Tuomas Pernu
@tuomaspernu.bsky.social
PhD and all that. Lecturer in Philosophy of Science and Research Ethics at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). Some things I'm responsible for:
http://www.tuomaspernu.london
http://www.tuomaspernu.london
Pinned
Tuomas Pernu
@tuomaspernu.bsky.social
· Mar 7
‘It would be seen as political’: why the Royal Society is torn over Elon Musk
Many fellows feel the billionaire has breached its code of conduct, but others say scientific neutrality is at stake
www.theguardian.com
“My worry is that ejecting Musk from the Royal Society would be seen as a political move.”
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
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 5:02 PM
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
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
"Yksittäisellä yliopistolla on kannustin keventää tutkintoja sisällöllisesti niin, että tutkintoja valmistuu aikaisempaa enemmän ja nopeammin sen sijaan, että huomio olisi inhimillisen pääoman lisäämisessä eli koulutuksen laadullisissa kysymyksissä."
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
Erinomainen puheenvuoro yliopistojen rahoitusmallista.
Sami Moisio ja Hannu Vartiainen: Yliopistojen rahoitusmalli vaarantaa inhimillisen pääoman karttumisen
Rahoitusmallin logiikan ei pitäisi ole ristiriidassa Suomen kasvustrategian kanssa, kirjoittavat professorit Sami Moisio ja Hannu Vartiainen.
suomenkuvalehti.fi
January 28, 2026 at 7:03 PM
"Yksittäisellä yliopistolla on kannustin keventää tutkintoja sisällöllisesti niin, että tutkintoja valmistuu aikaisempaa enemmän ja nopeammin sen sijaan, että huomio olisi inhimillisen pääoman lisäämisessä eli koulutuksen laadullisissa kysymyksissä."
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
What an overly comfy view of LLMs. Just one, crucial, thing:
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
In a new feature for @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social, Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi reflects on how LLMs are changing PhD supervision, research culture and the future of scientific discovery. Read more ⬇️
www.kcl.ac.uk/rethinking-r...
www.kcl.ac.uk/rethinking-r...
Rethinking Research: Why Humans Still Matter in the Age of LLMs
Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi reflects on the role of humans in scientific research.
www.kcl.ac.uk
January 28, 2026 at 12:27 PM
What an overly comfy view of LLMs. Just one, crucial, thing:
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
OpenAI just released Prism, a LaTeX editor with embedded ChatGPT for free.
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:01 PM
OpenAI just released Prism, a LaTeX editor with embedded ChatGPT for free.
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
This!
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
France announced today it’s phasing out Teams, Zoom, etc. to be replaced with a French/European solution called Visio. The data is hosted on Outscale. Transcripts and subtitles are also handled by French providers. The target is set on 2027 for government agencies.
January 26, 2026 at 6:46 PM
This!
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
January 24, 2026 at 8:29 PM
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
January 19, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
The Norwegian government is staying fairly quiet for now, but as a sign of the shifting vibe here the former head of Norway’s armed forces has come out and called the US a “neo-fascist banana republic” and a “hostile great power without norms”. www.dn.no/politikk/tid...
Tidligere forsvarssjef om Trumps USA: – Neo-fascistisk bananrepublikk (+)
Tidligere forsvarssjef Sverre Diesen mener USA er blitt «en normløs og fiendtlig innstilt stormakt», og advarer samtidig mot å feste vår lit til Europa. Harald Sunde mener det haster med en plan B.
www.dn.no
January 19, 2026 at 8:56 PM
The Norwegian government is staying fairly quiet for now, but as a sign of the shifting vibe here the former head of Norway’s armed forces has come out and called the US a “neo-fascist banana republic” and a “hostile great power without norms”. www.dn.no/politikk/tid...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Worth every second
January 15, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Worth every second
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
From dial-up days to now, travel through Wikipedia's history.
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
January 15, 2026 at 7:44 PM
From dial-up days to now, travel through Wikipedia's history.
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Hate to tell you I told you so.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
One of my concerns with AI-assisted research in biology is that we're already looking only in the lamplight and AI incentivizes us to narrow the beam. Seems like it's happening...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus - Nature
Artificial intelligence boosts individual scientists’ output, citations and career progression, but collectively narrows research diversity and reduces collaboration, concentrating work in data-rich a...
