Dmitri
@ddmitri.bsky.social
Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Georgia State University. English language teaching, labor, and identity in higher ed. All cats are beautiful (ACAB). #StopCopCity. He/They.
Reposted by Dmitri
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
Reposted by Dmitri
this is similar to what I've come to think of as the "reverse turing test"
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
So similarly, when we see people who prefer ChatGPT or a similar synthetic text extruding machine as a source of medical information, that means those are people who are under-served in the current system.
December 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
this is similar to what I've come to think of as the "reverse turing test"
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
Reposted by Dmitri
Every use-case people think they "need" and LLM for is actually papering over a different issue. The teacher using ChatGPT to write narrative reports bc the demand is unreasonable & overwhelming *actually* needs more support and/or compensation or a reduction of demand. It's a LABOR issue.
December 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Every use-case people think they "need" and LLM for is actually papering over a different issue. The teacher using ChatGPT to write narrative reports bc the demand is unreasonable & overwhelming *actually* needs more support and/or compensation or a reduction of demand. It's a LABOR issue.
Reposted by Dmitri
If “AI” did the thing, organizations would be bragging about the outcomes instead of jawing endlessly about the tools.
October 17, 2025 at 2:07 AM
If “AI” did the thing, organizations would be bragging about the outcomes instead of jawing endlessly about the tools.
Reposted by Dmitri
"are you enjoying duo mobile" does a hamburger enjoy being made of quarks. does a fish enjoy linear time. does the mountain enjoy the first taste of a cup of hot chocolate when you get back to the ski lodge. your question means nothing to me. i couldn't enjoy duo mobile even if i tried
December 3, 2025 at 7:36 PM
"are you enjoying duo mobile" does a hamburger enjoy being made of quarks. does a fish enjoy linear time. does the mountain enjoy the first taste of a cup of hot chocolate when you get back to the ski lodge. your question means nothing to me. i couldn't enjoy duo mobile even if i tried
Reposted by Dmitri
OK so this concept of 'interpassivity', which this author dates to the 90s, is exactly what Attali wrote about in 1977's NOISE as "repetition", or stockpiling hordes of use-time that you never actually use
mail.cyberneticforests.com/from-interac...
mail.cyberneticforests.com/from-interac...
From Interactive to Interpassive
Where AI Art Meets Cognitive Offloading
There is the joke about AI: we wanted robots to do our dishes so we could have time to make art, but we got robots that make art while we do the dishes. We can...
mail.cyberneticforests.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:39 PM
OK so this concept of 'interpassivity', which this author dates to the 90s, is exactly what Attali wrote about in 1977's NOISE as "repetition", or stockpiling hordes of use-time that you never actually use
mail.cyberneticforests.com/from-interac...
mail.cyberneticforests.com/from-interac...
Reposted by Dmitri
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 Dmitri
This broadly tallies with my experience of teaching, and what colleagues have shared, over the last decade or so, though of course there are exceptions
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 29, 2025 at 2:41 PM
This broadly tallies with my experience of teaching, and what colleagues have shared, over the last decade or so, though of course there are exceptions
Reposted by Dmitri
Reposted by Dmitri
ok so i got some *more* constructive criticism from bird artists on my attempts at drawing birds. many said the legs weren’t realistic enough and i suspect they were right. i think i finally got it in this year’s calendar though, lemme know what you think
November 25, 2025 at 2:56 AM
ok so i got some *more* constructive criticism from bird artists on my attempts at drawing birds. many said the legs weren’t realistic enough and i suspect they were right. i think i finally got it in this year’s calendar though, lemme know what you think
Reposted by Dmitri
The point about LLMs lacking "voice" is correct, but imo the limits to good AI writing are more fundamental. I would sum it up like this: the very best writing "defamiliarizes" the familiar -- makes it fresh, conjures it anew, etc. But LLM outputs are an averaged rehash of the familiar, by design.
Why AI writing is mid
How the current way of training language models destroys any voice (and hope of good writing).
www.interconnects.ai/p/why-ai-wri...
How the current way of training language models destroys any voice (and hope of good writing).
www.interconnects.ai/p/why-ai-wri...
Why AI writing is mid
How the current way of training language models destroys any voice (and hope of good writing).
www.interconnects.ai
November 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The point about LLMs lacking "voice" is correct, but imo the limits to good AI writing are more fundamental. I would sum it up like this: the very best writing "defamiliarizes" the familiar -- makes it fresh, conjures it anew, etc. But LLM outputs are an averaged rehash of the familiar, by design.
