Maddy Jalbert
@maddyjalbert.bsky.social
Research Scientist at the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. Social Psych PhD at USC. I study misinformation correction and how people make judgments of truth. Otherwise probably in the mountains. She/her
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
Check out "The persuasive potential of AI-paraphrased information at scale," an open-access article exploring "AIPasta," written by a team of @cip.uw.edu researchers led by @dashsaloni.bsky.social with co-authors @yiweixu.bsky.social, @maddyjalbert.bsky.social and @emmaspiro.bsky.social ⤵️
Repeating duplicated messages—known as CopyPasta—over and over online is a common misinformation strategy. Using AI to paraphrase the message, what the authors call “AIPasta,” could be even more effective at creating a false consensus. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
August 11, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Check out "The persuasive potential of AI-paraphrased information at scale," an open-access article exploring "AIPasta," written by a team of @cip.uw.edu researchers led by @dashsaloni.bsky.social with co-authors @yiweixu.bsky.social, @maddyjalbert.bsky.social and @emmaspiro.bsky.social ⤵️
I think perceptions of how common the behavior is is part of the mechanism proposed in the original paper but really need to go back in and do a closer read of it! Definitely agree that they’re connected judgments though.
August 12, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I think perceptions of how common the behavior is is part of the mechanism proposed in the original paper but really need to go back in and do a closer read of it! Definitely agree that they’re connected judgments though.
The repetition/moral condemnation work is nice. Recommend the original Effron & Raj (2020) piece and this Pillai et al (2023) extension - note that it’s following up on the finding for judgments of the news itself, not sharing pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37428445/
Repeatedly Encountered Descriptions of Wrongdoing Seem More True but Less Unethical: Evidence in a Naturalistic Setting - PubMed
When news about moral transgressions goes viral on social media, the same person may repeatedly encounter identical reports about a wrongdoing. In a longitudinal experiment (<i>N</i> = 607 U.S. adults...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
August 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The repetition/moral condemnation work is nice. Recommend the original Effron & Raj (2020) piece and this Pillai et al (2023) extension - note that it’s following up on the finding for judgments of the news itself, not sharing pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37428445/
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
Excited to announce that my paper "The persuasive potential of AI-paraphrased information at scale" with my wonderful collaborators @yiweixu.bsky.social, @maddyjalbert.bsky.social, and @emmaspiro.bsky.social has been published at PNAS Nexus!
Link: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Link: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
The persuasive potential of AI-paraphrased information at scale
Abstract. In this article, we study how AI-paraphrased messages have the potential to amplify the persuasive impact and scale of information campaigns. Bui
academic.oup.com
July 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Excited to announce that my paper "The persuasive potential of AI-paraphrased information at scale" with my wonderful collaborators @yiweixu.bsky.social, @maddyjalbert.bsky.social, and @emmaspiro.bsky.social has been published at PNAS Nexus!
Link: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Link: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
Hi friends, the Spark Society's NSF funding has been terminated. We are dedicated to continuing our work and hope we can rely on you for support.
If you want to help support our mission, you can donate here buy.stripe.com/3cs03h1be38D...
Stripe Checkout
buy.stripe.com
April 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Hi friends, the Spark Society's NSF funding has been terminated. We are dedicated to continuing our work and hope we can rely on you for support.
Ugh, I’m so sorry. It’s wild :(. You’re not paid direct, are you? If you are, we should dm to coordinate as it’s unclear to me how to navigate the finances regarding the stipend now and I’m hopefully talking to my PO tomorrow.
April 21, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Ugh, I’m so sorry. It’s wild :(. You’re not paid direct, are you? If you are, we should dm to coordinate as it’s unclear to me how to navigate the finances regarding the stipend now and I’m hopefully talking to my PO tomorrow.
The email I received for my termination is not even specific to my funding as it includes details that aren’t consistent with how my grant operates.
April 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The email I received for my termination is not even specific to my funding as it includes details that aren’t consistent with how my grant operates.
This funding is my sole source of income (as per my agreement with NSF, you are not allowed to take on other work). Additionally, because I am paid directly by the NSF, my university does not consider me to be an employee so I don’t have the same protections as other employed postdocs.
April 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This funding is my sole source of income (as per my agreement with NSF, you are not allowed to take on other work). Additionally, because I am paid directly by the NSF, my university does not consider me to be an employee so I don’t have the same protections as other employed postdocs.
I got an email yesterday afternoon that my NSF SPRF Postdoctoral Fellowship was terminated. My grant focused on testing interventions to address online misinformation and I was 8 months into a two year appointment.
Friday Night Massacre of accurate information.
A devastating day for the USA as tens of millions of dollars of grants seeking to combat the spread of false information were terminated. We have a federal govenrment that does not consider the verifiable truth a priority. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
A devastating day for the USA as tens of millions of dollars of grants seeking to combat the spread of false information were terminated. We have a federal govenrment that does not consider the verifiable truth a priority. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
Updates on NSF Priorities
www.nsf.gov
April 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I got an email yesterday afternoon that my NSF SPRF Postdoctoral Fellowship was terminated. My grant focused on testing interventions to address online misinformation and I was 8 months into a two year appointment.
