Erica "digifox" Kovac
@digifox.binaryden.net
Software Engineer | Social Democrat | Pro-Nuclear, Pro-Growth | in the vicinity of "Tomboy Transfemme", she/her | Opinions are mine, not my employer's.
Pfp by @nicnak044.bsky.social
Pfp by @nicnak044.bsky.social
Pinned
let the version of the industry that does this repent through bankruptcy; if I pay for technology I expect it to serve *my* interests, not those who wish to control and surveill me
Software is a tool, and tools should serve the user above all else.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
A study by Dayforce shows 87% of executives use AI for work, compared to 57% of managers and just 27% of employees.
I think this explains the massive disconnect we see in how CEOs talk about AI versus everyone else. It also raises the question of how useful it truly is for frontline work?
I think this explains the massive disconnect we see in how CEOs talk about AI versus everyone else. It also raises the question of how useful it truly is for frontline work?
Execs are embracing AI more than their employees are, new research suggests
Research from HR software company Dayforce suggests that executives are leaning into AI far more than their employees.
www.businessinsider.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:58 AM
A study by Dayforce shows 87% of executives use AI for work, compared to 57% of managers and just 27% of employees.
I think this explains the massive disconnect we see in how CEOs talk about AI versus everyone else. It also raises the question of how useful it truly is for frontline work?
I think this explains the massive disconnect we see in how CEOs talk about AI versus everyone else. It also raises the question of how useful it truly is for frontline work?
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
November 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
Every single tech cycle is just-
Computer scientist: "Yeah this technology is groundbreaking, but only for this really niche thi-"
Some tech bro who just graduated buisness school: "Yayayaya, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to think of how to make a money laundering scam out of this."
Computer scientist: "Yeah this technology is groundbreaking, but only for this really niche thi-"
Some tech bro who just graduated buisness school: "Yayayaya, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to think of how to make a money laundering scam out of this."
November 29, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Every single tech cycle is just-
Computer scientist: "Yeah this technology is groundbreaking, but only for this really niche thi-"
Some tech bro who just graduated buisness school: "Yayayaya, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to think of how to make a money laundering scam out of this."
Computer scientist: "Yeah this technology is groundbreaking, but only for this really niche thi-"
Some tech bro who just graduated buisness school: "Yayayaya, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to think of how to make a money laundering scam out of this."
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
At 10 over 75? Non-zero chance his 'trial' is a note read aloud next to a burn pit.
You know the joke that in some extreme circumstances you 'stop being biology and start being physics'?
There is a point where your politics stop being law and start being history. It is not a good place to be.
You know the joke that in some extreme circumstances you 'stop being biology and start being physics'?
There is a point where your politics stop being law and start being history. It is not a good place to be.
November 25, 2025 at 3:20 PM
At 10 over 75? Non-zero chance his 'trial' is a note read aloud next to a burn pit.
You know the joke that in some extreme circumstances you 'stop being biology and start being physics'?
There is a point where your politics stop being law and start being history. It is not a good place to be.
You know the joke that in some extreme circumstances you 'stop being biology and start being physics'?
There is a point where your politics stop being law and start being history. It is not a good place to be.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
November 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
one thing that democrats are really quite good at is correcting and "fixing" the mistakes of their previous bite at the apple. It goes as far back as Clinton correcting for the legislative failures of Carter!
I find the 'the Democrats won't do anything' doomer line annoying, because the Democrats will be who you make them - look how much the GOP changed over the past decade!
Right now the party feels immovable but the moment it has a presidential nominee, it will be whatever that person is.
Right now the party feels immovable but the moment it has a presidential nominee, it will be whatever that person is.
November 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
one thing that democrats are really quite good at is correcting and "fixing" the mistakes of their previous bite at the apple. It goes as far back as Clinton correcting for the legislative failures of Carter!
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
It does seem like an untold story of AI is that AI is largely just a front end that sits on top of well structured reliable business data… and most companies don’t have well structured reliable business data so AI will continue to provide them limited value (1/2)
November 28, 2025 at 10:42 AM
It does seem like an untold story of AI is that AI is largely just a front end that sits on top of well structured reliable business data… and most companies don’t have well structured reliable business data so AI will continue to provide them limited value (1/2)
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
Multiple surveys are telling the same story: AI adoption has stalled. Census data shows ~11% of workers use AI, with rates falling at 250+ employee firms. Surveys show usage spiked then plateaued.
