Melissa Heikkilä
@melissahei.bsky.social
AI Correspondent at the Financial Times. Formerly senior reporter for AI at MIT Technology Review
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
A cool use of AI in newsgathering, this. US companies are talking more and more about the risks rather than the benefits of AI in their SEC filings (while still being super-optimistic in earnings calls). By @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news & @claradoodle.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e93e...
September 23, 2025 at 11:45 AM
A cool use of AI in newsgathering, this. US companies are talking more and more about the risks rather than the benefits of AI in their SEC filings (while still being super-optimistic in earnings calls). By @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news & @claradoodle.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e93e...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Is AI revolutionising the workplace? Maybe not (yet).
“When we spoke to executives, they would often say the internal tool was very successful... But when we spoke to employees, we found zero usage.” @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news @claradoodle.bsky.social
on.ft.com/4pBm97R
“When we spoke to executives, they would often say the internal tool was very successful... But when we spoke to employees, we found zero usage.” @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news @claradoodle.bsky.social
on.ft.com/4pBm97R
America’s top companies keep talking about AI — but can’t explain the upsides
[FREE TO READ] FT analysis of hundreds of filings suggest the S&P 500 businesses are clearer about the risks than benefits
on.ft.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Is AI revolutionising the workplace? Maybe not (yet).
“When we spoke to executives, they would often say the internal tool was very successful... But when we spoke to employees, we found zero usage.” @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news @claradoodle.bsky.social
on.ft.com/4pBm97R
“When we spoke to executives, they would often say the internal tool was very successful... But when we spoke to employees, we found zero usage.” @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news @claradoodle.bsky.social
on.ft.com/4pBm97R
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
At #HSF2025 opening session, President Alexander Stubb emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in an interview with @melissahei.bsky.social.
First should come a ceasefire—then a lasting peace, built with global support.
First should come a ceasefire—then a lasting peace, built with global support.
September 19, 2025 at 1:23 PM
At #HSF2025 opening session, President Alexander Stubb emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in an interview with @melissahei.bsky.social.
First should come a ceasefire—then a lasting peace, built with global support.
First should come a ceasefire—then a lasting peace, built with global support.
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Biology is not easy, by @hannahkuchler.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
A generation of start-ups have failed to live up to the hype. Executives are now betting that more powerful tools will crack the complexities of human biology
www.ft.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Biology is not easy, by @hannahkuchler.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
"We know surprisingly little about our own biology" and so there isn't really enough data to train models.
Insightful from @melissahei.bsky.social & @hannahkuchler.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9a8a...
"We know surprisingly little about our own biology" and so there isn't really enough data to train models.
Insightful from @melissahei.bsky.social & @hannahkuchler.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9a8a...
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
A generation of start-ups have failed to live up to the hype. Executives are now betting that more powerful tools will crack the complexities of human biology
www.ft.com
September 10, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
"We know surprisingly little about our own biology" and so there isn't really enough data to train models.
Insightful from @melissahei.bsky.social & @hannahkuchler.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9a8a...
"We know surprisingly little about our own biology" and so there isn't really enough data to train models.
Insightful from @melissahei.bsky.social & @hannahkuchler.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9a8a...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Why AI labs struggle to stop chatbots talking to teenagers about suicide on.ft.com/46kogVY
📊 Tell us what you think in today's FT Edit poll: on.ft.com/41Yrg87
📊 Tell us what you think in today's FT Edit poll: on.ft.com/41Yrg87
September 4, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Why AI labs struggle to stop chatbots talking to teenagers about suicide on.ft.com/46kogVY
📊 Tell us what you think in today's FT Edit poll: on.ft.com/41Yrg87
📊 Tell us what you think in today's FT Edit poll: on.ft.com/41Yrg87
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
🙀Have we reached AGI?? 🙀
💛 Really grateful to @financialtimes.com and the incredible journalist @melissahei.bsky.social, who gave me space to talk about “AGI” (vs AI, vs ML) and where we’re headed.
Link here!!
www.ft.com/content/7089...
