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seaward99.bsky.social
@seaward99.bsky.social
200 followers 520 following 66 posts
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Reposted
keanbirch.bsky.social
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation

Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".

Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!

Deadline: 2nd February 2026

www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
About the Conference
www.4sonline.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
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petefrasermusic.bsky.social
BBC report at a headline level that Grok will now not make sexually exploitative images any more. An actual reporter comes on and explains that it will do no such thing, and will just make the images invisible in the UK. These are two very, very different things.
January 15, 2026 at 6:44 AM
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nanjala.bsky.social
Ugandans go to the polls today as the second oldest President in Africa seeks to extend the second longest regime and his rule over the second youngest population on the continent using internet shutdowns and other forms of systemic oppression.
January 15, 2026 at 9:32 AM
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gavreilly.com
For the record: as of right now, the Grok app is still doing all the things they’ve said it is stopping, for users with free/unpaid accounts.
January 15, 2026 at 11:23 AM
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newschambers.bsky.social
Chair of the Media Committee Alan Kelly says the supposed moves announced by X today are "absolutely not" good enough - saying that, even if they were implemented, the use of VPNs render them next to useless.

"Ireland needs to lead on this... these companies are headquartered here."
January 15, 2026 at 11:14 AM
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ubisurv.net
@abeba.bsky.social is one of the absolutely best people around in #AIsafety and #AIethics. If you are looking to do a PhD in this area, you could not do better. #AcademicSky #AI
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 1d
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me

apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a...

pls repost
About the PhD: Audits and evaluation of AI systems — and the broader context that AI systems operate in — have become central to conceptualising, quantifying, measuring and understanding the operations, failures, limitations, underlying assumptions, and downstream societal implications of AI systems. Existing AI audit and evaluation efforts are fractured, done in a siloed and ad-hoc manner, and with little deliberation and reflection around conceptual rigour and methodological validity. This PhD is for a candidate that is passionate about exploring what a conceptually cogent, methodologically sound, and well-founded AI evaluation and safety research might look like. This requires grappling with questions such as: What does it mean to represent “ground truth” in proxies, synthetic data, or computational simulation? How do we reliably measure abstract and complex phenomena? What are the epistemological or methodological implications of quantification and measurement approaches we choose to employ? Particularly, what underlying presuppositions, values, or perspectives do they entail? How do we ensure the lived experiences of impacted communities play a critical role in the development and justification of measurement metrics and proxies? Through exploration of these questions, the candidate is expected to engage with core concepts in the philosophy of science, history of science, Black feminist epistemologies, and similar schools of thought to develop an in-depth understanding of existing practices with the aim of applying it to advance shared standards and best practice in AI evaluation. The candidate is expected to integrate empirical (for example, through analysis or evaluation of existing benchmarks) or practical (for example, by executing evaluation of AI systems) components into the overall work.
January 15, 2026 at 1:02 PM
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abeba.bsky.social
"The fight ahead is not about free speech, as the United States contends, but about whether governments can rein in platforms that profit from disorder." @coricrider.com
projectsyndicate.bsky.social Project Syndicate @projectsyndicate.bsky.social · 1d
The European Union’s recent penalty against Elon Musk’s X marks the start of what is likely to become a bitter struggle to curb the spread of AI-driven slop, writes @coricrider.com. bit.ly/4qSstYe
Europe Enters the Slop War
Cori Crider urges EU leaders to take a hard line against US tech barons’ efforts to subvert democratic institutions.
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 3:24 PM
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abeba.bsky.social
there’s a very simple solution to avoid fines: do not violate rules set to protect the rights and safety people
newschambers.bsky.social Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 1d
Such interesting timing...
January 15, 2026 at 4:48 PM
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braedon.dev
There's also a very simple solution to not paying more in fines than you pay in tax: stop dodging tax.
January 15, 2026 at 4:53 PM
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alisabokulich.bsky.social
#philsci #STS #PhDSky #AIEthics
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 1d
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me

apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a...

