline certain parts of the scientific process, a philosopher argues that it cannot replace human expertise and collaboration.
theconversation.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:14 PM
AI can crunch data. It can’t replace scientists.
Real discovery still depends on human judgment, creativity and collaboration. buff.ly/g48SKCW
Real discovery still depends on human judgment, creativity and collaboration. buff.ly/g48SKCW
this was an instant read for me. beautiful essay, @tamigraph.bsky.social!
Limn 13 Spotlight Series
Tamara Kneese questions the credibility of AI chatbots in tracing family histories of Yiddish theater.
Limn 13 - Ghostwriters
Out now.
limn.press/article/data...
Tamara Kneese questions the credibility of AI chatbots in tracing family histories of Yiddish theater.
Limn 13 - Ghostwriters
Out now.
limn.press/article/data...
January 20, 2026 at 10:26 PM
this was an instant read for me. beautiful essay, @tamigraph.bsky.social!
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
“There needs to be some deep reckoning with what we do with a tool that benefits individuals but destroys science.” @lmesseri.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
AI has supercharged scientists—but may have shrunk science
Analysis of 41 million papers finds that although AI expands individual impact, it narrows collective scientific exploration
www.science.org
January 19, 2026 at 9:26 AM
“There needs to be some deep reckoning with what we do with a tool that benefits individuals but destroys science.” @lmesseri.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
Let's start by not believing the claims being made corporations about these products when it comes to education. Do not let a whole generation be guinea pigs. Demand rigorous evidence of efficacy before incorporating into classrooms.
"The sweeping study... found that using AI in education can 'undermine children's foundational development' and that 'the damages it has already caused are daunting.'"
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Let's start by not believing the claims being made corporations about these products when it comes to education. Do not let a whole generation be guinea pigs. Demand rigorous evidence of efficacy before incorporating into classrooms.
The new framing by promoters of AI Scientists is that you still need an experienced human in the loop (as stated in this article). But HOW do you get such a human if these tools are used earlier and earlier in training and education. Also, the article gives the answer to the title's question: no.
Can A.I. Generate New Ideas?
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:43 PM
The new framing by promoters of AI Scientists is that you still need an experienced human in the loop (as stated in this article). But HOW do you get such a human if these tools are used earlier and earlier in training and education. Also, the article gives the answer to the title's question: no.
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
About the Conference
www.4sonline.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
MAIHT3k newsletter:
The narrative of the denialism frame is that those opposing "AI" are afraid, under-informed and/or engaging in wishful thinking. None of that is true: The people who oppose the "AI" project are actively fighting and refusing to accept the premise of tech bros and AI boosters.
The narrative of the denialism frame is that those opposing "AI" are afraid, under-informed and/or engaging in wishful thinking. None of that is true: The people who oppose the "AI" project are actively fighting and refusing to accept the premise of tech bros and AI boosters.
Resistance Isn't Denialism
By Emily I've recently noticed a new tactic on the part of AI boosters to attempt to erase the work of people who are resisting the project of "AI" and...
buttondown.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:20 PM
MAIHT3k newsletter:
The narrative of the denialism frame is that those opposing "AI" are afraid, under-informed and/or engaging in wishful thinking. None of that is true: The people who oppose the "AI" project are actively fighting and refusing to accept the premise of tech bros and AI boosters.
The narrative of the denialism frame is that those opposing "AI" are afraid, under-informed and/or engaging in wishful thinking. None of that is true: The people who oppose the "AI" project are actively fighting and refusing to accept the premise of tech bros and AI boosters.
If Fbook's purchase of Oculus in 2014 was the start of VR hype, Meta's reduction of Reality Labs is an official end of that chapter. But don't be fooled, Meta still wants to put a screen between you and the world. It's more pernicious, in the form of always-on, AI infused Ray-Bans. The cycle repeats
Meta Plans to Cut Around 10% of Employees in Reality Labs Business
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:03 PM
If Fbook's purchase of Oculus in 2014 was the start of VR hype, Meta's reduction of Reality Labs is an official end of that chapter. But don't be fooled, Meta still wants to put a screen between you and the world. It's more pernicious, in the form of always-on, AI infused Ray-Bans. The cycle repeats
they had me at "worker-owned" and kept me with "We will not use AI, because it has no taste."
Condé Nast forgot to renew the trademark for Gourmet and so a group of journalists grabbed it and are relaunching the food magazine as a worker-owned co-op. Love it. [gourmetmagazine.net]
Gourmet Magazine
Gourmet is a worker-owned publication about food and the people who make and consume it.
gourmetmagazine.net
January 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM
they had me at "worker-owned" and kept me with "We will not use AI, because it has no taste."