💛 Really grateful to @financialtimes.com and the incredible journalist @melissahei.bsky.social, who gave me space to talk about “AGI” (vs AI, vs ML) and where we’re headed.
Link here!!
www.ft.com/content/7089...
Margaret Mitchell: artificial general intelligence is ‘just vibes and snake oil’
One of the pioneers of AI ethics explains why human needs should be the central driver in the development of the technology
www.ft.com
June 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
🙀Have we reached AGI?? 🙀
💛 Really grateful to @financialtimes.com and the incredible journalist @melissahei.bsky.social, who gave me space to talk about “AGI” (vs AI, vs ML) and where we’re headed.
Link here!!
www.ft.com/content/7089...
💛 Really grateful to @financialtimes.com and the incredible journalist @melissahei.bsky.social, who gave me space to talk about “AGI” (vs AI, vs ML) and where we’re headed.
Link here!!
www.ft.com/content/7089...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Fascinating discussion in the FT btw @mmitchell.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social about AGI: "AGI as a whole is just a super problematic concept that provides an air of objectivity and positivity, when, in fact, it’s opening the door for technologists to just do whatever they want."
June 19, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Fascinating discussion in the FT btw @mmitchell.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social about AGI: "AGI as a whole is just a super problematic concept that provides an air of objectivity and positivity, when, in fact, it’s opening the door for technologists to just do whatever they want."
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
This is a very clear, balanced article on the future of so-called AGI by @melissahei.bsky.social - marketing trick or scientific goal? www.ft.com/content/d20e...
Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence
It has been tipped as the next big breakthrough out of Silicon Valley, but is it a scientific goal — or a marketing buzzword?
www.ft.com
June 19, 2025 at 9:18 AM
This is a very clear, balanced article on the future of so-called AGI by @melissahei.bsky.social - marketing trick or scientific goal? www.ft.com/content/d20e...
Silicon Valley is obsessed with AGI. But depending on who you ask, AGI is either a scientific goal, a religion or "vibes and snake oil." So I wanted to know—what exactly is AGI? And why we're unlikely to see it anytime soon. on.ft.com/3TwogLi
Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence
It has been tipped as the next big breakthrough out of Silicon Valley, but is it a scientific goal — or a marketing buzzword?
on.ft.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Silicon Valley is obsessed with AGI. But depending on who you ask, AGI is either a scientific goal, a religion or "vibes and snake oil." So I wanted to know—what exactly is AGI? And why we're unlikely to see it anytime soon. on.ft.com/3TwogLi
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
The sycophancy problem in one line, courtesy of @giadapistilli.com
Really interesting piece by @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/72aa...
Really interesting piece by @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/72aa...
June 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
The sycophancy problem in one line, courtesy of @giadapistilli.com
Really interesting piece by @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/72aa...
Really interesting piece by @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/72aa...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
“What futures are being created through these technologies—and are these the futures you want?”
Such a pleasure to speak with @financialtimes.com @melissahei.bsky.social about AI, power, and keeping grounded and evidence based amongst hype, hope and fear.
www.ft.com/content/c572...
🧵
Such a pleasure to speak with @financialtimes.com @melissahei.bsky.social about AI, power, and keeping grounded and evidence based amongst hype, hope and fear.
www.ft.com/content/c572...
🧵
Ada Lovelace Institute’s Gaia Marcus: regulation would increase people’s comfort with AI
The head of the UK-based think-tank talks about her hopes and fears for future oversight of AI
www.ft.com
June 4, 2025 at 2:20 PM
“What futures are being created through these technologies—and are these the futures you want?”
Such a pleasure to speak with @financialtimes.com @melissahei.bsky.social about AI, power, and keeping grounded and evidence based amongst hype, hope and fear.
www.ft.com/content/c572...
🧵
Such a pleasure to speak with @financialtimes.com @melissahei.bsky.social about AI, power, and keeping grounded and evidence based amongst hype, hope and fear.
www.ft.com/content/c572...