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening
Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption
www.economist.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Multiple surveys are telling the same story: AI adoption has stalled. Census data shows ~11% of workers use AI, with rates falling at 250+ employee firms. Surveys show usage spiked then plateaued.
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Meanwhile Big Tech is planning $5T in AI spend by 2030 that needs $650B/year in revenue vs ~$50B today
Generative AI should be used sparingly, if at all, to write software, because we need less code, not more.
At the risk of starting the flame war to end all flame wars...
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
November 28, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Generative AI should be used sparingly, if at all, to write software, because we need less code, not more.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
I'm also a bit anxious about a Jevon's paradox situation.
I.e Code is cheaper, so we make and use more of it, which is likely to lead to more issues. Most of the cost of systems is in maintenance not build.
We will see, if it was going to have a huge impact we should be seeing it.
I.e Code is cheaper, so we make and use more of it, which is likely to lead to more issues. Most of the cost of systems is in maintenance not build.
We will see, if it was going to have a huge impact we should be seeing it.
November 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I'm also a bit anxious about a Jevon's paradox situation.
I.e Code is cheaper, so we make and use more of it, which is likely to lead to more issues. Most of the cost of systems is in maintenance not build.
We will see, if it was going to have a huge impact we should be seeing it.
I.e Code is cheaper, so we make and use more of it, which is likely to lead to more issues. Most of the cost of systems is in maintenance not build.
We will see, if it was going to have a huge impact we should be seeing it.
"there's no final boss of capitalism you can kill that'll stop revealed preferences" is a huge problem :(
& that's not even an insane or wrong BUSINESS decision on their part, that's the problem. the userbase would NOT want to tolerate the costs imposed; the userbase WILL tolerate the inferior product. there's no final boss of capitalism you can kill that'll stop revealed preferences.
November 28, 2025 at 11:14 AM
"there's no final boss of capitalism you can kill that'll stop revealed preferences" is a huge problem :(
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
crunchyroll doing its level fucking best to make sure everyone hates LLM-involved workflows and everything that uses them as much as possible, ffs
this is a great case of *as someone supportive of the tech & who thinks it can and will be positively transformative for humanity* i hope ppl eat shit
this is a great case of *as someone supportive of the tech & who thinks it can and will be positively transformative for humanity* i hope ppl eat shit
November 28, 2025 at 9:14 AM
crunchyroll doing its level fucking best to make sure everyone hates LLM-involved workflows and everything that uses them as much as possible, ffs
this is a great case of *as someone supportive of the tech & who thinks it can and will be positively transformative for humanity* i hope ppl eat shit
this is a great case of *as someone supportive of the tech & who thinks it can and will be positively transformative for humanity* i hope ppl eat shit
An organization purporting to do journalism should not use such a loaded word like "onerous" in the opening line of an article :|
EU to examine if Apple Ads and Maps subject to tough rules, Apple says no reut.rs/4itQ1zU
EU to examine if Apple Ads and Maps subject to tough rules, Apple says no
EU antitrust regulators will examine whether Apple's Apple Ads and Apple Maps should be subject to the onerous requirements of the bloc's digital rules after both services hit key criteria, with the U.S. tech giant saying they should be exempted.
reut.rs
November 28, 2025 at 11:03 AM
An organization purporting to do journalism should not use such a loaded word like "onerous" in the opening line of an article :|
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
extending good faith as far out as i'm capable of it, the reason people get fucking weird about this at Will is that between COVID and Trump and the everbeating doomdrum of the media, the last five years have *been wretched for mental health* for basically every user of this website
I’m going to say this again: if you argue that the last five years aren’t the best time to be an American, in terms of material wealth, then IT IS INCUMBENT ON YOU TO SAY WHICH TIME WAS THE BEST TIME.
Otherwise you’re arguing by reference to hazy, indistinct nostalgia - basically the MAGA trick.
Otherwise you’re arguing by reference to hazy, indistinct nostalgia - basically the MAGA trick.
