Shannon Vallor
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shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor
@shannonvallor.bsky.social
16K followers 1.9K following 2.4K posts

Philosopher/AI Ethicist at Univ of Edinburgh, co-Director @technomoralfutures.bsky.social and BRAID @braiduk.bsky.social, author of Technology and the Virtues (2016) and The AI Mirror (2024). Views my own. Servant to Carol and Puffin. .. more

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Shannon Vallor is an American philosopher of technology. She is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. She previously taught at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California where she was the Regis and Dianne McKenna Professor of Philosophy and William J. Rewak, S.J. Professor at SCU. .. more

Neuroscience 30%
Computer science 22%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Peter Holmes

jdportes.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 6h
"Migration Advisory Committee analysis suggests tougher rules are shutting out young people who would make a clear fiscal contribution over their lifetime — while potentially deterring top earners who have many options to go elsewhere."

FT on the migration doom loop..

www.ft.com/content/a17f...
Is UK immigration set for ‘net zero’?
Migration surge after Brexit and Covid lockdowns has eased while clampdown has slashed arrivals
www.ft.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Peter Thorne, Stacy D. VanDeveer

ciaraioch.bsky.social
Ciara | Ciaraíoch 🎨 @ciaraioch.bsky.social · 8h
Telling the government my new home is going to be a data centre so they'll build it for me

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Timon McPhearson, Mor Naaman , and 17 more

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 22h
Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Brian Weatherson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

marsrover.bsky.social
Mars Rover @marsrover.bsky.social · 2d
A ream of norms are being shattered daily, but as a tech expert this one really shocks me. For a generation CSAM has been *THE* flaming red line for a tech platform. If they spent money on ANYTHING, it was moderating it miles away. To even have the whiff of it was a Federal kiss of death. Now? 🤷‍♂️
lorak.bsky.social Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 2d
I want to highlight this important story by my friends @nbcnews.com - www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne... "The Internet Watch Foundation said it found topless images of girls that dark web forum users attributed to xAI’s Grok Imagine." <-- the AI generated CSAM / NCII immediately escapes containment
Dark web users cite Grok as tool for making 'criminal imagery' of kids, U.K. watchdog says
The Internet Watch Foundation said it found topless images of girls that dark web forum users attributed to xAI’s Grok Imagine.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Gordon Pennycook, Jennifer A. Richeson , and 6 more

darinself.com
Darin Self @darinself.com · 2d
I can still recall all the tut-tutting from the media when Harris made this argument.
adamjschwarz.bsky.social Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Aug 24
Kamala Harris at her closing campaign rally:

"Donald Trump intends to use the United States Military against American citizens who simply disagree with him."

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Will Jennings, Cullen S. Hendrix , and 1 more

lorak.bsky.social
Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 2d
I want to highlight this important story by my friends @nbcnews.com - www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne... "The Internet Watch Foundation said it found topless images of girls that dark web forum users attributed to xAI’s Grok Imagine." <-- the AI generated CSAM / NCII immediately escapes containment
Dark web users cite Grok as tool for making 'criminal imagery' of kids, U.K. watchdog says
The Internet Watch Foundation said it found topless images of girls that dark web forum users attributed to xAI’s Grok Imagine.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Donna L. Hoffman, Greg Linden , and 1 more

bencollins.bsky.social
Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 2d
well well well
AI layoffs are looking more and more like corporate fiction that's masking a darker reality, Oxford Economics suggests | Fortune
"Firms don't appear to be replacing workers with AI on a significant scale," the firm said. It suspects some are trying to "dress up layoffs" as good news.
fortune.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

janerosenzweig.bsky.social
Jane Rosenzweig @janerosenzweig.bsky.social · 2d
Today in FB ads for AI. "Perfect for students"! In addition to everything else I think we need to talk more about how this relentless messaging is shaping the way students think about writing and what this layering of tools--generators, checkers, humanizers--is doing to the way we see each other.
image from a video of a student at a computer with text that says "Worried your professor might check your essay with AI tools?" Above that is text that says "Flagged as AI? 😬 Use GPTOne to detect, humanize, and verify your content instantly. Check if text, images, or answers are AI‑generated and make them look 100% human. Perfect for students, creators, and agencies. Try it free at gptone.me"

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit , and 6 more

clairenf.bsky.social
Claire Nevin-Field @clairenf.bsky.social · 3d
“I have asked the clergy of the diocese to make sure their affairs are in order and they have written their wills.,not the time for statements. It is time to put our bodies between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable”. Rob Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Ben H. Ansell

jdportes.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 3d
who could have predicted that stopping international students, care workers and nurses from coming to the UK would damage the economy/public finances while yielding precisely no political benefits?

Oh. Me.