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Hate to tell you I told you so.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
€307M for AI *technologies. Cool, but AI (machine learning, that is) is carrying significant cultural, political and societal consequences - many of which are blatant, major *problems. When will the EU invest significant amounts in studying these issues? My advice: be fast. Soon it'll be too late.
Over €307 million in funding are now available for #AI and related technologies.
Two new calls have just been launched under the Horizon Europe Work Programme, mobilising €307.3M to strengthen Europe’s digital innovation & competitiveness.
Two new calls have just been launched under the Horizon Europe Work Programme, mobilising €307.3M to strengthen Europe’s digital innovation & competitiveness.
January 15, 2026 at 3:25 PM
€307M for AI *technologies. Cool, but AI (machine learning, that is) is carrying significant cultural, political and societal consequences - many of which are blatant, major *problems. When will the EU invest significant amounts in studying these issues? My advice: be fast. Soon it'll be too late.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was quietly stripped of his Royal Fellowship of the RS in 2022. Something to do with his conduct, I believe…
January 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was quietly stripped of his Royal Fellowship of the RS in 2022. Something to do with his conduct, I believe…
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
How is it so difficult for @royalsociety.org to do its job? Namely: to *defend the conditions for science*. Nobody has delivered a more concrete and direct attack on science than Elon Musk & the US government. Boot him!
January 14, 2026 at 10:05 AM
How is it so difficult for @royalsociety.org to do its job? Namely: to *defend the conditions for science*. Nobody has delivered a more concrete and direct attack on science than Elon Musk & the US government. Boot him!
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
🚨🚨 @ec.europa.eu top tech official @hennavirkkunen.bsky.social has warned Elon #Musk's #X to quickly "fix" its AI tool Grok — or face consequences under the #DigitalServicesAct. 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
Fix Grok or else, EU tech chief tells Elon Musk’s X
Brussels could fine X 6 percent of its annual turnover, having already hit it with a €120 million sanction in December.
www.politico.eu
January 13, 2026 at 6:43 PM
🚨🚨 @ec.europa.eu top tech official @hennavirkkunen.bsky.social has warned Elon #Musk's #X to quickly "fix" its AI tool Grok — or face consequences under the #DigitalServicesAct. 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us
what happens when AI automates "normal science"?
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
💥New: Why is research led by women retracted less frequently?
✍️ @curtrice.bsky.social
#ResearchIntegrity #Retractions #AcademicSky
✍️ @curtrice.bsky.social
#ResearchIntegrity #Retractions #AcademicSky
Why is research led by women retracted less frequently? - Impact of Social Sciences
A recent study found research by women had fewer retractions. Are women betters researchers, or does the finding reflect wider structural issues?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
January 13, 2026 at 11:10 AM
💥New: Why is research led by women retracted less frequently?
✍️ @curtrice.bsky.social
#ResearchIntegrity #Retractions #AcademicSky
✍️ @curtrice.bsky.social
#ResearchIntegrity #Retractions #AcademicSky
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Time is short, so how can we possibly give enough oral exams to all of our students to make sure they're actually learning in our courses and not just cheating with AI? Have an AI administer the exams, of course.
Fighting AI with AI - Daily Nous
Is there a German word for a feeling that combines admiration, weariness, and a touch of disgust? That word would be handy as we continue to catalog attempts to teach in a world of artificial intellig...
dailynous.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
“The fact that [Musk] comes and talks in rightwing rallies is irrelevant."
OK. But also:
“We elect people for scientific achievement or delivery. And therefore my view is that we get rid of them if that turns out to be false or not correct".
Musk has delivered an attack on science -> boot him!
OK. But also:
“We elect people for scientific achievement or delivery. And therefore my view is that we get rid of them if that turns out to be false or not correct".
Musk has delivered an attack on science -> boot him!
‘Lots of people don’t want to do it’: Paul Nurse on his controversial second term as Royal Society president
‘Lots of people don’t want to do it’: Paul Nurse on his controversial second term as Royal Society president
The Nobel prize winner discusses claims of a ‘boys’ club’, Elon Musk’s fellowship and rightwing attacks on science
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 11:49 AM
“The fact that [Musk] comes and talks in rightwing rallies is irrelevant."