pls repost
About the PhD: Audits and evaluation of AI systems — and the broader context that AI systems operate in — have become central to conceptualising, quantifying, measuring and understanding the operations, failures, limitations, underlying assumptions, and downstream societal implications of AI systems. Existing AI audit and evaluation efforts are fractured, done in a siloed and ad-hoc manner, and with little deliberation and reflection around conceptual rigour and methodological validity. This PhD is for a candidate that is passionate about exploring what a conceptually cogent, methodologically sound, and well-founded AI evaluation and safety research might look like. This requires grappling with questions such as: What does it mean to represent “ground truth” in proxies, synthetic data, or computational simulation? How do we reliably measure abstract and complex phenomena? What are the epistemological or methodological implications of quantification and measurement approaches we choose to employ? Particularly, what underlying presuppositions, values, or perspectives do they entail? How do we ensure the lived experiences of impacted communities play a critical role in the development and justification of measurement metrics and proxies? Through exploration of these questions, the candidate is expected to engage with core concepts in the philosophy of science, history of science, Black feminist epistemologies, and similar schools of thought to develop an in-depth understanding of existing practices with the aim of applying it to advance shared standards and best practice in AI evaluation. The candidate is expected to integrate empirical (for example, through analysis or evaluation of existing benchmarks) or practical (for example, by executing evaluation of AI systems) components into the overall work.
January 15, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted
abeba.bsky.social
good evening from Dublin
Picture of Dublin's iconic building, the convention Centre with red circular line lights, reflections in the river across it
January 15, 2026 at 7:48 PM
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chrismckillop.bsky.social
Super PhD opportunity.
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 1d
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me

apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a...

pls repost
About the PhD: Audits and evaluation of AI systems — and the broader context that AI systems operate in — have become central to conceptualising, quantifying, measuring and understanding the operations, failures, limitations, underlying assumptions, and downstream societal implications of AI systems. Existing AI audit and evaluation efforts are fractured, done in a siloed and ad-hoc manner, and with little deliberation and reflection around conceptual rigour and methodological validity. This PhD is for a candidate that is passionate about exploring what a conceptually cogent, methodologically sound, and well-founded AI evaluation and safety research might look like. This requires grappling with questions such as: What does it mean to represent “ground truth” in proxies, synthetic data, or computational simulation? How do we reliably measure abstract and complex phenomena? What are the epistemological or methodological implications of quantification and measurement approaches we choose to employ? Particularly, what underlying presuppositions, values, or perspectives do they entail? How do we ensure the lived experiences of impacted communities play a critical role in the development and justification of measurement metrics and proxies? Through exploration of these questions, the candidate is expected to engage with core concepts in the philosophy of science, history of science, Black feminist epistemologies, and similar schools of thought to develop an in-depth understanding of existing practices with the aim of applying it to advance shared standards and best practice in AI evaluation. The candidate is expected to integrate empirical (for example, through analysis or evaluation of existing benchmarks) or practical (for example, by executing evaluation of AI systems) components into the overall work.
January 15, 2026 at 2:29 PM
seaward99.bsky.social
Theft. Theft. Theft. Being demonetized means your artistry is being stolen. Then is it being sold to AI scroungers illegally? Here is what you can do. Eliminate Spotify. Take it off your phones, computers, laptops and tablets. Go back to radio and every other device or system you can think of.
umaw.bsky.social UMAW @umaw.bsky.social · 1d
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.

The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.

Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 16, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted
umaw.bsky.social
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.

The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.

Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Reposted
bencollins.bsky.social
Jesus.

www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
January 15, 2026 at 5:08 PM Reid Forgrave ICE agents eat at small-town Mexican restaurant — then arrest workers Federal agents detained three workers from a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar yesterday, hours after four agents ate lunch there. It was not immediately clear what the immigration status of those detained was, or whether the people detained included the restaurant’s owners or only workers. An eyewitness who declined to give a name for fear of retribution, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that four ICE agents sat in a booth for a meal at El Tapatio a little before 3 p.m. Staff at the restaurant were frightened, said the eyewitness, who shared pictures from the restaurant as well as video of the arrest. The arrest happened around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School as agents followed the workers after they closed up for the night. A handful of bystanders blew whistles and shouted at agents as they detained the people. “Would your mama be proud of you right now?” one of the bystanders asked.
January 16, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Reposted
oisinmcgann.bsky.social
#SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 1d
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me

apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a...

