Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
@mikecaulfield.bsky.social
Author: Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (University of Chicago Press).
Researcher, infolit/misinfo/rhetoric/civic reasoning. Currently researching AI as tool for critical thinking.
Researcher, infolit/misinfo/rhetoric/civic reasoning. Currently researching AI as tool for critical thinking.
Pinned
AI Is Not Your Friend
How the “opinionated” chatbots destroyed AI’s potential, and how we can fix it
www.theatlantic.com
In this article I argue treating LLMs like experts or authors or friends instead of as a conduit to access the insights of nameable others is a mistake, both in terms of dangers and lost opportunities www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
did a badger carve the turkey
Karoline Leavitt's Thanksgiving spread. Please dissect.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
November 29, 2025 at 6:52 PM
did a badger carve the turkey
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
I played Valentine in a production of Arcadia in college and I still think about lines from that play all the time. RIP.
Tom Stoppard, Award-Winning Playwright of Witty Drama, Dies at 88
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I played Valentine in a production of Arcadia in college and I still think about lines from that play all the time. RIP.
Watching Veep nowadays is interesting bc I am nostalgic for a weak administration that lives in mortal fear of a scandal
November 29, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Watching Veep nowadays is interesting bc I am nostalgic for a weak administration that lives in mortal fear of a scandal
This is a good comment that advances the conversation. Everything on the sidewalk including the robot is helping to reduce CO2 emissions, give them the space they all need.
I know everyone is dunking on the robot here but look at how much space is devoted to cars in this scenario. The sidewalk should be bigger and the road smaller.
Just as you thought food delivery companies couldn't inflict any more misery on society:
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
November 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM
This is a good comment that advances the conversation. Everything on the sidewalk including the robot is helping to reduce CO2 emissions, give them the space they all need.
"from the author of foundation" meaning Asimov lol
November 28, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"from the author of foundation" meaning Asimov lol
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.
These clips are great
Since we are once again dealing with "the only silent era comedians of note were men" I feel I need to stand up for the ladies.
Marion Davies!
Marion Davies!
November 28, 2025 at 2:58 AM
These clips are great
Happy thanksgiving stop making AI slop when cool originals exist youtu.be/vj-natfXoj8?...
Critical Thinking with AI Mode #50: Minecraft Press Activism
YouTube video by Mike Caulfield
youtu.be
November 27, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Happy thanksgiving stop making AI slop when cool originals exist youtu.be/vj-natfXoj8?...
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
“Regretting my third wish”
November 27, 2025 at 1:06 PM
“Regretting my third wish”
Big news
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Big news
Jesus Gary Marcus, what are you doing here
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Jesus Gary Marcus, what are you doing here
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
I’m seeing a comment from an OPM official that DOGE is disbanded reported in Reuters get picked up by other outlets, but the only thing that is real is the appropriation logs, don’t say it’s over until it stops being reported here: openomb.org/search?term=...
Search results
Search apportionments by contents, tafs, bureau, fiscal year, footnotes, and more
openomb.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I’m seeing a comment from an OPM official that DOGE is disbanded reported in Reuters get picked up by other outlets, but the only thing that is real is the appropriation logs, don’t say it’s over until it stops being reported here: openomb.org/search?term=...
I got the Heroes Blu-rays to see if the first season was as good as I was remembering and it decidedly is not. It's a beautiful Blu-ray set though, gorgeous layout and design.
November 27, 2025 at 3:08 AM
I got the Heroes Blu-rays to see if the first season was as good as I was remembering and it decidedly is not. It's a beautiful Blu-ray set though, gorgeous layout and design.
I got a bad feeling about this update
November 26, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I got a bad feeling about this update
So I think this is new -- but if you have a paid account the AI Mode model defaults to "Auto" which says it adapts to your needs... (previously the selection said "Default" and "fast all around help") -- not sure if this reflects a change in automatic model switching or just a term change...
November 26, 2025 at 3:04 PM
So I think this is new -- but if you have a paid account the AI Mode model defaults to "Auto" which says it adapts to your needs... (previously the selection said "Default" and "fast all around help") -- not sure if this reflects a change in automatic model switching or just a term change...
People need to stop doing this
UMMM: "CBC News asked ChatGPT whether Newfoundland could be seen from Cape Breton. The answer was "generally no," but the artificial intelligence chatbot said in theory Newfoundland can be "barely visible" under perfect atmospheric conditions from very high points.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Can you see Newfoundland from Cape Breton? Online photo sparks debate | CBC News
An online photo has sparked a passionate debate about whether or not it's possible.
www.cbc.ca
November 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
People need to stop doing this
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
Oh bloody hell. Ioannidis was arguably the most (previously) respected scientist to politicize public health and COVID science. 🤦🏻♂️
November 23, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Oh bloody hell. Ioannidis was arguably the most (previously) respected scientist to politicize public health and COVID science. 🤦🏻♂️
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
a) The social harms of AI are vastly under-appreciated and go far beyond displacement of labor
b) The environmental harms of AI, though not trivial, are nevertheless small potatoes compared to many other industries like farming (and AI demand may even help accelerate electrical grid upgrades)
b) The environmental harms of AI, though not trivial, are nevertheless small potatoes compared to many other industries like farming (and AI demand may even help accelerate electrical grid upgrades)
weird header for an article about the very real dangers of modern industrial agriculture
How Oregon’s Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon has come to the state’s eastern farmland, worsening a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
Rolling Stone reports in collaboration with @thefern.org: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Amazon has come to the state’s eastern farmland, worsening a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
Rolling Stone reports in collaboration with @thefern.org: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
November 25, 2025 at 4:36 AM
a) The social harms of AI are vastly under-appreciated and go far beyond displacement of labor
b) The environmental harms of AI, though not trivial, are nevertheless small potatoes compared to many other industries like farming (and AI demand may even help accelerate electrical grid upgrades)
b) The environmental harms of AI, though not trivial, are nevertheless small potatoes compared to many other industries like farming (and AI demand may even help accelerate electrical grid upgrades)
The IMLS may live yet!
Washington State AG secures legal win over Trump plan to dismantle key federal agencies share.google/jUER9CYYQICo...
Washington State AG secures legal win over Trump plan to dismantle key federal agencies share.google/jUER9CYYQICo...
Washington State AG secures legal win over Trump plan to dismantle key federal agencies
In a significant legal victory, the Washington State Attorney General's Office has successfully protected four federal agencies from elimination.
share.google
November 24, 2025 at 3:43 AM
The IMLS may live yet!
Washington State AG secures legal win over Trump plan to dismantle key federal agencies share.google/jUER9CYYQICo...
Washington State AG secures legal win over Trump plan to dismantle key federal agencies share.google/jUER9CYYQICo...
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
The author John Green found an audience of millions making YouTube videos with his brother, Hank. As more people aspire to become influencers, Green warns that internet fame may make it feel as if everyone knows and loves you, “but in fact, no one knows you.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/m...
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The author John Green found an audience of millions making YouTube videos with his brother, Hank. As more people aspire to become influencers, Green warns that internet fame may make it feel as if everyone knows and loves you, “but in fact, no one knows you.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/m...
Reposted by Mike "looking for research fellowship" Caulfield
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
I forgot the last two seconds of this film and it nearly ended me.
I forgot how much Magnolia hits you in the heart at the very end
November 24, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I forgot the last two seconds of this film and it nearly ended me.