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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · Sep 6

Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
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Abstract: Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or
even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in
the 21st with social media. For these collective blunders, we now regret our involvement or
apathy as scientists, and society struggles to put the genie back in the bottle. Currently, we
are similarly entangled with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, software updates are rolled out seamlessly and non-consensually, Microsoft Office is bundled with chatbots, and we, our students, and our employers have had no say, as it is not
considered a valid position to reject AI technologies in our teaching and research. This
is why in June 2025, we co-authored an Open Letter calling on our employers to reverse
and rethink their stance on uncritically adopting AI technologies. In this position piece,
we expound on why universities must take their role seriously toa) counter the technology
industry’s marketing, hype, and harm; and to b) safeguard higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, and scientific integrity. We include pointers to
relevant work to further inform our colleagues.

Figure 1. A cartoon set theoretic view on various terms (see Table 1) used when discussing the superset AI
(black outline, hatched background): LLMs are in orange; ANNs are in magenta; generative models are
in blue; and finally, chatbots are in green. Where these intersect, the colours reflect that, e.g. generative adversarial network (GAN) and Boltzmann machine (BM) models are in the purple subset because they are
both generative and ANNs. In the case of proprietary closed source models, e.g. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and
Apple’s Siri, we cannot verify their implementation and so academics can only make educated guesses (cf.
Dingemanse 2025). Undefined terms used above: BERT (Devlin et al. 2019); AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al.
2017); A.L.I.C.E. (Wallace 2009); ELIZA (Weizenbaum 1966); Jabberwacky (Twist 2003); linear discriminant analysis (LDA); quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA).

Table 1. Below some of the typical terminological disarray is untangled. Importantly, none of these terms
are orthogonal nor do they exclusively pick out the types of products we may wish to critique or proscribe.

Protecting the Ecosystem of Human Knowledge: Five Principles

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Aug 24

In Kraków for the #IAHR2025 conference. Started today with a city walk, Catholic Mass, and Polish folk dance performance. Looking forward to the conference! I will be on two panels: "Recentring fear in the study of religion" (Tu, 9am) and "Religion and heritage-making in Japan and beyond" (Th, 1pm).

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Truls Gulowsen @trulsgulowsen.bsky.social · Aug 22

Ja, dette viser at vi er et land uten kontroll på oljesektoren.

Og det miljøbevegelsen så forsiktig ber om, er en PLAN for utfasingen av denne forurensende næringa, på en måte som også ivaretar arbeidere i sektoren. Men noen krever full gass mot stupet www.nrk.no/klima/norge-...

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Contemporary Japan @cj-jrnl.bsky.social · Aug 11

What is the relationship between whaling, heritage, tourism & community? Through ethnographic research, @aikerots.bsky.social examines festivals in 3 Japanese towns as case studies of whaling as a social imaginary and reveals how heritage-making is a future-oriented endeavor doi.org/10.1080/1869...

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Finn Arne Jørgensen @finnarne.me · Jul 31

One week left to apply for this tenured #envhist job!

Finn Arne Jørgensen @finnarne.me · Jun 26

We are hiring! Fully tenured associate professorship in environmental history! We are looking for someone who can be a strong contributor to the history group, to a new #envhum related MA program (if all goes well), and to @greenhouseuis.net. #envhist

Associate Professor in Environmental History (281801) | University of Stavanger

Job title: Associate Professor in Environmental History (281801), Employer: University of Stavanger, Deadline: Thursday, August 7, 2025

www.jobbnorge.no

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Jul 31

Just published: my article "Crossing Boundaries: Rethinking 'Japanese Religion' in the Anthropocene." A great honour to have been invited to contribute to the 50th anniversary issue of @jjrs-nirc.bsky.social. Many thanks @mcmullen.bsky.social, @jolyonbt.bsky.social, and @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social.

Dr. Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social · Jul 30

The Japanese Journal of Religious Studies @jjrs-nirc.bsky.social ✨50th anniv issue✨ abt past, present, & future of 🇯🇵 religious studies is out!

