Joel Tanis
@jtanis.bsky.social
"...an advanced breed of monkey on a minor planet of a very average star." - Stephen Hawking
Pinned
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Some thoughts on Mozilla's trajectory and Waterfox's stance on AI in the browser 👇
www.waterfox.com/blog/no-ai-h...
www.waterfox.com/blog/no-ai-h...
No AI* Here - A Response to Mozilla's Next Chapter - Waterfox Blog
Mozilla's pivot to AI-first browsing raises fundamental questions about what a browser should be. While ML tools like local translation offer real utility, LLMs are opaque black boxes. Waterfox won't ...
www.waterfox.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Some thoughts on Mozilla's trajectory and Waterfox's stance on AI in the browser 👇
www.waterfox.com/blog/no-ai-h...
www.waterfox.com/blog/no-ai-h...
I was wrong about AI...
YouTube video by Jazza
youtu.be
December 29, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Joel Tanis
my new year's resolution is to never touch a game with genAI assets if I can help it
December 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
my new year's resolution is to never touch a game with genAI assets if I can help it
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Of all the sins of AI, this is an unexpected and deeply annoying one
Funny animal videos no longer being trustworthy just fucking sucks all around. I love the wonder of animal behavior and what it says about the experience of being alive. It's because it happened in reality that it's so fun. It's not fun if it was just made up. There's no wonder there.
December 19, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Of all the sins of AI, this is an unexpected and deeply annoying one
"AI and machine learning may in fact transform the world, but there's no reason to assume that the transformation will be a good thing unless we actively try to make it a good thing. So far, tech companies have given no indication that they care about anything besides the pursuit of profit."
Microsoft's head of AI doesn't understand why people don't like AI, and I don't understand why he doesn't understand because it's pretty obvious
Is it really "mindblowing" that people are skeptical of software that consistently doesn't do the things we're told it can do?
www.pcgamer.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:25 PM
"AI and machine learning may in fact transform the world, but there's no reason to assume that the transformation will be a good thing unless we actively try to make it a good thing. So far, tech companies have given no indication that they care about anything besides the pursuit of profit."
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Indie game developers have a new sales pitch: being ‘AI free’
Indie game developers have a new sales pitch: being ‘AI free’
“We can produce results that meet our quality standards without its assistance.”
buff.ly
November 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Indie game developers have a new sales pitch: being ‘AI free’
Reposted by Joel Tanis
It Should Be Illegal To Use AI To Deceive People
AI products which deceive people should be illegal in the same way fraud is illegal.
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/it-should-...
AI products which deceive people should be illegal in the same way fraud is illegal.
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/it-should-...
It Should Be Illegal To Use AI To Deceive People
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):
www.caitlinjohnst.one
November 24, 2025 at 12:12 AM
It Should Be Illegal To Use AI To Deceive People
AI products which deceive people should be illegal in the same way fraud is illegal.
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/it-should-...
AI products which deceive people should be illegal in the same way fraud is illegal.
www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/it-should-...
Reposted by Joel Tanis
“AI workers said they distrust the models they work on because of a consistent emphasis on rapid turnaround time at the expense of quality.”
Meet the AI workers who tell their friends and family to stay away from AI
When the people making AI seem trustworthy are the ones who trust it the least, it shows that incentives for speed are overtaking safety, experts say
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“AI workers said they distrust the models they work on because of a consistent emphasis on rapid turnaround time at the expense of quality.”
Reposted by Joel Tanis
"When outraged Filipinos turned to an AI-powered chatbot to verify a viral photograph of a lawmaker embroiled in a corruption scandal, the tool failed to detect it was fabricated -- even though it had generated the image itself." www.france24.com/en/live-news...
AI's blind spot: tools fail to detect their own fakes
When outraged Filipinos turned to an AI-powered chatbot to verify a viral photograph of a lawmaker embroiled in a corruption scandal, the tool failed to detect it was fabricated -- even though it had…
www.france24.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:12 PM
"When outraged Filipinos turned to an AI-powered chatbot to verify a viral photograph of a lawmaker embroiled in a corruption scandal, the tool failed to detect it was fabricated -- even though it had generated the image itself." www.france24.com/en/live-news...
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Why am I so against generative AI in games?
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
November 17, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Why am I so against generative AI in games?
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
I've seen real human artists get trashed by people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
I've seen genAI slop get held up on a pedestal from people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
It's a fucking shit show out here.
I've seen genAI slop get held up on a pedestal from people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
It's a fucking shit show out here.
November 17, 2025 at 10:11 PM
I've seen real human artists get trashed by people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
I've seen genAI slop get held up on a pedestal from people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
It's a fucking shit show out here.
I've seen genAI slop get held up on a pedestal from people who can't tell genAI from genuine art.