OK. But also:
“We elect people for scientific achievement or delivery. And therefore my view is that we get rid of them if that turns out to be false or not correct".
Musk has delivered an attack on science -> boot him!
OK. But also:
“We elect people for scientific achievement or delivery. And therefore my view is that we get rid of them if that turns out to be false or not correct".
Musk has delivered an attack on science -> boot him!
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Some important new government policy that Native Americans might be interested in:
Trump talks about Denmark and Greenland just now: "The fact that they landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."
January 9, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Some important new government policy that Native Americans might be interested in:
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
"Elon Musk should keep his UK Royal Society fellowship even though the Grok AI image generator developed by his company has generated sexualised images including of minors".
I get that @royalsociety.org is cool with this. What I don't get is that they are cool with his attacks on science. Boot him!
I get that @royalsociety.org is cool with this. What I don't get is that they are cool with his attacks on science. Boot him!
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president ft.trib.al/tC0vaAa
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president
Paul Nurse tells FT that national science academy should avoid ‘making judgments’ about ‘character’ of fellows
ft.trib.al
January 9, 2026 at 7:59 PM
"Elon Musk should keep his UK Royal Society fellowship even though the Grok AI image generator developed by his company has generated sexualised images including of minors".
I get that @royalsociety.org is cool with this. What I don't get is that they are cool with his attacks on science. Boot him!
I get that @royalsociety.org is cool with this. What I don't get is that they are cool with his attacks on science. Boot him!
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Let's not get distracted. The issue isn't - never was - about E. Musk's "character". It wasn't even about his politics. It wasn't about him being a "bad person". It was - is - about him working actively against the academic community. This is the reason - the only reason - why he deserves the boot.
“My worry is that ejecting Musk from the Royal Society would be seen as a political move.”
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
‘It would be seen as political’: why the Royal Society is torn over Elon Musk
Many fellows feel the billionaire has breached its code of conduct, but others say scientific neutrality is at stake
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Let's not get distracted. The issue isn't - never was - about E. Musk's "character". It wasn't even about his politics. It wasn't about him being a "bad person". It was - is - about him working actively against the academic community. This is the reason - the only reason - why he deserves the boot.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
X/Twitter's rough full volume is around 500 total million posts every day, or 182 (and a half) billion posts per year.
By contracts, we found 11.2 million research posts in all of 2025 on there.
In other words, 0.000006% of Twitter appears to be sharing research. Basically zero.
By contracts, we found 11.2 million research posts in all of 2025 on there.
In other words, 0.000006% of Twitter appears to be sharing research. Basically zero.
January 8, 2026 at 1:08 PM
X/Twitter's rough full volume is around 500 total million posts every day, or 182 (and a half) billion posts per year.
By contracts, we found 11.2 million research posts in all of 2025 on there.
In other words, 0.000006% of Twitter appears to be sharing research. Basically zero.
By contracts, we found 11.2 million research posts in all of 2025 on there.
In other words, 0.000006% of Twitter appears to be sharing research. Basically zero.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Kyse on tasapainoilusta: lisääkö hyvässä asemassa olevien oikeuksien vahvistaminen huonommassa asemassa olevien riskejä? Nähdäkseni näin on eutanasian suhteen. Lisäksi eutanasialle ei näytä olevan perusteita; avustetun itsemurhan juridisen aseman täsmentäminen riittäisi.
Oikeus kuolemaan ei saa johtaa velvollisuuteen tappaa - Puheenvuoroja
Eutanasialakia koskeva kansalaisaloite aiheuttaa jälleen keskustelua. Hyvä. Tärkeästä asiasta ei voi keskustella liikaa. Kansalaisaloite on edennyt valiokuntakäsittelyyn, ja voimmekin odottaa keskuste...
blogs.uef.fi
January 9, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Kyse on tasapainoilusta: lisääkö hyvässä asemassa olevien oikeuksien vahvistaminen huonommassa asemassa olevien riskejä? Nähdäkseni näin on eutanasian suhteen. Lisäksi eutanasialle ei näytä olevan perusteita; avustetun itsemurhan juridisen aseman täsmentäminen riittäisi.