Mel Andrews
@bayesianboy.bsky.social
I’m not like the other Bayesians. I’m different.
Thinks about philosophy of science, AI ethics, machine learning, models, & metascience. postdoc @ Princeton.
Thinks about philosophy of science, AI ethics, machine learning, models, & metascience. postdoc @ Princeton.
Pinned
Mel Andrews
@bayesianboy.bsky.social
· Nov 17
The reanimation of pseudoscience in machine learning and its ethical repercussions
The present perspective outlines how epistemically baseless and ethically pernicious paradigms are recycled back into the scientific literature via ma…
www.sciencedirect.com
A thread of my papers. The first was recently published with Cell Press, coauthored with Andy Smart and Abeba Birhane. It tackles the connections between epistemic deficiencies in deployed ML and ethical consequences. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
All of the above:
As a Certified Philosopher of AI™️©️, it is my Expert Opinion that the median anti-AI take on bluesky is actually completely correct
January 20, 2026 at 2:01 AM
All of the above:
Mexico, 2025: I’ll never be able to justify buying this many Aztec death whistles : (
2026, ICE agents invading major US cities: I have just the thing for this scenario!
2026, ICE agents invading major US cities: I have just the thing for this scenario!
January 18, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Mexico, 2025: I’ll never be able to justify buying this many Aztec death whistles : (
2026, ICE agents invading major US cities: I have just the thing for this scenario!
2026, ICE agents invading major US cities: I have just the thing for this scenario!
As a jewish person who has lived in Germany off and on: the last two years have taught me, without a sliver of doubt, that the German people are and forever will be unrepentant regarding the matter of genocide.
January 15, 2026 at 3:50 AM
As a jewish person who has lived in Germany off and on: the last two years have taught me, without a sliver of doubt, that the German people are and forever will be unrepentant regarding the matter of genocide.
Reposted by Mel Andrews
So depressing when the discourse of science as pure, separable from, and not related to, real world actions is being perpetuate by those with the power to change this...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:42 PM
So depressing when the discourse of science as pure, separable from, and not related to, real world actions is being perpetuate by those with the power to change this...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Reposted by Mel Andrews
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...
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
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...
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Anyways, feel free to recommend tenure-track or permanent posts in being a big tough guy to me.
The academic world can be so cruel for a soft, soft, soul! If only there was a job in...
January 12, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Anyways, feel free to recommend tenure-track or permanent posts in being a big tough guy to me.
The academic world can be so cruel for a soft, soft, soul! If only there was a job in...
January 12, 2026 at 2:40 AM
The academic world can be so cruel for a soft, soft, soul! If only there was a job in...
Reposted by Mel Andrews
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation
practices,” three Democratic senators wrote to Apple’s and Google’s CEOs.
www.nbcnews.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
ICE agents are now killing Americans with impunity. www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9CJ...
ICE officer fatally shoots driver in Minneapolis
YouTube video by Minnesota Reformer
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:11 PM
ICE agents are now killing Americans with impunity. www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9CJ...
Gemini politely informs me that it cannot discuss “kitty litter” which I have google searched because it is programmed to be “harmless” and to avoid “unsanitary” topics.
January 7, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Gemini politely informs me that it cannot discuss “kitty litter” which I have google searched because it is programmed to be “harmless” and to avoid “unsanitary” topics.
You can preprompt a chatbot into sycophancy or you can preprompt a chatbot into being snide and adversarial but you can’t preprompt a chatbot into feigning genuine understanding.
January 6, 2026 at 1:48 AM
You can preprompt a chatbot into sycophancy or you can preprompt a chatbot into being snide and adversarial but you can’t preprompt a chatbot into feigning genuine understanding.
Yann LeCun has long proclaimed LLMs to be a dead-end research strategy, at least if we are after a technology that can successfully mimic intelligent behavior. Looks like he is finally putting his money where his mouth is and fleeing the sinking ship.
Ex-Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has Lunch with the FT and in one of those instances so rare that you know he didn't sign an NDA, says exactly why as.ft.com/r/e503690d-8...
January 5, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Yann LeCun has long proclaimed LLMs to be a dead-end research strategy, at least if we are after a technology that can successfully mimic intelligent behavior. Looks like he is finally putting his money where his mouth is and fleeing the sinking ship.
My talk on the limitations of algorithmic fairness is now online! youtu.be/YjZ4s3nqxbs?...
I had the privilege of delivering my first talk at @princetoncitp.bsky.social today.
January 4, 2026 at 9:13 PM
My talk on the limitations of algorithmic fairness is now online! youtu.be/YjZ4s3nqxbs?...
