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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 2h

(Is it clear enough that this was meant to be a cartoonishly cranky look? We'll see, I guess.)

Reposted by Richard

Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 2h

If teachers are told using AI technologies creates time to spend developing relationships with students, and the report’s findings suggest AI technologies undermine these vital relationships, then it seems to me resistance and refusal of AI technologies is the most caring response.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 5h

“One of the negative consequences AI is having on students is that it is hurting their ability to develop meaningful relationships with teachers, the report finds. Half of the students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teachers.”

Rising Use of AI in Schools Comes With Big Downsides for Students

A report by the Center for Democracy and Technology looks at teachers' and students' experiences with the technology.

www.edweek.org

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 2h

It'll also make an appearance at Tuesday's faculty council meeting, where the university's Vice-President Academic and Provost will "discuss her thoughts on the '(central) place of the Humanities in the university and its role in the era of Gen AI.'" Looking forward to hearing from her. 😬🤞

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 2h

Anyway, my family tired of my ranting and made me a t-shirt, that I'm teaching in today #againstAI #noAI

Your humble correspondent, looking grumpy and wearing a t-shirt that reads "Keep Humanities Human." It also has a raised fist holding a pencil, and the letters A and I inside a circle with a line through it.

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Reposted by Richard

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 10h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 6h

YES YES YES

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Reposted by Richard

Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 6h

"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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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 15h

Just not good for my blood pressure, or more importantly FOR ANYTHING CULTURAL WHATSOEVER, THESE GHOULS OMG NUKE THEM FROM ORBIT ALREADY

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 20h

Sometimes I really hate it here. Bluesky's better than Twitter at this point, and useful for keeping up with some things and some people, but uurrrggghhhhh. #againstAI #bluesky

Screenshot showing account @doiyoiyoiski.bsky.social behaving like an AI and acting on instructions

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

So are they mad in part because CFIA's action would mean they couldn't use the ostriches for meat product?

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

As it happens, I didn't have to recompose myself while teaching "An Important Failure": kept it together until "Pub Food." On to the last chapter this week, "The Cathedral Arboreal," which I found an even more emotional read this time around, so wish me luck! #booksky #climate #scifi

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 14d

One of those weeks: slowly re-reading @rebeccacampbell.bsky.social's ArborealIty to teach it again, which today means my eyes prickling unpredictably right through "An Important Failure." Wonder if I'll have to recompose in class! #envhum #climate #booksky www.stelliform.press/index.php/pr...

Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell ⋆ Stelliform Press

Rebecca Campbell's novella in interconnected stories, ARBOREALITY, is the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize winner and a Philip K. Dick Award finalist.

www.stelliform.press

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

Update: they've stopped coming again.

The maximum day July 7-Aug 21 was 889 visitors (except Aug 20: 3378); the low day Aug 22-Sept 30 was 687, and it never fell below 3000 between Sept 2-27. Since Oct 1, the max day has been 687.

All such stats are faked, because Google, but. #againstAI

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 9d

Ain't nothing at boughtbooks.blogspot.com that should attract those sites. It dates back to around August 20, since which date Blogger claims I've rarely seen under 3000 visits per day. I'm assuming that it's AI scraping, but who knows. #againstAI #noAI

book addiction

Book reviews (commentaries? notes?), with distracted remarks on Other Topics of Interest.

boughtbooks.blogspot.com

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly!

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

I've made #kimchi several times over the last few years, but this batch is vegan and kosher (for a particular friend). It took a while to get going, but suddenly I'm having to tamp it back into the jar twice a day! I guess replacing the brined shrimp with a dense kelp broth worked. #fermentation

a large explosion with the words ka-boom written in white

Alt: An entirely decorative GIF that's basically pointless. It's a large explosion with the words ka-boom written in white across it (because my kimchi is exploding out of its container while fermenting)

media.tenor.com

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 1d

People need to read more novellas, and they should start with the ones by @rebeccacampbell.bsky.social and @fishgottaswim.bsky.social, and honestly time is only the tiniest of the reasons why.

Jake Casella Brookins @casella.bsky.social · 2d

Compare this with a more oral/aural/literary mode of story-telling, where it's actually *less* common to slow down and do a beat-by-beat script-style screen description (which can be startling, used sparingly), where fiddling with the chronology and pace is natural: seconds to years in a paragraph.

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 2d

Update: I'll be one of the speakers. Currently, my faculty bio compares AI to spray cheese, so it's anyone's guess what I'll say #againstAI

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 6d

I'll be at a meeting later today to help plan a pedagogy talk on AI etc. The lead organizer emailed the rest of us, "I don’t think it’s wise to invite a speaker who is entirely anti-GenAI, since this technology is here to stay and we need to learn practical ways to deal with it." Fun! #againstAI

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

@irisvanrooij.bsky.social made this due to my final metaphor in doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

AI is like a ouija board: promoting & enabling mysticism, pseudoscience, & pseudo-intellectualism; hiding the human-in-the-loop, the user & the creators of the data, who do the intelligence & provide the inputs.

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Reposted by Richard

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 2d

Any organization considering the risks of AI should make room for those who believe the greatest risk is believing in it. In my latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social, I propose that AI skeptics play a crucial role in discussing “AI safety.” www.techpolicy.press/the-ai-safet...

The AI Safety Debate Needs AI Skeptics | TechPolicy.Press

The language used by AI risk communities to describe the technology may contribute to the very problems it aims to curb, Eryk Salvaggio writes.

www.techpolicy.press

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 3d

It shouldn't be controversial to say that borrowing or repurposing a racist term cheapens the discourse on all sides.