November 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
extending good faith as far out as i'm capable of it, the reason people get fucking weird about this at Will is that between COVID and Trump and the everbeating doomdrum of the media, the last five years have *been wretched for mental health* for basically every user of this website
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
"fake news" and "Lügenpresse" were less about spreading novel lies and more about maintaining epistemological discipline in the face of countervailing evidence
November 27, 2025 at 6:03 PM
"fake news" and "Lügenpresse" were less about spreading novel lies and more about maintaining epistemological discipline in the face of countervailing evidence
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
sorta coming around to the view that the social danger of genAI images is less that they'll make people believe fabricated things are real and more that they'll make people believe real things are fabricated
November 27, 2025 at 5:59 PM
sorta coming around to the view that the social danger of genAI images is less that they'll make people believe fabricated things are real and more that they'll make people believe real things are fabricated
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
I think we take the good stuff about the internet for granted too much some times. As much as we talk about doomscrolling and T&S and platform manipulation & on & on, being able to talk & listen to other people on the internet has made my life immeasurably better and I’m so thankful for y’all
November 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I think we take the good stuff about the internet for granted too much some times. As much as we talk about doomscrolling and T&S and platform manipulation & on & on, being able to talk & listen to other people on the internet has made my life immeasurably better and I’m so thankful for y’all
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
TIRED: turning off the motion smoothing so the TV finally stops looking so weird
WIRED: swapping out the low-CRI, high-temperature bulbs so everything else finally stops looking so weird
WIRED: swapping out the low-CRI, high-temperature bulbs so everything else finally stops looking so weird
November 27, 2025 at 5:57 PM
TIRED: turning off the motion smoothing so the TV finally stops looking so weird
WIRED: swapping out the low-CRI, high-temperature bulbs so everything else finally stops looking so weird
WIRED: swapping out the low-CRI, high-temperature bulbs so everything else finally stops looking so weird
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
Al Roker: Now for the fan favorite New York police marching band.
Me: Fan favorite, Al?
13yo: Just because people are too afraid to boo doesn’t make them a fan favorite.
Me: Nice one [Dad-boy high 5]
Me: Fan favorite, Al?
13yo: Just because people are too afraid to boo doesn’t make them a fan favorite.
Me: Nice one [Dad-boy high 5]
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Al Roker: Now for the fan favorite New York police marching band.
Me: Fan favorite, Al?
13yo: Just because people are too afraid to boo doesn’t make them a fan favorite.
Me: Nice one [Dad-boy high 5]
Me: Fan favorite, Al?
13yo: Just because people are too afraid to boo doesn’t make them a fan favorite.
Me: Nice one [Dad-boy high 5]
I need to read the book this is referencing, but this aligns roughly with my "there is too much software in the world" belief. There's too much bespoke stuff instead of general-purpose, interoperable tools. Half of the App Store, every banking website, etc should probably not exist.
To paraphrase Fred, his point was that much of IT work is building systems that are too complicated and mostly we just needed to give better *basic* tools to people and let them figure out a process that worked for them.
We should consider ourselves toolsmiths.
This part I agree with.
We should consider ourselves toolsmiths.
This part I agree with.
November 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I need to read the book this is referencing, but this aligns roughly with my "there is too much software in the world" belief. There's too much bespoke stuff instead of general-purpose, interoperable tools. Half of the App Store, every banking website, etc should probably not exist.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
In seriousness, though, we're analyzing the new text but this package looks like a mess. The new KOSA text is confusing... the removal of the unworkable Duty of Care is positive, but other changes are just ... weird? Other bills in the package would mandate age verification and look disastrous.
November 27, 2025 at 5:12 PM
In seriousness, though, we're analyzing the new text but this package looks like a mess. The new KOSA text is confusing... the removal of the unworkable Duty of Care is positive, but other changes are just ... weird? Other bills in the package would mandate age verification and look disastrous.
Reposted by Erica "digifox" Kovac
As always: the best way to protect kids online is to pass strong legislation that protects EVERYONE from Big Tech's surveillance capitalist business model & breaks their monopolies so that people can have social media and tech tools that serve community needs. Nothing in this package looks like that
November 27, 2025 at 5:12 PM
As always: the best way to protect kids online is to pass strong legislation that protects EVERYONE from Big Tech's surveillance capitalist business model & breaks their monopolies so that people can have social media and tech tools that serve community needs. Nothing in this package looks like that