Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Andy Liddell

Lucy Osler @lucyosler.bsky.social · 19d

Chatbots are explicitly being designed “to elicit intimacy and emotional engagement in order to increase our trust in and dependency on them” (me in Wired magazine 🤭). This designed intimacy combined with AI sycophancy creates serious risks for delusional thinking

www.wired.com/story/ai-psy...

AI Psychosis Is Rarely Psychosis at All

A wave of AI users presenting in states of psychological distress gave birth to an unofficial diagnostic label. Experts say it’s neither accurate nor needed, but concede that it’s likely to stay.

www.wired.com

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 9h

“The more ways that a student reports that their school uses AI, the more likely they are to report things like 'I know someone who considers AI to be a friend,' 'I know someone who considers AI to be a romantic partner.'"

1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has

A national survey of students, teachers and parents shines a light on how the AI revolution is playing out in schools – including when it comes to bullying and a community's trust in schools.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 1d

"Why would OpenAI and Microsoft spend $23 million to give 'free training' on how to use AI to teachers? Because they love teachers? No. Because they want to get their products into public schools in an attempt to cultivate the education market." — @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social

Thinking of AI as a Social Problem

No need to know the unknowable. The knowable is bad enough.

www.hamiltonnolan.com

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

“The Luddite Club, a nonprofit group that supports taking smartphone breaks, has 26 chapters, nearly all of them at high schools or colleges.”

Young People Are Falling in Love With Old Technology

Driven by a feeling they’ve lost control to screens, twenty-somethings are resurrecting CDs, flip phones and digital cameras

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 15h

"Too many people are busily promoting a version of "‘AI’ literacy” that is simply training students how to use and consume 'AI' 'properly' – whatever that means – and refusing to admit that there may be no ethical usage of a fundamentally unethical, abusive technology," writes Audrey Watters.

Without Our Consent

When I wrote last week’s round-up of “AI”-related news, I didn’t include any of OpenAI’s product releases, mostly because it’s 2025 and I’m exhausted by this game that tech companies and tech journali...

2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 1d

I need Cal Raleigh to hit a second home run directly to this man to see how committed he is to the bit

Brian Floyd @brianmfloyd.bsky.social · 1d

the guy who caught cal raleigh’s homer was wearing a shirt that said dump 61 here and he immediately took it off and had a shirt that said dump 62 here

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Futurism @futurism.com · 1d

He said he was "just trolling."

13-Year-Old Arrested for Asking ChatGPT How to Kill His Friend

A 13-year-old Florida teen was arrested for asking OpenAI's ChatGPT how to kill a friend during class in what he claimed to be a prank.

trib.al

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Justin Parmenter @justinparmenter.bsky.social · 1d

When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts suggest to help you through the external appeal process.

www.propublica.org/article/heal...

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.

When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 2d

“People over Papers, a crowdsourcing project that maps sightings of US immigration agents, was taken offline yesterday by Padlet, the collaborative bulletin board platform on which it was built. It’s just the latest ICE-tracking initiative to be pulled by tech platforms in the past few days.”

Another effort to track ICE raids was just taken offline

People over Papers was removed by Padlet, the platform it was built on, yesterday.

www.technologyreview.com

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Condor (Fiadh right now. (Fee-uhh)) @condor.bsky.social · 2d

If your kid plays roblox, dont let them.

Global Project Against Hate and Extremism @globalextremism.bsky.social · 2d

Roblox is a conduit for radicalization: the teen-led white supremacist group “Blueshirts” recruits children, mimics neo-Nazi Patriot Front marches, and coordinates on Discord to spread propaganda and harass players.

Read more:

Online Neo-Nazi Group Using Children’s Video Games For Recruiting And Propaganda

A disturbing trend is emerging on Roblox, a platform with tens of millions of young users: online white supremacist groups are using children’s video games to recruit and spread propaganda. The “Blues...

globalextremism.org

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Maria Bustillos @mariabustillos.com · 2d

There's an opportunity to remake media. Corporate capture isn't just brazen and manipulative, it's boring, ignorant and no fun. But quality alternatives are rising.