🧵
Scoop: In the race to dominate the burgeoning AI industry, DeepMind has made publishing papers on generative AI "almost impossible" and "cares more about product and less about getting research results out for the general public good,” according to current and former employees. on.ft.com/4l8Tepk
DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race
[FREE TO READ] Google’s AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach
on.ft.com
April 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Scoop: In the race to dominate the burgeoning AI industry, DeepMind has made publishing papers on generative AI "almost impossible" and "cares more about product and less about getting research results out for the general public good,” according to current and former employees. on.ft.com/4l8Tepk
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
“I cannot imagine us putting out the transformer papers for general use now,” said one current researcher.
Great reporting by @melissahei.bsky.social & Stephen Morris
Great reporting by @melissahei.bsky.social & Stephen Morris
DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race
[FREE TO READ] Google’s AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach
www.ft.com
April 1, 2025 at 10:01 AM
“I cannot imagine us putting out the transformer papers for general use now,” said one current researcher.
Great reporting by @melissahei.bsky.social & Stephen Morris
Great reporting by @melissahei.bsky.social & Stephen Morris
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Architects of the EU’s landmark artificial intelligence act have urged Brussels in a letter to halt “dangerous” moves to water down the upcoming AI code of practice.
With @melissahei.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9051...
With @melissahei.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9051...
EU lawmakers warn against ‘dangerous’ moves to water down AI rules
European Commission considers softening parts of law that could spare Big Tech from key elements
www.ft.com
March 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Architects of the EU’s landmark artificial intelligence act have urged Brussels in a letter to halt “dangerous” moves to water down the upcoming AI code of practice.
With @melissahei.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9051...
With @melissahei.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/9051...
On my first day as the @financialtimes.com new AI reporter, the stock market crashed and Silicon Valley freaked out about DeepSeek's AI model. 😅 But what exactly was DeepSeek's breakthrough? I read their research paper. Here's why it's a big deal: enterprise-sharing.ft.com/redeem/94db9...
DeepSeek’s ‘aha moment’ creates new way to build powerful AI with less money
[FREE TO READ] Chinese artificial intelligence group’s use of ‘reinforcement learning’ and ‘small language models’ leads to breakthroughs
enterprise-sharing.ft.com
January 29, 2025 at 10:35 AM
On my first day as the @financialtimes.com new AI reporter, the stock market crashed and Silicon Valley freaked out about DeepSeek's AI model. 😅 But what exactly was DeepSeek's breakthrough? I read their research paper. Here's why it's a big deal: enterprise-sharing.ft.com/redeem/94db9...
Got some personal news! Last week was my last one at @technologyreview.com. I've adored the team and my nearly three years there, but it's time for a new adventure.
I'm very excited to announce that on January 27, I’ll be joining the @financialtimes.com as their new AI Correspondent. Can't wait!
I'm very excited to announce that on January 27, I’ll be joining the @financialtimes.com as their new AI Correspondent. Can't wait!
January 16, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Got some personal news! Last week was my last one at @technologyreview.com. I've adored the team and my nearly three years there, but it's time for a new adventure.
I'm very excited to announce that on January 27, I’ll be joining the @financialtimes.com as their new AI Correspondent. Can't wait!
I'm very excited to announce that on January 27, I’ll be joining the @financialtimes.com as their new AI Correspondent. Can't wait!
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Data is not a "naturally occurring resource", but "something that is created through particular processes” S. Myers West. These processes are dominated by Big Tech -> AI models are very asymmetrical in terms of access & representation. @melissahei.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
www.technologyreview.com
January 6, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Data is not a "naturally occurring resource", but "something that is created through particular processes” S. Myers West. These processes are dominated by Big Tech -> AI models are very asymmetrical in terms of access & representation. @melissahei.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
Stories like this make me love science even more. Fascinating story by @jesshamzelou.bsky.social about how digital twins of our bodies could be our own personal guinea pigs for testing out medicines before we subject our real bodies to them. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/19/1...
Digital twins of human organs are here. They’re set to transform medical treatment.