💯 "It would be a mistake to simply celebrate the death of the metaverse. Instead, we should understand why such a delusional fervor took hold so that we can inoculate ourselves as the next one spreads."
tho i'm biased toward this reading given the book and articles i've written abt VR/metaverse ;)
tho i'm biased toward this reading given the book and articles i've written abt VR/metaverse ;)
I wrote about why we should understand the metaverse hype cycle as a dress rehearsal for the generative AI hype cycle www.fastcompany.com/91467599/met...
What was the metaverse?
Mark Zuckerberg effectively declared its death last December. But the delusional fervor it inspired lives on.
www.fastcompany.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:53 PM
💯 "It would be a mistake to simply celebrate the death of the metaverse. Instead, we should understand why such a delusional fervor took hold so that we can inoculate ourselves as the next one spreads."
tho i'm biased toward this reading given the book and articles i've written abt VR/metaverse ;)
tho i'm biased toward this reading given the book and articles i've written abt VR/metaverse ;)
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
Please apply (or encourage your grad students to apply) to our awesome funded summer program by January 15th!
Thanks to generous funding from the @sloanfoundation.bsky.social, John Basl and I are thrilled to be running the AI and Data Ethics summer school in 2026! ~12 graduate students, $10k stipend, 9 weeks to learn about scientific and ethical issues raised by AI. Please apply! aidesummer.org
AIDE Summer
AI + Data Ethics (AIDE) Summer is intended for graduate students with advanced training in applied ethics, ethical theory, philosophy of science, metascience, epistemology, or other areas with potenti...
aidesummer.org
January 12, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Please apply (or encourage your grad students to apply) to our awesome funded summer program by January 15th!
"Sam Altman has defended the technology’s “right to learn” from books and articles, “like a human can.” This deceptive, feel-good idea prevents the public discussion we need to have about how AI companies are using the creative and intellectual works upon which they are utterly dependent."
AI’s Memorization Crisis
Large language models don’t “learn”—they copy. And that could change everything for the tech industry.
www.theatlantic.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:16 PM
"Sam Altman has defended the technology’s “right to learn” from books and articles, “like a human can.” This deceptive, feel-good idea prevents the public discussion we need to have about how AI companies are using the creative and intellectual works upon which they are utterly dependent."
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
we're hiring in STS @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social!
deadline coming up soon (February 8). focus is the social science-y corners of STS preferably w/ some interest in sustainability & environment - but interpreted broadly.
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
deadline coming up soon (February 8). focus is the social science-y corners of STS preferably w/ some interest in sustainability & environment - but interpreted broadly.
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
Assistant Professor Science, Technology and Society Studies
Assistant Professor Science, Technology and Society Studies
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl
January 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM
we're hiring in STS @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social!
deadline coming up soon (February 8). focus is the social science-y corners of STS preferably w/ some interest in sustainability & environment - but interpreted broadly.
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
deadline coming up soon (February 8). focus is the social science-y corners of STS preferably w/ some interest in sustainability & environment - but interpreted broadly.
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
I do not like writing abstracts for articles. How tempting it would be to give this task to an LLM. But an abstract isn't only a summary. It freshly articulates an argument that took 8,000 words to write in just 150 words. It signals the most powerful ideas, not simply the most frequent ideas.
December 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I do not like writing abstracts for articles. How tempting it would be to give this task to an LLM. But an abstract isn't only a summary. It freshly articulates an argument that took 8,000 words to write in just 150 words. It signals the most powerful ideas, not simply the most frequent ideas.
<3 I remain so happy and humbled that "In the Land of the Unreal" won the Bateson prize from the Society for Cultural Anthropology and was an honorable mention for the Fleck Prize from the Society for the Social Studies of Science. It was a good year for this book that I worked so hard on.
Sending congratulations to all the DUP authors who have won awards and honors for their books this fall! See them all on our blog: buff.ly/2JZRktP
December 22, 2025 at 4:09 PM
<3 I remain so happy and humbled that "In the Land of the Unreal" won the Bateson prize from the Society for Cultural Anthropology and was an honorable mention for the Fleck Prize from the Society for the Social Studies of Science. It was a good year for this book that I worked so hard on.
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
FWIW, the jury is still out on Gen AI being good at text summaries. Because it shortens & emphasizes text based on distribution, not meaning, it’s less of a summary (ie, salient points highlighted) than a compression (ie, the most frequently asserted terms in the distribution). Not the same thing!
December 21, 2025 at 8:47 PM
FWIW, the jury is still out on Gen AI being good at text summaries. Because it shortens & emphasizes text based on distribution, not meaning, it’s less of a summary (ie, salient points highlighted) than a compression (ie, the most frequently asserted terms in the distribution). Not the same thing!
Reposted by Lisa Messeri
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...