[& lots of others obviously]
theguardian.com The Guardian @theguardian.com · 3d
Two-thirds of UK voters wrongly think immigration is rising, poll finds
Two-thirds of UK voters wrongly think immigration is rising, poll finds
Exclusive: Voters say they have little confidence that government can control borders despite sharp falls in net migration A large majority of UK voters believe immigration is increasing despite sharp falls in the number of people entering the UK, according to exclusive polling shared with the Guardian. Voters also say they have no confidence in the government’s ability to control the UK’s borders, according to the poll by More in Common. The results will come as a blow to Keir Starmer’s administration, which has taken an increasingly hardline stance on immigration in recent months. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Norbert Schwarz, Will Jennings , and 7 more

paulbrand.bsky.social
Paul Brand @paulbrand.bsky.social · 3d
Preventing the sharing of sexualised images of children is “censorship” according to Elon Musk.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Musk says X outcry is 'excuse for censorship'
The government is urging Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including an effective ban – against X.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Michael H. Whitworth , and 3 more

brislen.nz
Paul Brislen @brislen.nz · 3d
I don’t think we should have ceded control quite so quickly and without so much as a fight.
A giant yellow sign on the side of the road announces “YOU ARE ENTERING A FRUIT FLY CONTROLLED AREA” and below that in smaller letters “Make sure you know the rules.”

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 3d
Live footage of me every time I open the pen to play with a teething puppy
a woman is opening a door in a living room with the words `` land shark '' written on the bottom .
Alt: GIF of the SNL ‘land shark’ skit
media.tenor.com

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 3d
I would never. She will live her whole life knowing of nothing but walks, smells, kibble and cuddles.

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 3d
Neighbors have been visiting to meet Puffin all week and the local pet shop has started warning them ‘are you by any chance buying that puffin toy for a dog named Puffin? Because you’re the third person to come in and get her one’
Puffin (dog) bites Puffin (stuffed)

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 3d
This girl knows nothing about the state of things
A white fluffy puppy with pink ears asleep on a man’s arm

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Axel Bruns, Cathy N. Davidson , and 2 more

helenmaryme.bsky.social
Helen @helenmaryme.bsky.social · 3d
A group of young kestrels is startled by the presence of a butterfly. 🤣🤣🤣

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Stephan Lewandowsky, Scott L. Greer

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4d
The people who mock gender studies are perversely the most compelling case for studying it
titonka.bsky.social Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 4d
Wifi was down at the WH today so I didn’t get to post this, which, once again people: everything is gender.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

joxley.jmoxley.co.uk
John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 4d
Feels very smol bean government to brief about how everything gets in your way and not be able to say "Every department and minister off the CSAM website by 5pm".

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 4d
Yes. Yes we did.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Dan Hicks

ketanjoshi.co
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 4d
The Guardian doing inexplicable voluntary free public relations work for a corporation profiting from sexual abuse by headlining this as the image gen being "turned off". It isn't off: they've just monetised it. What the fuck are we doing here people, come on.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
X to limit editing function to paying subscribers after platform threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 4d
We lifted Carol out of the pen, comforted Puffin, and replaced the blanket.

Two minutes later she did it again.

2/2

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 4d
Update on Carol meets Puffin.

We stretched a heavy blanket across Puffin’s pen to make it darker/easier for her to nap. Carol mistook it for a solid roof, leapt from a perch and came crashing down into the middle of the pen like a paratrooper with a failed chute. Luckily neither was hurt…1/2

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 4d
Been a while since I read anything online that cuts as deep as this.
tressiemcphd.bsky.social Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 4d
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
A 35 year old letter to the editor, written by a very ballsy 15 year old, about the Rodney King verdict.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio , and 11 more

tressiemcphd.bsky.social
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 4d
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
A 35 year old letter to the editor, written by a very ballsy 15 year old, about the Rodney King verdict.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Robert C. Richards

utaustinaaup.bsky.social
AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 4d
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

The Dean “also clarified that faculty may assign textbooks with chapters that cover transgender identity, so long as they do not talk about the material or include it on assignments or exam questions.”

And they call this an education?
Plato Censored as Texas A&M Carries Out Course Review
A&M officials have also instructed English faculty not to teach books in core classes that have major plotlines concerning gay, lesbian or transgender identities.
www.insidehighered.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

explaintrade.com
Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 5d
This is also a field test.

If the press lets them muddy the waters on executing a woman in Minneapolis despite multiple witnesses and video recordings clearly depicting what happened, the message they'll take away is that there's nothing they can't get away with.

Nothing.

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 5d
There are clear parallels

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, David Spurrett

newschambers.bsky.social
Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 5d
If there was a child porn factory down the road, it’d be closed immediately.

The Govt’s response wouldn’t be “hang on, they let us print flyers there too”.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor

newschambers.bsky.social
Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 5d
There are real people, real women, real girls whose images have been edited by grok at the request of users.

This is not some fictionalised, nebulous harm.

That the 'adults in the room' and 'rules-based order' governments are humming and hawwing over taking a firm line on this is extraordinary