Reposted by Dmitri
ever since I learned about three-cueing I've developed infinitely more patience for replies on social media. mfers literally do not know how to read. people are walking around conjuring random meanings into words they don't know, and they don't know a lot of words. it's crazy
November 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
ever since I learned about three-cueing I've developed infinitely more patience for replies on social media. mfers literally do not know how to read. people are walking around conjuring random meanings into words they don't know, and they don't know a lot of words. it's crazy
Reposted by Dmitri
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
November 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
Reposted by Dmitri
we should stop pretending people in academia are aligned with our projected political imaginations of higher ed. many CS/AI "luminaries" are obviously engaged in political projects to unravel labor power, belittle human intelligence & creativity, and enhance capacities for state & corporate violence
November 6, 2025 at 5:43 PM
we should stop pretending people in academia are aligned with our projected political imaginations of higher ed. many CS/AI "luminaries" are obviously engaged in political projects to unravel labor power, belittle human intelligence & creativity, and enhance capacities for state & corporate violence
Reposted by Dmitri
Bad AI supplanting human expertise is an issue that transcends any one field, but man—not many people on earth whose knowledge and dedication deserves respect like LIBRARIANS.
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Bad AI supplanting human expertise is an issue that transcends any one field, but man—not many people on earth whose knowledge and dedication deserves respect like LIBRARIANS.
Reposted by Dmitri
"the revolt of the bosses" is a good way of framing the elite reaction to woke 1. what's particularly interesting is that this isn't a reaction to an attack on profits--it's a reaction to changes in workplace culture--
which is to say, the psychic wage of hierarchy
which is to say, the psychic wage of hierarchy
I suspect that the revolt of the bosses element of all this really is explained by: a bunch of upper echelon Americans really didn't like the cultural and workplace changes induced by Woke era, some portion of them were pushed into internet insanity, but most just wanted a shift slightly right....
November 5, 2025 at 4:17 PM
"the revolt of the bosses" is a good way of framing the elite reaction to woke 1. what's particularly interesting is that this isn't a reaction to an attack on profits--it's a reaction to changes in workplace culture--
which is to say, the psychic wage of hierarchy
which is to say, the psychic wage of hierarchy
Reposted by Dmitri
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
November 5, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
Reposted by Dmitri
Dick Cheney won't see your mean jokes about his death, but Tony Blair will, hopefully.
November 4, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Dick Cheney won't see your mean jokes about his death, but Tony Blair will, hopefully.
Reposted by Dmitri
VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends
November 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends
Seeing a bunch of cat accounts and animal rescues I follow post AI slop of pets in Halloween costumes bums me out as much as anything happening with generative AI in higher education. It’s depressing and gross.
October 31, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Seeing a bunch of cat accounts and animal rescues I follow post AI slop of pets in Halloween costumes bums me out as much as anything happening with generative AI in higher education. It’s depressing and gross.
Reposted by Dmitri
they buy themselves treats because they know without drastic structural changes, those will be the only treats they get
the era of delayed gratification is over: the billionaires stole the gratification part, all they’re left with is delay
the era of delayed gratification is over: the billionaires stole the gratification part, all they’re left with is delay
“At the same time, more than half of Gen Z members say they are struggling to make ends meet, yet a majority buy themselves a small treat, such as a pastry, coffee, or sweet, at least once a week. That can lead to overspending…”
archive.ph/2TI8J
archive.ph/2TI8J
October 31, 2025 at 4:11 PM
they buy themselves treats because they know without drastic structural changes, those will be the only treats they get
the era of delayed gratification is over: the billionaires stole the gratification part, all they’re left with is delay
the era of delayed gratification is over: the billionaires stole the gratification part, all they’re left with is delay
Reposted by Dmitri
Reposted by Dmitri
A female sex demon is called a succubus. A male sex demon is called an incubus. A non-binary sex demon is called an omnibus.
October 29, 2025 at 6:11 AM
A female sex demon is called a succubus. A male sex demon is called an incubus. A non-binary sex demon is called an omnibus.
Reposted by Dmitri
It is hard to overstate the stress produced by the incoherence of academic institutions pumping generative AI when they want to play business and then leaving instructors to deal with the results when they want to play school
Cheating with an LLM is the easiest thing in the world for a student to do, but it creates a massive, laborious headache for a prof, if you intend to take it seriously. There’s meetings, emails, discussions, moral dilemmas. It’s just incredibly burdensome, on top of everything else right now.
I had 9 meetings about students using Chat GPT/LLMs on their papers today.
If you want to know why professors burn out, ask anyone trying to teach critical thinking and writing skills to Freshmen....
If you want to know why professors burn out, ask anyone trying to teach critical thinking and writing skills to Freshmen....
October 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
It is hard to overstate the stress produced by the incoherence of academic institutions pumping generative AI when they want to play business and then leaving instructors to deal with the results when they want to play school
Reposted by Dmitri
I didn’t get the wording down precisely, so I won’t quote it, but one of the things that hit hard in the room:
Reactionaries waging culture wars against the humanities have a more accurate account of our power than we do. And our humility is not admirable, but an abdication of responsibility.
Reactionaries waging culture wars against the humanities have a more accurate account of our power than we do. And our humility is not admirable, but an abdication of responsibility.
October 22, 2025 at 11:58 AM
I didn’t get the wording down precisely, so I won’t quote it, but one of the things that hit hard in the room:
Reactionaries waging culture wars against the humanities have a more accurate account of our power than we do. And our humility is not admirable, but an abdication of responsibility.
Reactionaries waging culture wars against the humanities have a more accurate account of our power than we do. And our humility is not admirable, but an abdication of responsibility.