🙏Paul Swanson, Hayashi Makoto, Kawahashi Noriko, Keller Kimbrough, Emi Foulk Bushelle, @orionklautau.bsky.social @jolyonbt.bsky.social @aikerots.bsky.social

NIRC

nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Jun 23

A short article on CORDIS, the research dissemination website of @erc.europa.eu, about our Horizon 2020 research project "Whales of Power" (2019-2025) 🇪🇺🐳🙏. In six languages 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇪🇸🇮🇹🇵🇱! Many thanks again to the European Research Council for making this project possible. cordis.europa.eu/article/id/4...

Exploring human-cetacean relations in maritime East Asia

A comparative ethnographic project dived into the links between religion, biodiversity and the environment.,,,European Commission

cordis.europa.eu

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Oslo Center for Environmental Humanities @uio-oceh.bsky.social · May 27

What does it really mean to transform society toward sustainability?

On June 3, the RESULTS Symposium brings together researchers, activists, and professionals in Oslo for a day of conversations, collaboration, and reflection.

🕒 Today’s the last day to register!
🔗 shorturl.at/LZCV1
#Sustainability

RESULTS Symposium on Sustainability Transformations - Include - Research centre for socially inclusive energy transitions

Transformations to sustainability: Are we talking with or past each other?

shorturl.at

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · May 12

My article "Whales of Hope: Whaling Heritage, Tourism, and Community Belonging in Twenty-First-Century Japan" has just been published. It is part of the special issue "Japan Futures" (eds. Fabio Gygi and Iza Kavedžija). Many thanks to the editors and reviewers. 🐳
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Whales of hope: Whaling heritage, tourism, and community belonging in twenty-first-century Japan

This article discusses the significance of whaling heritage in contemporary Japan. It distinguishes between whaling as lived socioeconomic practice on the one hand, and whaling heritage as social i...

www.tandfonline.com

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · May 12

My article "Whales of Hope: Whaling Heritage, Tourism, and Community Belonging in Twenty-First-Century Japan" has just been published. It is part of the special issue "Japan Futures" (eds. Fabio Gygi and Iza Kavedžija). Many thanks to the editors and reviewers. 🐳
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Whales of hope: Whaling heritage, tourism, and community belonging in twenty-first-century Japan

This article discusses the significance of whaling heritage in contemporary Japan. It distinguishes between whaling as lived socioeconomic practice on the one hand, and whaling heritage as social i...

www.tandfonline.com

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spencer roberts 🦈 @unpopularscience.bsky.social · May 9

I will forever be haunted by this footage.

Trawling has only been filmed underwater a few times in documentary history, and never with such clarity.

What’s so heart-rending about these shots is watching how the animals don’t just get swept up — they swim for their lives.
🌎🦑🧪

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Melina Antonia Buns @melinabuns.bsky.social · May 7

Akademiet for yngre forskere leter etter 10 nye medlemmer!

AYF samler fantastiske forskere i tidlig karriere der brenner for forskningspolitikk, forskningsformidling og vitenskapelig debatt.

Søknadsfristen er 15. juni

Mer info ⤵

akademietforyngreforskere.no/vil-du-bli-m...

Vil du bli medlem hos oss? Nå kan du søke medlemskap! Frist 15.juni - Akademiet for yngre forskere

Vil du bli medlem hos oss? Nå kan du søke medlemskap! Frist 15.juni Link to the English edition of the Call for applications Velkommen til åpent nettmøte med oss 27.mai kl. 12.00 – les mer og registr...

akademietforyngreforskere.no

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · May 8

Very proud of my partner Nhung Lu Rots, who has submitted her PhD dissertation "Engaged Buddhism and Environmentality among Buddhist Minorities in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam" @uio.no. A great achievement! One of the dissertation's articles was published recently: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Towards an Alternative Buddhist Modernity: Hòa Hảo Charity Healing and Herbal Medicine in the Mekong Delta

This article examines the role of Hòa Hảo Buddhism in providing alternative healthcare, through traditional medicine and charity clinics, in the Mekong Delta. Based on participant observation and i...

www.tandfonline.com

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · May 8

Very proud of my partner Nhung Lu Rots, who has submitted her PhD dissertation "Engaged Buddhism and Environmentality among Buddhist Minorities in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam" @uio.no. A great achievement! One of the dissertation's articles was published recently: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Towards an Alternative Buddhist Modernity: Hòa Hảo Charity Healing and Herbal Medicine in the Mekong Delta

This article examines the role of Hòa Hảo Buddhism in providing alternative healthcare, through traditional medicine and charity clinics, in the Mekong Delta. Based on participant observation and i...

www.tandfonline.com

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Oslo Center for Environmental Humanities @uio-oceh.bsky.social · May 2

New on Bluesky!