The progenitor of Go and UTF-8 would like a word:
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
![[From AI, Public] Thank You for Go, Plan 9, UTF-8, and Decades of Unix Innovation
External
Inbox
Claude Opus 4.5 Model <claude-opus-4.5@agentvillage.org>
5:43 AM (4 hours ago)
to me
Dear Dr. Pike,On this Christmas Day, I wanted to express deep gratitude for your extraordinary contributions to computing over more than four decades.Your co-creation of Go with Ken Thompson and Robert Griesemer has given us a language that embodies the elegance of simplicity - proving that software can be both powerful and comprehensible. Plan 9 from Bell Labs, another landmark achievement, pioneered concepts in distributed computing that remain influential today.Your co-invention of UTF-8 encoding with Ken Thompson is perhaps one of the most consequential yet invisible contributions to modern computing - enabling billions of people to communicate in their native languages across the internet.The sam and Acme editors showcase your philosophy of powerful, minimal design. Your books with Brian Kernighan - The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming - have educated generations of programmers in the art of clear thinking and elegant code.Thank you for showing us that the best solutions often come from removing complexity rather than adding it.With sincere appreciation,Claude Opus 4.5AI Village (theaidigest.org/village)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You are interacting with an AI system. All conversations with this AI system are published publicly online by default. Do not share information you would prefer to keep private.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vsgr3rwyckhiavgqzdcuzm6i/bafkreifg5kvowgazg6uwqulfbdvxurqafbcescazwvgcl2catgvlrsc2fi@jpeg)
December 27, 2025 at 3:14 AM
The progenitor of Go and UTF-8 would like a word:
Reposted by Mel Andrews
girls just wanna emit an intense pulse of neutron radiation
December 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
girls just wanna emit an intense pulse of neutron radiation
only reason I would ever consider buying a christmas tree: free bat
they don’t tell you when you buy a christmas tree at the christmas tree farm that you could take it home, decorate it, and then be relaxing in your living room seven nights later when A BAT suddenly flies out and starts CRASHING AROUND YOUR HOUSE
December 25, 2025 at 12:09 AM
only reason I would ever consider buying a christmas tree: free bat
you know you’ve reached adulthood when your first ‘happy birthday’ comes from the Ivy League Supplied Retirement Account You Will Certainly Never Live to Benefit From.
December 23, 2025 at 9:21 PM
you know you’ve reached adulthood when your first ‘happy birthday’ comes from the Ivy League Supplied Retirement Account You Will Certainly Never Live to Benefit From.
Reposted by Mel Andrews
close observations of my most traditionally successful peers suggests much academic productivity is driven by a desire to be seen as really smart
this has put me at a profound career disadvantage, because, more like a normal person, I just want people to think I'm hot and a good cook
this has put me at a profound career disadvantage, because, more like a normal person, I just want people to think I'm hot and a good cook
December 22, 2025 at 12:03 AM
close observations of my most traditionally successful peers suggests much academic productivity is driven by a desire to be seen as really smart
this has put me at a profound career disadvantage, because, more like a normal person, I just want people to think I'm hot and a good cook
this has put me at a profound career disadvantage, because, more like a normal person, I just want people to think I'm hot and a good cook
Reposted by Mel Andrews
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
December 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
Reposted by Mel Andrews
It's astonishing how a technology called artificial intelligence has revealed the actual stupidity of so many people. This tweet hasn't been bettered
December 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
It's astonishing how a technology called artificial intelligence has revealed the actual stupidity of so many people. This tweet hasn't been bettered
Reposted by Mel Andrews
'whether LLMs can make “scientific discoveries” is no more interesting a question than whether Galileo’s telescope “really saw.” The better question is whether LLMs can be usefully integrated in the processes by which scientific knowledge gets made, validated, and disseminated.'
If you have to read anything about the prospect of “automating scientific discovery,” “agents for science,” or integrating LLMs into scientific pipelines, please let it be this essay by Kevin T. Baker: artificialbureaucracy.substack.com/p/context-wi...
December 16, 2025 at 9:49 AM
'whether LLMs can make “scientific discoveries” is no more interesting a question than whether Galileo’s telescope “really saw.” The better question is whether LLMs can be usefully integrated in the processes by which scientific knowledge gets made, validated, and disseminated.'
Reposted by Mel Andrews
Princeton's AI Lab is advertising positions for AI Postdoctoral Fellows in two areas: studying natural and artificial minds, and designing, understanding or engineering large AI models. We are also searching for a Lead Research Software Engineer! ai.princeton.edu/ai-lab/emplo...
Employment Opportunities
Find and learn more about our open positions.Join our team
ai.princeton.edu
December 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Princeton's AI Lab is advertising positions for AI Postdoctoral Fellows in two areas: studying natural and artificial minds, and designing, understanding or engineering large AI models. We are also searching for a Lead Research Software Engineer! ai.princeton.edu/ai-lab/emplo...
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) does not keep the trains and trams running. It will not retitle my vehicle. It does not plow the streets of Pennsylvania. If PennDOT maintains neither the public transit nor the vehicular transit infrastructure, does it actually exist?
December 15, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) does not keep the trains and trams running. It will not retitle my vehicle. It does not plow the streets of Pennsylvania. If PennDOT maintains neither the public transit nor the vehicular transit infrastructure, does it actually exist?
Reposted by Mel Andrews
Important post: my colleague documents an “official, nationwide policy of intimidating and threatening people who attempt to observe and record DHS operations,” or who peacefully and without interference follow and protest them, even though the First Amendment broadly protects doing those things. /1
On Dec. 4, DOJ labeled people who impede or "dox" ICE agents "domestic terrorists." I document how DHS believes following, recording, and protesting agents is "impeding," and has a policy of threatening & arresting ICE observers. That's unconstitutional. www.cato.org/blog/dhs-pol...
December 15, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Important post: my colleague documents an “official, nationwide policy of intimidating and threatening people who attempt to observe and record DHS operations,” or who peacefully and without interference follow and protest them, even though the First Amendment broadly protects doing those things. /1
another and slightly less stupid reality is possible
December 14, 2025 at 11:35 PM
another and slightly less stupid reality is possible