pls repost
About the PhD: Audits and evaluation of AI systems — and the broader context that AI systems operate in — have become central to conceptualising, quantifying, measuring and understanding the operations, failures, limitations, underlying assumptions, and downstream societal implications of AI systems. Existing AI audit and evaluation efforts are fractured, done in a siloed and ad-hoc manner, and with little deliberation and reflection around conceptual rigour and methodological validity. This PhD is for a candidate that is passionate about exploring what a conceptually cogent, methodologically sound, and well-founded AI evaluation and safety research might look like. This requires grappling with questions such as: What does it mean to represent “ground truth” in proxies, synthetic data, or computational simulation? How do we reliably measure abstract and complex phenomena? What are the epistemological or methodological implications of quantification and measurement approaches we choose to employ? Particularly, what underlying presuppositions, values, or perspectives do they entail? How do we ensure the lived experiences of impacted communities play a critical role in the development and justification of measurement metrics and proxies? Through exploration of these questions, the candidate is expected to engage with core concepts in the philosophy of science, history of science, Black feminist epistemologies, and similar schools of thought to develop an in-depth understanding of existing practices with the aim of applying it to advance shared standards and best practice in AI evaluation. The candidate is expected to integrate empirical (for example, through analysis or evaluation of existing benchmarks) or practical (for example, by executing evaluation of AI systems) components into the overall work.
January 16, 2026 at 11:14 AM
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abeba.bsky.social
spot how many of these risks are due to/powered by the tech industry

source: www.weforum.org/publications...
January 16, 2026 at 12:39 PM
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realitycheck.bsky.social
Adverse outcomes from AI is the most rapidly rising risk. Section 2.7 of their report is an excellent deep dive.

"A generation of university graduates may need to work gig-economy jobs as they struggle to keep pace... [Mass unemployment] could become a destabilizing force in society..."
January 16, 2026 at 2:33 PM
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abeba.bsky.social
New paper hot off the press www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We analysed over 40,000 computer vision papers from CVPR (the longest standing CV conf) & associated patents tracing pathways from research to application. We found that 90% of papers & 86% of downstream patents power surveillance

1/
Computer-vision research powers surveillance technology - Nature
An analysis of research papers and citing patents indicates the extensive ties between computer-vision research and surveillance.
www.nature.com
June 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM
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fintwitter.bsky.social
Kyiv mayor: 'Air defense forces are operating in the capital to counter enemy drones. Stay in shelters!'
January 16, 2026 at 6:20 AM
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maks23.bsky.social
🇩🇪 Germany has begun to react more harshly to the Russian shadow fleet in its waters, - Tagesschau

Federal police officers recently banned several Russian vessels from passing through German territorial waters.
January 15, 2026 at 8:47 PM
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amandamarcotte.bsky.social
Many have observed the similarities between Noem's ICE and the Proud Boys.

But folks, I have the receipts. I reviewed tapes from 2016-2017 of Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes.

Everything Noem is doing in Minneapolis is laid out in his vision from then.

www.salon.com/2026/01/16/h...
How Kristi Noem turned ICE into the Proud Boys
Footage shows the right-wing group’s founder developing the “recruit giant losers” strategy
www.salon.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:08 PM
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adamkinzinger.substack.com
From Minneapolis to the Federal Reserve to Greenland—this episode is about what happens when power is tested and guardrails strain. New episode out now.
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
Video: Pressure Points
Adam and Zach on a second discussion
open.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:03 PM
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sifill.bsky.social
So she had a pulse. That’s what the doctor on the scene wanted to check. She wasn’t breathing, but she had a pulse. He could have started CPR right away.

Instead ICE barred the doctor from attending her and waited 15 mins for EMT to get to her.
January 16, 2026 at 3:03 PM
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pik-potsdam.bsky.social
“This is not the time for resignation; it’s a time of heightened urgency”

Ahead of @weforum.org annual meeting #WEF26, PIK Director Johan #Rockström & Carlos Afonso Nobre @uspoficial.bsky.social highlight the importance of the 1.5C limit, naming 4 deciding factors.

www.weforum.org/stories/2026...
It’s time to put scientific guidance at the heart of climate policy
Scientific consensus indicates that global warming has reached the 1.5°C threshold, requiring climate policy to shift from commitments to the rapid, science-aligned phase-out of fossil fuels.
www.weforum.org
January 16, 2026 at 10:20 AM