John Gallagher
@johnrgallagher.bsky.social
Using qualitative & computational methods to study writers on the internet. I study how machine learning experts communicate. I study the interaction between writers & audiences. Professor @ University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Oh me? Learning about annealing software for interview analysis? Knowing just enough to get yourself in trouble.
machinelearningmastery.com/simulated-an...
machinelearningmastery.com/simulated-an...
Simulated Annealing From Scratch in Python - MachineLearningMastery.com
Simulated Annealing is a stochastic global search optimization algorithm. This means that it makes use of randomness as part of the search process. This makes the algorithm appropriate for nonlinear o...
machinelearningmastery.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Oh me? Learning about annealing software for interview analysis? Knowing just enough to get yourself in trouble.
machinelearningmastery.com/simulated-an...
machinelearningmastery.com/simulated-an...
There is a flaw in the argument, “This is the worst LLMs will ever be. They will get better.”
Consider: when people pay for token usage, there is an incentive for building bad models to maximize token usage. The models will not necessarily get better but instead be designed maximize user payment.
Consider: when people pay for token usage, there is an incentive for building bad models to maximize token usage. The models will not necessarily get better but instead be designed maximize user payment.
November 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
There is a flaw in the argument, “This is the worst LLMs will ever be. They will get better.”
Consider: when people pay for token usage, there is an incentive for building bad models to maximize token usage. The models will not necessarily get better but instead be designed maximize user payment.
Consider: when people pay for token usage, there is an incentive for building bad models to maximize token usage. The models will not necessarily get better but instead be designed maximize user payment.
I interviewed 108 ML researchers. They had a lot to say about this!
Title: Lessons learned from machine learning researchers about the terms “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.”
compstudiesjournal.com/wp-content/u...
Title: Lessons learned from machine learning researchers about the terms “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.”
compstudiesjournal.com/wp-content/u...
November 22, 2025 at 9:58 PM
I interviewed 108 ML researchers. They had a lot to say about this!
Title: Lessons learned from machine learning researchers about the terms “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.”
compstudiesjournal.com/wp-content/u...
Title: Lessons learned from machine learning researchers about the terms “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.”
compstudiesjournal.com/wp-content/u...
This evening, we are having our kids watch Monty Python and the Holy the Grail. If my kids don't like it, I will be crestfallen.
November 22, 2025 at 8:21 PM
This evening, we are having our kids watch Monty Python and the Holy the Grail. If my kids don't like it, I will be crestfallen.
Reposted by John Gallagher
Here's a short thing on adversarial language, following yesterday's poetry news. It argues for interpretability work undertaken via literary studies and tries to acknowledge some difficulties this would entail.
For Those Who May Find Themselves on the Red Team: tylershoemaker.info/docs/shoemak...
For Those Who May Find Themselves on the Red Team: tylershoemaker.info/docs/shoemak...
November 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Here's a short thing on adversarial language, following yesterday's poetry news. It argues for interpretability work undertaken via literary studies and tries to acknowledge some difficulties this would entail.
For Those Who May Find Themselves on the Red Team: tylershoemaker.info/docs/shoemak...
For Those Who May Find Themselves on the Red Team: tylershoemaker.info/docs/shoemak...
I'd love it if you were to read about my newest blog post. It discusses AI, genre, frozen pizza, gradient descent, and template capitalism. Thank you!
Instead of trying out the teacher version of ChatGPT or worrying about the AI bubble, I'd love for you to read my 4,500 word (lol, what?!) blog post about AI and genre. I poured myself into it, literally.
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
The generic abyss of artificial intelligence
A long, long, long blog post about AI and genre
meresophistry.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I'd love it if you were to read about my newest blog post. It discusses AI, genre, frozen pizza, gradient descent, and template capitalism. Thank you!
As a reminder to all of my academic friends: the Thanksgiving break is only a few days long. Do not pack an entire semester's worth of to-do things into.
November 20, 2025 at 10:53 PM
As a reminder to all of my academic friends: the Thanksgiving break is only a few days long. Do not pack an entire semester's worth of to-do things into.
Instead of trying out the teacher version of ChatGPT or worrying about the AI bubble, I'd love for you to read my 4,500 word (lol, what?!) blog post about AI and genre. I poured myself into it, literally.
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
The generic abyss of artificial intelligence
A long, long, long blog post about AI and genre
meresophistry.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Instead of trying out the teacher version of ChatGPT or worrying about the AI bubble, I'd love for you to read my 4,500 word (lol, what?!) blog post about AI and genre. I poured myself into it, literally.
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-generi...
Today and Friday, I am teaching @manshel.bsky.social article "The Lag: Technology and Fiction in the Twentieth Century". My students are very excited to read it. I'm hoping to inspire a turn toward empirical methods, too.