The models can be used to plan surgeries and in the future could be used to help trial new drugs.
www.technologyreview.com
December 19, 2024 at 1:39 PM
Stories like this make me love science even more. Fascinating story by @jesshamzelou.bsky.social about how digital twins of our bodies could be our own personal guinea pigs for testing out medicines before we subject our real bodies to them. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/19/1...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Just shared my thoughts with @technologyreview.com on AI's data problem. With most training data coming from English-language sources, we're building AI systems that perpetuate a Western-centric worldview. Data diversity isn't a checkbox: it determines how AI systems represent daily life globally.
New research reveals a worrying trend: AI's data practices risk concentrating power overwhelmingly in the hands of dominant technology companies. With analysis from
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
www.technologyreview.com
December 19, 2024 at 10:44 AM
Just shared my thoughts with @technologyreview.com on AI's data problem. With most training data coming from English-language sources, we're building AI systems that perpetuate a Western-centric worldview. Data diversity isn't a checkbox: it determines how AI systems represent daily life globally.
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Thank you @melissahei.bsky.social for covering the Data Provenance Initiative's new study on 🌟 Multimodal data 🌟.
Our study finds:
- A concentration of data power
- Western-centricity isn't improving for 10+ years
Read more! www.dataprovenance.org/Multimodal_D...
Our study finds:
- A concentration of data power
- Western-centricity isn't improving for 10+ years
Read more! www.dataprovenance.org/Multimodal_D...
December 18, 2024 at 6:36 PM
Thank you @melissahei.bsky.social for covering the Data Provenance Initiative's new study on 🌟 Multimodal data 🌟.
Our study finds:
- A concentration of data power
- Western-centricity isn't improving for 10+ years
Read more! www.dataprovenance.org/Multimodal_D...
Our study finds:
- A concentration of data power
- Western-centricity isn't improving for 10+ years
Read more! www.dataprovenance.org/Multimodal_D...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Data isn’t a naturally occurring resource; it’s shaped by the intentions and design of those collecting it - this means that tech firms’ advantage in data collection reshapes infrastructures in their own interests. Read more in this really critical piece by @melissahei.bsky.social:
New research reveals a worrying trend: AI's data practices risk concentrating power overwhelmingly in the hands of dominant technology companies. With analysis from
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
www.technologyreview.com
December 18, 2024 at 5:56 PM
Data isn’t a naturally occurring resource; it’s shaped by the intentions and design of those collecting it - this means that tech firms’ advantage in data collection reshapes infrastructures in their own interests. Read more in this really critical piece by @melissahei.bsky.social:
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Hehe been shouting this from the rooftops for a while now 🙃
Concentration of data deals and unaccountable uses of interaction and uploaded data by AI providers (incl. through their other services) are as much a threat to AI governance as compute concentration, and they're a lot more insidious...
Concentration of data deals and unaccountable uses of interaction and uploaded data by AI providers (incl. through their other services) are as much a threat to AI governance as compute concentration, and they're a lot more insidious...
New research reveals a worrying trend: AI's data practices risk concentrating power overwhelmingly in the hands of dominant technology companies. With analysis from
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
@shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
www.technologyreview.com
December 18, 2024 at 5:47 PM
Hehe been shouting this from the rooftops for a while now 🙃
Concentration of data deals and unaccountable uses of interaction and uploaded data by AI providers (incl. through their other services) are as much a threat to AI governance as compute concentration, and they're a lot more insidious...
Concentration of data deals and unaccountable uses of interaction and uploaded data by AI providers (incl. through their other services) are as much a threat to AI governance as compute concentration, and they're a lot more insidious...
Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Great story by @melissahei.bsky.social et al on data use in AI training — with this graphic of particular interest to news publishers (because it shows an estimated proportion of news content vs other content)
December 18, 2024 at 5:48 PM
Great story by @melissahei.bsky.social et al on data use in AI training — with this graphic of particular interest to news publishers (because it shows an estimated proportion of news content vs other content)