Tomer Ullman
@tomerullman.bsky.social
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Harvard University. Computation, cognition, development.
whenever a new video-generation model comes out I check if it can create centaurs from the prompt 'half-man, half-horse'.
The answer is almost always 'no'.
This is Veo 3.1's response to "a half-man, half-horse creature running along the beach"
The answer is almost always 'no'.
This is Veo 3.1's response to "a half-man, half-horse creature running along the beach"
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
whenever a new video-generation model comes out I check if it can create centaurs from the prompt 'half-man, half-horse'.
The answer is almost always 'no'.
This is Veo 3.1's response to "a half-man, half-horse creature running along the beach"
The answer is almost always 'no'.
This is Veo 3.1's response to "a half-man, half-horse creature running along the beach"
my daughter has been making little bunny guys and I liked them so much I made them into stickers
November 24, 2025 at 1:55 PM
my daughter has been making little bunny guys and I liked them so much I made them into stickers
Personal Statements, Addendum:
some are written as if the applicant is a passive object that greater forces act on:
"I was led to X | this moved me to Y | I become fascinated by Z"
I encourage you to position your "journey" as an active choice, with you as the agent that makes the choices.
some are written as if the applicant is a passive object that greater forces act on:
"I was led to X | this moved me to Y | I become fascinated by Z"
I encourage you to position your "journey" as an active choice, with you as the agent that makes the choices.
I again caution that that advice isn't meant to fit everyone; personal statements ARE personal and used differently (or not at all). I am only addressing a specific thing that I sometimes see students facing, when they think it HAS to be about challenges met and overcome.
November 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Personal Statements, Addendum:
some are written as if the applicant is a passive object that greater forces act on:
"I was led to X | this moved me to Y | I become fascinated by Z"
I encourage you to position your "journey" as an active choice, with you as the agent that makes the choices.
some are written as if the applicant is a passive object that greater forces act on:
"I was led to X | this moved me to Y | I become fascinated by Z"
I encourage you to position your "journey" as an active choice, with you as the agent that makes the choices.
noticing something about the Bhavacakra
November 21, 2025 at 1:55 PM
noticing something about the Bhavacakra
Reposted by Tomer Ullman
How and when and why do children use loopholes?
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Lying and 6 Other Things Babies Learn Early
YouTube video by SciShow
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 7:49 PM
How and when and why do children use loopholes?
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
How and when and why do children use loopholes?
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Lying and 6 Other Things Babies Learn Early
YouTube video by SciShow
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 7:49 PM
How and when and why do children use loopholes?
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
Our research on this hits the Big Time*:
(* Big time = SciShow, with Hank Greene)
youtu.be/f7FhKywXRGk?...
(original paper in question: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...)
I proposed these names for new AI-induced Psychoses a few months ago as a joke but the emails I've been getting have pushed me to think Banotti Mania may actually be a thing
AI heralds a golden age for clinicians who want to name new disorders; just throwing some out there:
Fournier Jitters: a particular form of anxiety, in which the person affected cannot make a decision or voice opinion without checking first with an AI assistant
Fournier Jitters: a particular form of anxiety, in which the person affected cannot make a decision or voice opinion without checking first with an AI assistant
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
I proposed these names for new AI-induced Psychoses a few months ago as a joke but the emails I've been getting have pushed me to think Banotti Mania may actually be a thing
Officially out in the current issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences:
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
November 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Officially out in the current issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences:
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
I can't claim to understand what it's like to be that guy from Memento, but I do have to pull up my phone and scroll through photos in order to answer the question 'so what did you do this weekend?'
November 16, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I can't claim to understand what it's like to be that guy from Memento, but I do have to pull up my phone and scroll through photos in order to answer the question 'so what did you do this weekend?'
something i noticed in preparing a class
November 14, 2025 at 2:01 PM
something i noticed in preparing a class
wonder if I can re-arranging this Epstein name dump to the tune of We Didn't Start the Fire
November 14, 2025 at 3:30 AM
wonder if I can re-arranging this Epstein name dump to the tune of We Didn't Start the Fire
dear academic book presses 👋
Don't Do This 🤗
Don't Do This 🤗
November 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM
dear academic book presses 👋
Don't Do This 🤗
Don't Do This 🤗
A chiliagon is a 1000-sided polygon, famous in philosophy for Descartes using it as an example of the diff b/w imagining something visually and conceptualizing it.