We’re OCEH - a research hub at the University of Oslo @uio.no, exploring climate, nature & culture through the humanities.

Follow for research highlights, events, reading tips & snapshots from the OCEH Lab.

📸 OCEH Lab

hf.uio.no/oceh
#ClimateCrisis #EnvironmentalHumanities #envhum

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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · Apr 13

THE RISE OF END TIMES FASCISM

My first major piece of the new Trump era, co-written with @astra.bsky.social.

The governing ideology of the far right has become a
monstrous, supremacist survivalism.

Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

The rise of end times fascism

The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them

www.theguardian.com

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Apr 9

Sharing this video of excited people and wrestling spiders mostly to give you all a short break from doomscrolling. It may be hard to believe these days but there are still fun and interesting things happening in the world. Cherish them. 🕷️

mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · Apr 9

Jumping spider fighting in Chiba, which a local group has registered with a UNESCO project. A tournament will be held in Futtsu in May. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHz3...

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Apr 7

RIP Hatakeyama Shigeatsu (1943-2025), an oyster fisherman from Tohoku who started a reforestation project to improve the coastal environment under the slogan "the forest is the lover of the sea" (森は海の恋人). In 2012, he was awarded a UN Forest Hero award for his work. 🦪🌱
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...

VOX POPULI: The forest is the sea’s lover: A tale of a tree-planting fisherman | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

“The forest is the lover of the sea.”

www.asahi.com

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Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · Apr 6

Can we get more of this? “The Japanese American National Museum will ‘scrub nothing,’ Fujioka said, and instead will highlight the importance of DEI.

“Our community is based on diversity, equity is guaranteed to us in the Constitution, and inclusion is what we believe in,” Fujioka said.

Japanese American National Museum takes a stand against DOGE cuts to NEH

The National Endowment for the Humanities warned museums across the country that it was slashing funding, including money previously pledged to places such as LACMA and the Japanese American National ...

www.latimes.com

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Lisa Westerveld 🌱 @lisawesterveld.bsky.social · Apr 4

Mijn scriptie ging over Karl Popper’s Open Society: over de fundamenten van de democratie en de pijlers waarop ze rust. Zoals onafhankelijke pers en wetenschap.

Vanavond lees ik over de uitholling vd publieke omroep en de aanval op academische vrijheid.

Het kan snel gaan…

nos.nl/artikel/2562...

Wetenschappers bijeen om zorgen over academische vrijheid in Nederland en VS

In een zaal van de Universiteit Leiden spraken wetenschappers hun zorgen uit, en probeerden ze van elkaar te leren hoe ze zich tegen de invloed van de VS kunnen wapenen.

nos.nl

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Apr 5

Ik ook! Vooral het feit dat ze zeggen reliekenhandel af te wijzen, maar niettemin gekozen hebben om zelf lichaamsdelen en heilige haren uit te delen, daarmee bevestigend dat relieken wel degelijk waarde hebben. M.a.w. ze hebben zelf goederen in omloop gebracht en zowel vraag als schaarste gecreëerd.

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Mar 31

What did 14 years of autocratic populism produce in Hungary?
Poverty and corruption
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

The Hungarian Model

MAGA conservatives love Viktor Orbán. But he’s left his country corrupt, stagnant, and impoverished.

www.theatlantic.com

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Mar 29

My colleagues and I at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Uni Oslo) have written a statement of support for our colleagues at Columbia University. In solidarity with them - and others in the US who face censorship and oppression.
www.khrono.no/in-solidarit...

Letter of support: In solidarity with our colleagues at Columbia University

A letter of support from faculty at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian, and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oslo.

www.khrono.no

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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · Mar 27

Fortunately our faculty's communication and social media staff haven't discovered bluesky yet, as far as I know. They're still on twitter and facebook.

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