Louise Hickman
@louhicky.bsky.social
3.1K followers 510 following 180 posts
Incoming Wellcome's Early Career Award. Research Associate with Minderoo Centre for Democracy and Technology, University of Cambridge.
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Reposted by Louise Hickman
oxinabox.bsky.social
as a girl with a PhD in natural language processing and machine learning it's actually offensive to me when you say "we don't know how LLMs work so they might be conscious"

I didn't spend 10 years in mines of academia to be told ignorance is morally equal knowledge.

We know exactly how LLMs work.
louhicky.bsky.social
Such a lovely wee soul and very much a fan of the sunny patches around the house.
Reposted by Louise Hickman
lizjackson.bsky.social
Our latest for Buttondown, @fractalecho.bsky.social and I dug into Microsoft's inaccurate telling of its own 'Inclusive Design' story and who Inclusive Design erases more broadly. bsky.app/profile/lizj...
lizjackson.bsky.social
Our latest for Thank You for your Feedback Loop. A story and an idea. I'm hoping @fractalecho.bsky.social can better explain. buttondown.com/TYFYFL/archi...
Screenshot of the Human Censored Design header with a blurb: The Microsoft Inclusive Design Toolkit popularized norms about disability inclusion that when teased out, become taboos. It doesn’t just sacrifice the one for the many. It also exploits misconceptions about representation in order to locate and select whichever one can be used to neutralize, undermine, bury, and censor the many. There are three primary methods embedded within Inclusive Design power grabs, and they often work together to achieve something more resembling Human Censored Design
louhicky.bsky.social
maybe a lovechild of Barry Fife?
Reposted by Louise Hickman
mctd.bsky.social
Today is International Day of Sign Languages, a day commemorating the establishment of the World Federation of the Deaf and spotlighting the issues Deaf people face in their everyday lives.

This year's theme is: No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights❗
louhicky.bsky.social
Not been a fan for some time.
Reposted by Louise Hickman
tedmccoy.bsky.social
My department, Sociology at the University of Calgary, is hiring FOUR (4) tenure track professors this fall in the areas of systemic justice and structural harm. Please help us to circulate this widely within your scholarly networks!
Assistant Professors - Sociology, Faculty of Arts in Calgary, AB, ...
Assistant Professors - Sociology, Faculty of Arts in Calgary, AB, ...
careers.ucalgary.ca
louhicky.bsky.social
It's great to see hard copies of the "BSL is not for Sale" report at the @mctd.bsky.social meeting today!
Reposted by Louise Hickman
louhicky.bsky.social
Yesterday we published a report on buying BSL AI.

We look how a Deaf-led governance model could improve how public institutions commission BSL AI tool, including setting up a national expertise network to completing deaf-led algorithmic impact assessments.
mctd.bsky.social
NEW REPORT 🚨 BSL is Not for Sale

Sign Language AI systems are being rolled out across the UK's public services without proper consultation with Deaf communities❗

➡️ www.mctd.ac.uk/bsl-not-for-...
Reposted by Louise Hickman
alexahagerty.bsky.social
Really proud of this report. Our focus is Sign Language AI, but the core message applies everywhere: communities affected by AI should lead its procurement. When we get this right, we build better services for everyone. Full report available now.
mctd.bsky.social
Our latest report, authored by @louhicky.bsky.social @alexahagerty.bsky.social and Rose Powell, looks at how a Deaf-led governance model could improve how public institutions commission BSL AI tools.

It sets out 8️⃣ recommendations for procurement teams, policy leaders, and oversight bodies:
louhicky.bsky.social
I have a new report coming out this week on British Sign Language (BSL) AI. Co-authors and I avoided using the popular term 'Sign AI' to ground languages with specific histories and cultures. Sign AI is a deeply depolitical move taken by tech companies.
louhicky.bsky.social
NEW JOB! Algorithmic Kitchen is hiring a postdoc!

The project is seeking a Research Associate with expertise in STS, design, HCI, or critical disability studies to co-create innovative methods and prototypes.

Apply by 5 Oct 2025

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Research Associate, Algorithmic Kitchen Project (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Research Associate to join the Wellcome-funded project Algorithmic Kitchen: Recipes for Disability-Led Health Technology Design, led by Dr Louise Hickman at the
www.cam.ac.uk
louhicky.bsky.social
They deliberately failed democracy for clickbait.
therickydavila.bsky.social
It’s continues to be despicable how the media has spent a decade normalizing the orange felon so much so that they are reporting on his authoritarian militarization of Washington DC as if it were a routine military exercise. They deliberately failed democracy for clickbait.
Reposted by Louise Hickman
wesleygoatley.bsky.social
My new installation A Harbinger, A Horizon, and A Hope: Three Heralds of Possible AI Futures is now open at Inspace Gallery in Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Festival.

It's three interactive devices each showing a glimpse at a different future for individuals and communities and their relation to AI.
Reposted by Louise Hickman
ygrene.bsky.social
RoboCop: *about to arrest me*

Me: before you arrest me, which of these 9 pictures have cars in them

RoboCop: i’m going to let you off with a warning
louhicky.bsky.social
There are some amazing subheadings in this paper: “‘We’ll take your toothpaste too if you keep this up’: the asymmetries of carceral tinkering”
stopoxevision.bsky.social
Our paper - ‘Towards a Mad Technoscience: revealing, repurposing, and reimagining carceral mental health technologies’ is out now (limited access here) bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

You can get full access to our original here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com
louhicky.bsky.social
Another policy ick is lived experience. Of course, the spectator has offered a short history.