Shannon Vallor
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shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor
@shannonvallor.bsky.social
16K followers 1.9K following 2.2K posts

Philosopher/AI Ethicist at Univ of Edinburgh, co-Director @technomoralfutures.bsky.social and BRAID @braiduk.bsky.social, author of Technology and the Virtues (2016) and The AI Mirror (2024). Views my own. Trying not to lose it. .. more

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Shannon Vallor is an American philosopher of technology. She is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. She previously taught at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California where she was the Regis and Dianne McKenna Professor of Philosophy and William J. Rewak, S.J. Professor at SCU. .. more

Neuroscience 30%
Computer science 22%
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shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 8h
Oh yeah the billboards were the first sign of the sickness…like leaves turning yellow one by one

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

drleighmjohnson.bsky.social
Leigh M. Johnson @drleighmjohnson.bsky.social · 9h
A frightening, but important, read:

www.wired.com/story/ai-ind...
There Is Only One AI Company. Welcome to the Blob
As Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft forge partnerships and deals, the AI industry is looking more like one interconnected machine. What does that mean for all of us?
www.wired.com

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 10h
Yes well common sense is overrated, exuberant puppy/kitten love wins

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 12h
The thing is, in 1999 I was laser-focused on how much further we still had to go to make the modern world something to be proud of. I had no idea we were about to do a giant pratfall and slide halfway down the mountain.
shannonvallor.bsky.social Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 15h
Very tired of having to explain to people old enough to know better that it has NOT, in fact, always been true that we allow technology to get ever more dangerous and damaging as it ‘advances’. Please stop memory-holing the entire 20th century

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 12h
Right???

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 13h
I’ll delete it’s just a bit confusing

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 14h
AND THEN WE MADE IT VERY ILLEGAL TO PUT RADIUM IN PEOPLE’S STUFF

the correct lesson is NOT ‘same old same old, we have always just tolerated unsafe products’

sigh

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 15h
planes, trains, automobiles, hair dryers, medical devices, power tools, air conditioners, bicycles, lamps, boats, elevators/lifts, bridges ok I am going to stop typing now but not because I am out of examples!

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 15h
Yes. But I now hear it every week from people extremely influential and respected at the tech/policy intersection.

I say ‘I want to see/demand safer and more socially beneficial technology’

They say ‘that’s unrealistic we are not going to go backward in tech/AI’

and I say ‘do you hear yourself’

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 15h
Very tired of having to explain to people old enough to know better that it has NOT, in fact, always been true that we allow technology to get ever more dangerous and damaging as it ‘advances’. Please stop memory-holing the entire 20th century

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

soren-lorenson.bsky.social
Soren Lorenson @soren-lorenson.bsky.social · 1d
Just a reminder that the people who run AI companies talk like this when amongst themselves and when you ask me if I'm anti-AI, well, I'm anti whatever the fuck this is
From Empire of AI by Karen Hao "Sutskever now spoke in increasingly messianic overtones, leaving even his longtime friends scratching their heads and other employees ap-prehensive. During one meeting with a new group of researchers, Suts-kever laid out his plans for how to prepare for AGI. "Once we all get into the bunker-" he began. "I'm sorry," a researcher interrupted, "the bunker?" "We're definitely going to build a bunker before we release AGI," Suts-kever replied matter-of-factly. Such a powerful technology would surely become an object of intense desire for governments globally. It could es-calate geopolitical tensions; the core scientists working on the technol-ogy would need to be protected. "Of course," he added, "it's going to be optional whether you want to get into the bunker."

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 1d
Thanks Clay! That’s lovely to hear. You’re the second person today to tell me they have shared the book with others and you can imagine how much that helps with the motivation to write the next one!

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 1d
Not mad about having to buy this book twice!
ickletayto.bsky.social Ickletayto @ickletayto.bsky.social · 1d
Exciting book post today for beautifying my shelves.

The special edition sprayed edge version of How To Lose the Time War by @amalelmohtar.com & @maxgladstone.bsky.social ..

It's so pretty

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 1d
The budget levy on international fees seems to confirm that the UK government is, for reasons that defy economic logic, determined to break the backs of its own world-class universities just as the US government does the same. Now why would a government want to destroy the modern university I wonder

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

technomoralfutures.bsky.social
Centre for Technomoral Futures @technomoralfutures.bsky.social · 1d
It was wonderful to hear from EFI Visiting Fellow, Dr Ramsha Naeem, yesterday!

During her talk, Dr Naeem discussed the differences between what AI ethics is & what management theorists think AI can be, & her work towards proposing an integrated model to bridge that gap.

@shannonvallor.bsky.social
Professor Shannon Vallor and Dr Ramsha Naeem standing together, in front of a slide that reads: "AI Ethics and Future of Management Theory, Dr Ramsha Naeem, EFI Visiting Fellow, 25/11/2025." They are both smiling. Professor Vallor is wearing a grey jacket and scarf and Dr Naeem is wearing a traditional Pakistani outfit in black with red, green and gold floral embroidery. Dr Naeem presenting to the audience during her talk.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

ickletayto.bsky.social
Ickletayto @ickletayto.bsky.social · 1d
Exciting book post today for beautifying my shelves.

The special edition sprayed edge version of How To Lose the Time War by @amalelmohtar.com & @maxgladstone.bsky.social ..

It's so pretty

Reposted by Timnit Gebru, Shannon Vallor, Lisa W. Fazio , and 3 more

gerritd.bsky.social
Gerrit De Vynck @gerritd.bsky.social · 2d
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Amazing news Ruha - such a fantastic team coming together!

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Posted about liking a thing. Rookie mistake

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Soylent green was a documentary only they got the substrate wrong

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Sure, I’m not asking for anyone’s permission though! I know I’m allowed to like whatever I like. I am just curious about the specificity of its appeal

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Lisa W. Fazio, Lesley A. Hall

charlescmann.bsky.social
𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙲. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚗 @charlescmann.bsky.social · 2d
For a yr, I've been working on a series for The New Atlantis about the vast systems that underlie our lives. Our ancestors built them up over decades to fend off hunger, thirst, darkness and disease. But too few of us know about them—and they're all at risk. The conclusion is now available online:
Why We Are Better Off Than a Century Ago
Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.
www.thenewatlantis.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Steve Peers, Rebecca Tushnet , and 3 more

roryblank.bsky.social
Rory Blank @roryblank.bsky.social · 2d
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
a cheese grater that, if viewed from the correct angle, appears to have a friendly, stupid face, an example of Pareidolia

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
maybe but I’m not sure I want to sit next to a drunk octopus

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
In any era but this one, a reasonable person would rightly assume that the FT and HSBC had concluded that setting fire to all the money was bad

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
I know. I can’t even. My summary in the replies:
shannonvallor.bsky.social Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Yet the article’s takeaway reads more like:

who cares if it loses money

who needs money

what even is money

we will all fill our bellies with AI

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Yet the article’s takeaway reads more like:

who cares if it loses money

who needs money

what even is money

we will all fill our bellies with AI

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
Because this is Bluesky someone will probably come here to yell at me for plagiarizing dril without a proper citation, please just laugh

Reposted by Adrian Daub

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 2d
somebody who is good at the economy please help them budget this, their bullshit factory is dying