Anyway I tried to get Gemini to draw it
Anyway I tried to get Gemini to draw it
November 11, 2025 at 2:09 PM
A chiliagon is a 1000-sided polygon, famous in philosophy for Descartes using it as an example of the diff b/w imagining something visually and conceptualizing it.
Anyway I tried to get Gemini to draw it
Anyway I tried to get Gemini to draw it
Reposted by Tomer Ullman
ICYMI
I wrote a funny book to trick children into reading literature!
I wrote a funny book to trick children into reading literature!
After generations of family adventures, Sawyer Lee is determined to sink in the couch! The problem is that it will take a regrettable amount of energy for him to escape the mysteries, conspiracies, and gourd-based festivities the whole town throws his way.
us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
ICYMI
I wrote a funny book to trick children into reading literature!
I wrote a funny book to trick children into reading literature!
new pre-print,
"Chain of Time: In-Context Physical Simulation with Image Generation Models"
(by Wang, Bigelow, Li, and me)
arxiv.org/abs/2511.00110
"Chain of Time: In-Context Physical Simulation with Image Generation Models"
(by Wang, Bigelow, Li, and me)
arxiv.org/abs/2511.00110
November 10, 2025 at 1:57 PM
new pre-print,
"Chain of Time: In-Context Physical Simulation with Image Generation Models"
(by Wang, Bigelow, Li, and me)
arxiv.org/abs/2511.00110
"Chain of Time: In-Context Physical Simulation with Image Generation Models"
(by Wang, Bigelow, Li, and me)
arxiv.org/abs/2511.00110
can we all agree on a short designator to the paragraph "LLMs have proven surprisingly useful at (X), but are still not great at (Y), and we don't uite understand what's going on" and just move to using that?
Feels like it would save time/space for many papers to both Reader and Writer.
Feels like it would save time/space for many papers to both Reader and Writer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:33 PM
can we all agree on a short designator to the paragraph "LLMs have proven surprisingly useful at (X), but are still not great at (Y), and we don't uite understand what's going on" and just move to using that?
Feels like it would save time/space for many papers to both Reader and Writer.
Feels like it would save time/space for many papers to both Reader and Writer.
[whispering to date while watching Frankenstein when Frankenstein first appears on the screen] That's The Monster
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
[whispering to date while watching Frankenstein when Frankenstein first appears on the screen] That's The Monster
the girl (9) made a postcard for Illinois. I'm not exactly sure on the "Why" but full marks for the "What"
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
the girl (9) made a postcard for Illinois. I'm not exactly sure on the "Why" but full marks for the "What"
PART 2: LETTERS
1. "warn" people ahead of time that you are going to ask them for letters, it takes a while to write these.
2. Some ppl think more letters = better. I don't. Letters are not additive, they average. If you have 4 letters that correspond to [8, 8, 9, 6], just send in the top 3.
1. "warn" people ahead of time that you are going to ask them for letters, it takes a while to write these.
2. Some ppl think more letters = better. I don't. Letters are not additive, they average. If you have 4 letters that correspond to [8, 8, 9, 6], just send in the top 3.
PART 1: THE RESEARCH STATEMENT
This is about 'WHAT is it that you want to do, why this PLACE/PI specifically, why are YOU the relevant person to be doing THIS'.
Standard structure:
There is no one right way to do this, but here is a good breakdown:
This is about 'WHAT is it that you want to do, why this PLACE/PI specifically, why are YOU the relevant person to be doing THIS'.
Standard structure:
There is no one right way to do this, but here is a good breakdown:
November 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
PART 2: LETTERS
1. "warn" people ahead of time that you are going to ask them for letters, it takes a while to write these.
2. Some ppl think more letters = better. I don't. Letters are not additive, they average. If you have 4 letters that correspond to [8, 8, 9, 6], just send in the top 3.
1. "warn" people ahead of time that you are going to ask them for letters, it takes a while to write these.
2. Some ppl think more letters = better. I don't. Letters are not additive, they average. If you have 4 letters that correspond to [8, 8, 9, 6], just send in the top 3.
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