Support journalist-owned media like @flaminghydra.com

flaminghydra.com/free (try some posts)
flaminghydra.com/subscribe ($3/mo)

Flaming Hydrant - Flaming Hydra

Share these stories freely, no paywall! If you love them, please subscribe to Flaming Hydra to receive more each weekday.

flaminghydra.com

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Futurism @futurism.com · 3d

"Believe me when I say: the things that ChatGPT has been telling users are probably worse than you think."

Former OpenAI Employee Horrified by How ChatGPT Is Driving Users Into Psychosis

The former OpenAI safety researcher had grim findings about how the company is handling these delusional spirals.

trib.al

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Morticia Frump-Addams (She/Her) @morticia-frump.bsky.social · 4d

Private equity companies are the bane of society.

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 4d

“The first ethics panels, created in response to testing scandals in the 1960s and ’70s, were nonprofits based at universities and hospitals. But in recent years, private-equity investors have increasingly reshaped them as for-profit endeavors.” cc @profgoldberg.bsky.social

How Private Equity Oversees the Ethics of Drug Research

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d

I searched "vibe learning" for fun recently and found exactly what I expected and let out the kind of sound you'd expect from someone realizing the end of their time in this world was just minutes away basescripts.com/what-is-vibe...

What is Vibe Learning

Vibe Learning represents a revolutionary shift in how we approach education and skill acquisition, moving beyond traditional passive methods to an active, AI-partnered journey of discovery. Coined …

basescripts.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

MaybeACrook @maybeacrook.bsky.social · 4d

Ok nevermind miss rev in an eye patch ags by a million

Reveille the Border Collie and A&M mascot with a black eye patch

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Drew Magary @drewmagary.bsky.social · 4d

U-Houston is rocking Oilers inspired unis and they’re tight as shit

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d

But private equity is looking for efficiency above all else, which is why it loves edtech:

"Continued investment in technologies that can scale educational access and improve outcomes while reducing costs"

Reducing costs for whom? Not the institutions paying millions for PE-owned edtech platforms

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d

So what does private equity look for from education?

"Greater emphasis on measurable educational outcomes as a driver of valuation and investment decisions"

Good grades, good performance metrics - what is measurable is good for valuation and investment, rather than what is valuable educationally

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d

Private equity discourse about education is ramping up again:

"education has become a compelling asset class offering strong returns, long-term stability, and global scalability"

PE investors are desperate to turn education into financial assets with long-term ROI huntscanlon.com/private-equi...

Private Equity’s Resurgent Interest in Education: Key Trends for 2025 - Hunt Scanlon Media

Following a phase of cautious investment, private equity firms have rekindled their interest in the education sector in 2025, adopting focused strategies and prioritizing long-term value generation. E...

huntscanlon.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

nick pants @nickpants.bsky.social · 4d

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 4d

“More than 140,000 children — over 15 percent of students — lack permanent housing. The city’s population of homeless students is larger than the entire enrollment of the Dallas public school system.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/n...

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 5d

🫡

How to Turn Off AI Tools Like Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Copilot, and More - Consumer Reports

AI features are crowding into Google search, Gmail, iPhones, Windows laptops, and other products. If you're suffering from AI overload, these settings can help.

www.consumerreports.org

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Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 5d

Anyone wondering why private equity firms remain interested in edtech - it's because of truly eye-popping speculative valuations like this:

"The global education market is expected to soar to $8trillion in value by 2030" www.privateequityinternational.com/private-equi...

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 5d

I made an extremely belated return to @flaminghydra.com with this bit about my long winter of depressing '70s cinema and the righteous and unreasonable defiance of One Battle After Another. flaminghydra.com/issue-416/

Struggle cinema

David Roth on 'One Battle After Another'

flaminghydra.com

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Reposted by Andy Liddell

Joey Langdon @jlangdon76.bsky.social · 5d

I'M LOSING MY MIND

IS THE SUBTEXT THAT GOOGLE AI GOT JAMES BLUNT AND TAL BACHMAN MIXED UP

HOW DID THIS GET THROUGH THE MILLION LAYERS OF FOCUS GROUPS WITH NOBODY NOTICING

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