Well last time he wore the glasses he got more attention so 🤷🏻♀️
February 19, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Well last time he wore the glasses he got more attention so 🤷🏻♀️
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
NEW: We obtained the directions NSF program officers are following to review all grants for compliance with the Trump EOs and the turmoil it has created in an agency mandated to broaden STEM participation. Our story: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders
The US National Science Foundation has unfrozen grant funding, but it continues to scrutinize research projects, sowing turmoil.
www.nature.com
February 3, 2025 at 11:05 PM
NEW: We obtained the directions NSF program officers are following to review all grants for compliance with the Trump EOs and the turmoil it has created in an agency mandated to broaden STEM participation. Our story: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
NSF froze payments to researchers.
State AGs said it was unconstitutional for exec branch to pause congressionally mandated funds.
Judge issued restraining order.
Payments resumed.
But some inconsistencies in what the NSF has said (thread):
www.statnews.com/2025/02/02/n...
State AGs said it was unconstitutional for exec branch to pause congressionally mandated funds.
Judge issued restraining order.
Payments resumed.
But some inconsistencies in what the NSF has said (thread):
www.statnews.com/2025/02/02/n...
National Science Foundation restores payments after five-day pause, but worries over science funding persist
The NSF said on Sunday that its payment system was back on line, after it froze out researchers and sparked financial worries.
www.statnews.com
February 2, 2025 at 10:06 PM
NSF froze payments to researchers.
State AGs said it was unconstitutional for exec branch to pause congressionally mandated funds.
Judge issued restraining order.
Payments resumed.
But some inconsistencies in what the NSF has said (thread):
www.statnews.com/2025/02/02/n...
State AGs said it was unconstitutional for exec branch to pause congressionally mandated funds.
Judge issued restraining order.
Payments resumed.
But some inconsistencies in what the NSF has said (thread):
www.statnews.com/2025/02/02/n...
UAW 4121 is organizing and we had a great phone banking session today with unions across the country! Having their backing is the best.
January 31, 2025 at 3:17 AM
UAW 4121 is organizing and we had a great phone banking session today with unions across the country! Having their backing is the best.
(I called it a salary in my main post but technically it’s a stipend)
January 31, 2025 at 1:50 AM
(I called it a salary in my main post but technically it’s a stipend)
have employee protections or benefits. The stipend I receive is also lower than the minimum established by my university for postdocs who are considered employees 🙃. So it’s prestigious but (at least at my university) a much more vulnerable position to be in.
January 31, 2025 at 1:49 AM
have employee protections or benefits. The stipend I receive is also lower than the minimum established by my university for postdocs who are considered employees 🙃. So it’s prestigious but (at least at my university) a much more vulnerable position to be in.
(I called it a “salary” in the main post but technically it’s a stipend - there is no paycheck)
January 31, 2025 at 1:48 AM
(I called it a “salary” in the main post but technically it’s a stipend - there is no paycheck)
NSF Fellows are in a unique situation. The funds are distributed directly from NSF and are available for me to withdraw on a disbursement schedule. Technically I’m not employed by either the NSF or my university. I have an appointment at my university but am not considered an employee so I don’t
January 31, 2025 at 1:48 AM
NSF Fellows are in a unique situation. The funds are distributed directly from NSF and are available for me to withdraw on a disbursement schedule. Technically I’m not employed by either the NSF or my university. I have an appointment at my university but am not considered an employee so I don’t
are due for payment sooner or may not have withdrawn their full stipend upfront. It’s unclear at what point taking on other funding would be allowed.
January 31, 2025 at 1:07 AM
are due for payment sooner or may not have withdrawn their full stipend upfront. It’s unclear at what point taking on other funding would be allowed.
The situation is confusing as, per the contract with NSF, you’re not allowed to take on outside work from your university and I’m not technically a university employee. You can withdraw your stipend on a dispersement schedule so I’m technically paid until Feb 15th, but some postdocs
January 31, 2025 at 1:07 AM
The situation is confusing as, per the contract with NSF, you’re not allowed to take on outside work from your university and I’m not technically a university employee. You can withdraw your stipend on a dispersement schedule so I’m technically paid until Feb 15th, but some postdocs
Calling reps and Senators is great. I would also recommend connecting with local postdoc/student worker unions to see if there are any actions you can get involved in – there’s some great work going on there.
January 31, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Calling reps and Senators is great. I would also recommend connecting with local postdoc/student worker unions to see if there are any actions you can get involved in – there’s some great work going on there.
I am one of these NSF postdocs. NSF has frozen everyone’s access to their salaries and research stipends (that were already awarded) with no information about when they might be expected to be unfrozen. It still appears like we are expected to continue doing our work though.
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
It’s official: all funding requests made on Tuesday by postdocs for their salaries have been unilaterally rejected by NSF.
January 31, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I am one of these NSF postdocs. NSF has frozen everyone’s access to their salaries and research stipends (that were already awarded) with no information about when they might be expected to be unfrozen. It still appears like we are expected to continue doing our work though.
Reposted by Maddy Jalbert
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
It’s official: all funding requests made on Tuesday by postdocs for their salaries have been unilaterally rejected by NSF.
January 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
Fingers crossed for you too! Terrible and devastating in so many ways.
January 30, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Fingers crossed for you too! Terrible and devastating in so many ways.
What I don’t know is what happens if you’re employed by your university and they don’t have the funds. Your own HR is probably the place to go!
January 30, 2025 at 1:42 AM
What I don’t know is what happens if you’re employed by your university and they don’t have the funds. Your own HR is probably the place to go!
I had already withdrawn what was available to me for the current period. I have more funds available mid-February so if things are still paused at that point, that’s when I’ll be impacted.
January 30, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I had already withdrawn what was available to me for the current period. I have more funds available mid-February so if things are still paused at that point, that’s when I’ll be impacted.