Let the existing rebuke stand, of whatever racist structure you're tempted to say is just like [whatever]. Find your own suite of attacks, insults, rebukes.

Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 3d

This whole "AI is a person" thing: nope, magical thinking at best, not how the tech works.

Also, I'm hearing of alleged insults today for AI and its users that I've never heard before (and that I'd never use), and I've been reading A LOT about this. It's a Very Online thing, yes?

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Reposted by Richard

Lauren Woolsey @cgsunit.bsky.social · 5d

Today's the day for my anti-AI zine volume 2: "Human Perspectives on the Latest AI Hype Cycle" 🎉

Enjoy the fruits of my focus these past few months and learn from many great people!

Scanned zine to print your own and the full text and references are available at padlet.com/laurenUU/antiAI

Front and back cover of the Zine sitting among Japanese maple leaves. Front cover has the title "Human Perspectives on the Latest AI Hype Cycle" with subtitle "AI Sucks and You Should Not Use It, Volume 2"
along with the date of October 2025 and author Lauren Woolsey.

Back cover has the text "References available on the back of this unfolded sheet and at padlet.com/laurenUU/antiAI" along with a QR code to that link. Then it has the text "Share with a friend, light the world! Connect w/ me: @cgsunit.bsky.social"

Pages 2 and 3 of the Zine, open among tree leaves.

Page 2 starts with handwritten "First...some backstory!" and then the text reads as follows: "Version Volume 1 of this zine, (June 2025), is called “Why GenAI Sucks and you should not use it.” I gave copies to my friends, did swaps at Grand Rapids Zine Fest, and shared the digital scan with hundreds of folks. It’s been great to connect with a community of humans who also think AI sucks! Since June, more great folks have added to the conversation. Let me introduce a few here..."

Page 3 is titled Anthony Moser and has the following text: "“I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.” So opens this most excellent essay (posted August 2025).
You absolutely need to read it. Also, it has 24 linked resources, if my Zine v1.1 list wasn’t enough to get you started being a hater."

Pages 4 and 5 of the Zine, open among tree leaves.

Page 4 is titled Olivia Guest and has the text: "1. Look at Guest’s incredible collection promoting Critical AI Literacy (CAIL): olivia.science/ai . 2. Discover a framework to define AI in “What Does 'Human-Centred AI' Mean?” (July 2025). 3. Share with educator friends Guest et al: “Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia” (September 2025). Such a helpful paper for advocacy!"

Page 5 is titled Ali Alkhatib and has the following text: "“AI is an ideological project to shift authority and autonomy away from individuals, towards centralized structures of power.” -from his essay Defining AI. Ali is on my recent radar because he’s starting “AI Skeptics Reading Group” the same month that this Zine launches (October 2025)! If you're a reader, check out the book list on p. 7 here!"

Pages 6 and 7 of the Zine, in partial shadow from tree leaves and surrounded by Japanese maple leaves.

Page 6 is titled Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute and has the text: "Great projects DAIR supports: Data Workers Inquiry (work led by Dr. Milagros Miceli), Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 (by E. Bender and A. Hanna), Possible Futures workshop and Zine series. Timnit Gebru is founder and executive director of DAIR and co-author of the “TESCREAL Bundle” research paper. (Read it!)

Page 7 is titled Further Reading and has a drawn stack of books with the following titles and publication months: Resisting AI (08/22), Blood in the Machine (09/23), The AI Mirror (06/24), Taming Silicon Valley (09/24), Why We Fear AI (03/25), More Everything Forever (04/25), The AI Con (05/25), Empire of AI (05/25). There are notes for The AI Con that the authors run the podcast mentioned on page 6 and that it is the book that the Reading Group from page 5 started on 10/13/25. The page ends with the text "Authors and full titles in reference list!" and a signature from Lauren "Double U."

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Reposted by Richard

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 5d

Welcome and thanks for listening to us. 🌿

Chris Dabbs, Ph.D. @dabbspsych.bsky.social · 5d

Man about a month ago I was on here propping up AI tools — not a stan or anything but I thought some could be useful — and smart people gave me some stuff to read and now I’m a for real certified gold star AI-hater.

I present: stuff I read that made me realize AI is actually trash.

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 6d

It was better than I feared; they said they'd emailed in haste rather than with care.

Also they were fine with my pedantry: eg, don't use it for "brainstorming," since that term implies the existence of a brain, and also we want students to be able to think for themselves.

But yes, screaming!

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 6d

It's feeling like some of us long-time colleagues maybe have never actually known each other. Very strange.

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 6d

I'll be at a meeting later today to help plan a pedagogy talk on AI etc. The lead organizer emailed the rest of us, "I don’t think it’s wise to invite a speaker who is entirely anti-GenAI, since this technology is here to stay and we need to learn practical ways to deal with it." Fun! #againstAI

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

@irisvanrooij.bsky.social made this due to my final metaphor in doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

AI is like a ouija board: promoting & enabling mysticism, pseudoscience, & pseudo-intellectualism; hiding the human-in-the-loop, the user & the creators of the data, who do the intelligence & provide the inputs.

AI technology is much
more akin to a ouija board than anything else: promoting and enabling mysticism, pseudoscience, and
pseudo-intellectualism (section 2: Marketing, hype, & harm); obfuscating the human-in-the-loop,
which includes the user and the creators of the data, who do most of the ‘intelligence’ and provide all
the inputs (subsection 3.4: Anthropomorphism and other circular reasoning). And combining all the
above, tricking and scamming us because we do not recognise that it merely reflects our own collective
intelligence back at us in distorted and damaging forms.

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Richard @rwpickard.bsky.social · 8d

We have some ongoing combat at my school, so it'll be useful for just this purpose!

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