November 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Today and Friday, I am teaching @manshel.bsky.social article "The Lag: Technology and Fiction in the Twentieth Century". My students are very excited to read it. I'm hoping to inspire a turn toward empirical methods, too.
I’m looking for a good farm to buy my eggs locally. Friends in Champaign Urbana, do you have recommendations?
November 19, 2025 at 12:52 PM
I’m looking for a good farm to buy my eggs locally. Friends in Champaign Urbana, do you have recommendations?
Reposted by John Gallagher
Ah the 5-paragraph "your class is full, can I bypass the waitlist" email clearly written by AI, one of my favorite new takes on an old genre.
November 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Ah the 5-paragraph "your class is full, can I bypass the waitlist" email clearly written by AI, one of my favorite new takes on an old genre.
Google scholar introduced an "AI" search function called Labs. I'm curious what you think.
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
scholar.google.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Google scholar introduced an "AI" search function called Labs. I'm curious what you think.
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
I’m putting together a bibliography of Internet history books and articles (I have quite a few). What would you want to see on that list?
November 19, 2025 at 1:45 AM
I’m putting together a bibliography of Internet history books and articles (I have quite a few). What would you want to see on that list?
Reposted by John Gallagher
Exciting! I've been telling people about this and they keep asking when they can read it!
Oh my!!!
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture)
Amazon.com: AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture): 9780822949053: Gallagher, John: Books
www.amazon.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Exciting! I've been telling people about this and they keep asking when they can read it!
Reposted by John Gallagher
Oh my!!!
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture)
Amazon.com: AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture): 9780822949053: Gallagher, John: Books
www.amazon.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Oh my!!!
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
Oh my!!!
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture)
Amazon.com: AI Through the Experts’ Eyes: Communicating Complex Ideas (Composition, Literacy, and Culture): 9780822949053: Gallagher, John: Books
www.amazon.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Oh my!!!
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
"AI through the experts' eyes" is live on Amazon! Pre-order your copy today! (Arrives September 1, 2026)
www.amazon.com/Through-Expe...
When I tell my humanities friends that our STEM colleagues live in a different world, I‘ll note that I had a Sunday lunch conversation about isentropic efficiency.
November 17, 2025 at 12:35 AM
When I tell my humanities friends that our STEM colleagues live in a different world, I‘ll note that I had a Sunday lunch conversation about isentropic efficiency.
Reposted by John Gallagher
By far one of the most impactful readings of the semester in "Writing with Robots" has been @johnrgallagher.bsky.social's piece on LLM’s propensity to substitute lists for argumentation—students are suddenly *noticing* the lists everywhere & engaging them critically
The Curious Question of AI-written Lists: Or, LLMs are Genre Machines
Ending with a solution for teaching writing
meresophistry.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:44 PM
By far one of the most impactful readings of the semester in "Writing with Robots" has been @johnrgallagher.bsky.social's piece on LLM’s propensity to substitute lists for argumentation—students are suddenly *noticing* the lists everywhere & engaging them critically
I tried explain to my students the impact of the viral video “the end of the world“ (but I am le tired). it was like trying to explain the loom
November 14, 2025 at 1:07 AM
I tried explain to my students the impact of the viral video “the end of the world“ (but I am le tired). it was like trying to explain the loom
If you're theorizing about GenAI, you're theorizing about social media
November 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
If you're theorizing about GenAI, you're theorizing about social media
Learning CHI revision strategies (including the genre of 1AC reviews) is fascinating.
November 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Learning CHI revision strategies (including the genre of 1AC reviews) is fascinating.
Don’t ever let anyone normalize a masked police force.
November 12, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Don’t ever let anyone normalize a masked police force.
Reposted by John Gallagher
I love love love this prompt -- y'all get at it.
This one time on Twitter, @lecagle.bsky.social asked ppl to link to 1 pub of theirs they loved, but maybe slipped under the radar. I got SO many good recs from that list, so I wanted to replicate it here: link to one of your pubs that you wish more people read/cited!
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
November 11, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I love love love this prompt -- y'all get at it.
Reposted by John Gallagher
This one time on Twitter, @lecagle.bsky.social asked ppl to link to 1 pub of theirs they loved, but maybe slipped under the radar. I got SO many good recs from that list, so I wanted to replicate it here: link to one of your pubs that you wish more people read/cited!
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
November 11, 2025 at 4:42 PM
This one time on Twitter, @lecagle.bsky.social asked ppl to link to 1 pub of theirs they loved, but maybe slipped under the radar. I got SO many good recs from that list, so I wanted to replicate it here: link to one of your pubs that you wish more people read/cited!
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
#TeamRhetoric
#AcademicSky
It’s usually not the military in the streets. it’s the quiet neighbors quietly reporting.
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 AM
It’s usually not the military in the streets. it’s the quiet neighbors quietly reporting.