It's a fucking shit show out here.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
10% of Meta's 2024 ad revenue came from outright frauds and scams; the platform shows consumers 15 billion ads for fraud and scams every single day. This doesn't even include agitprop and AI slop.
the existential collapse of this monumental pile of shit company simply can't come quickly enough
the existential collapse of this monumental pile of shit company simply can't come quickly enough
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
10% of Meta's 2024 ad revenue came from outright frauds and scams; the platform shows consumers 15 billion ads for fraud and scams every single day. This doesn't even include agitprop and AI slop.
the existential collapse of this monumental pile of shit company simply can't come quickly enough
the existential collapse of this monumental pile of shit company simply can't come quickly enough
Reposted by Joel Tanis
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
November 4, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
November 1, 2025 at 12:31 AM
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Grokipedia is entirely dependent on the whims of Elon Musk. It completely deadnames and misgender Chelsea Manning despite not doing so for other prominent trans people. It has no article for Vivian Wilson despite her having a Wikipedia page.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Grokipedia is racist, transphobic, and loves Elon Musk
xAI’s version of Wikipedia, Grokipedia, frames the world’s history from Elon Musk’s perspective.
www.theverge.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Grokipedia is entirely dependent on the whims of Elon Musk. It completely deadnames and misgender Chelsea Manning despite not doing so for other prominent trans people. It has no article for Vivian Wilson despite her having a Wikipedia page.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Fake video walk-throughs, a magically expanding loft, and stair hallucinations are just some of the new AI-generated features house hunters are coming across.
Real Estate Is Entering Its AI Slop Era
Fake video walk-throughs, a magically expanding loft, and stair hallucinations are just some of the new AI-generated features house hunters are coming across.
wrd.cm
October 26, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Fake video walk-throughs, a magically expanding loft, and stair hallucinations are just some of the new AI-generated features house hunters are coming across.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
A new book diagnoses a sickness affecting some of America's biggest companies.
A theory why the internet is going down the toilet
A new book diagnoses a sickness affecting some of America's biggest companies.
n.pr
October 26, 2025 at 12:37 PM
A new book diagnoses a sickness affecting some of America's biggest companies.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Today, Reid Hamer-Jackson could rightly be called B.C.‘s most notorious local politician, whose string of scandals has helped inspire the province to consider rewriting the rule book for mayors and councillors.
@tyolsen.bsky.social and Kristen Holliday report. #bcpoli
@tyolsen.bsky.social and Kristen Holliday report. #bcpoli
Mayor of Chaos: How Kamloops Politics Became Infamous | The Tyee
Car dealer Reid Hamer-Jackson won office with charisma and ideas. Then the wheels came off.
thetyee.ca
October 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Today, Reid Hamer-Jackson could rightly be called B.C.‘s most notorious local politician, whose string of scandals has helped inspire the province to consider rewriting the rule book for mayors and councillors.
@tyolsen.bsky.social and Kristen Holliday report. #bcpoli
@tyolsen.bsky.social and Kristen Holliday report. #bcpoli
Reposted by Joel Tanis
You might be a David Bowie fan, but did you know he wrote 10 songs for The Nomad Soul as a digital prophet and turned a 1999 video game into a surreal fusion of music, art, and virtual life? Here you go. zurl.co/xZ0oU
David Bowie’s Visionary Role in 'The Nomad Soul' Lives On in Gaming History - That Eric Alper
David Bowie didn’t just write the music for The Nomad Soul—he became its soul. Teaming with Reeves Gabrels, he crafted ten original songs and appeared in-game as Boz, a digital prophet guiding players through Omikron City. Bowie, his wife Iman, and his bandmates lent their likenesses, turning a late-’90s video game into an immersive art […]
zurl.co
October 8, 2025 at 7:20 PM
You might be a David Bowie fan, but did you know he wrote 10 songs for The Nomad Soul as a digital prophet and turned a 1999 video game into a surreal fusion of music, art, and virtual life? Here you go. zurl.co/xZ0oU
Reposted by Joel Tanis
One of the more incredible stories out of LA this year has been how a taco review blog became the best on-the-ground coverage of ICE raids in the city.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
@lataco.bsky.social first began as a blog documenting local Mexican cuisine. Now, it’s an essential reporting powerhouse to the city as Trump’s mass deportation plot unfolds.
Check out the latest from our friends at Reveal: tinyurl.com/4cm2bsdr
Check out the latest from our friends at Reveal: tinyurl.com/4cm2bsdr
October 7, 2025 at 4:03 AM
One of the more incredible stories out of LA this year has been how a taco review blog became the best on-the-ground coverage of ICE raids in the city.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
Reposted by Joel Tanis
Journalist Edward R. Murrow used his platform on CBS to criticize the witch hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.
This is what real journalism should do — hold power to account, not capitulate to it.
This is what real journalism should do — hold power to account, not capitulate to it.
October 6, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Journalist Edward R. Murrow used his platform on CBS to criticize the witch hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.
This is what real journalism should do — hold power to account, not capitulate to it.
This is what real journalism should do — hold power to account, not capitulate to it.