Dr. Eric J. W. Orlowski
@swejwo.bsky.social
Finally-Employed-Anthropologist.
Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology | Research Fellow (AI Governance) @ NUS-AI Singapore | Swede (not the vegetable) |
Read what I write at https://readyaiminquire.substack.com.
The cover picture is no longer ironic.
Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology | Research Fellow (AI Governance) @ NUS-AI Singapore | Swede (not the vegetable) |
Read what I write at https://readyaiminquire.substack.com.
The cover picture is no longer ironic.
Thanks I hate it.
December 1, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Thanks I hate it.
11/
And more conversations like this!
And more conversations like this!
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
11/
And more conversations like this!
And more conversations like this!
10/
There’s a long road ahead, but this is the work that matters.
More intentionality.
More grounding in lived realities.
More humility about the limits of the machine.
Fundamentally this is a human challenge, not purely a technical one. Not all challenges can be engineered away.
There’s a long road ahead, but this is the work that matters.
More intentionality.
More grounding in lived realities.
More humility about the limits of the machine.
Fundamentally this is a human challenge, not purely a technical one. Not all challenges can be engineered away.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
10/
There’s a long road ahead, but this is the work that matters.
More intentionality.
More grounding in lived realities.
More humility about the limits of the machine.
Fundamentally this is a human challenge, not purely a technical one. Not all challenges can be engineered away.
There’s a long road ahead, but this is the work that matters.
More intentionality.
More grounding in lived realities.
More humility about the limits of the machine.
Fundamentally this is a human challenge, not purely a technical one. Not all challenges can be engineered away.
9/
Cultural alignment isn’t a feature to toggle.
It’s a socio-technical commitment.
And it will only work if we treat it as such; collaboratively, reflexively, and with humility about what AI cannot know.
Cultural alignment isn’t a feature to toggle.
It’s a socio-technical commitment.
And it will only work if we treat it as such; collaboratively, reflexively, and with humility about what AI cannot know.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
9/
Cultural alignment isn’t a feature to toggle.
It’s a socio-technical commitment.
And it will only work if we treat it as such; collaboratively, reflexively, and with humility about what AI cannot know.
Cultural alignment isn’t a feature to toggle.
It’s a socio-technical commitment.
And it will only work if we treat it as such; collaboratively, reflexively, and with humility about what AI cannot know.
8/
– foreground methodological rigour
– centre local cultural contexts
– involve social scientists + communities early
– admit the limits of current architectures
– and design for specific use cases, not mythical universals.
– foreground methodological rigour
– centre local cultural contexts
– involve social scientists + communities early
– admit the limits of current architectures
– and design for specific use cases, not mythical universals.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
8/
– foreground methodological rigour
– centre local cultural contexts
– involve social scientists + communities early
– admit the limits of current architectures
– and design for specific use cases, not mythical universals.
– foreground methodological rigour
– centre local cultural contexts
– involve social scientists + communities early
– admit the limits of current architectures
– and design for specific use cases, not mythical universals.
7/
This is why intentionality isn’t optional.
If we want meaningful cultural alignment, we need to build processes that:
This is why intentionality isn’t optional.
If we want meaningful cultural alignment, we need to build processes that:
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
7/
This is why intentionality isn’t optional.
If we want meaningful cultural alignment, we need to build processes that:
This is why intentionality isn’t optional.
If we want meaningful cultural alignment, we need to build processes that:
6/
Most cultures, especially low-resource and oral ones, rely on:
gesture, tone, ritual, interaction, shared history, silence, embodiment…
None of that appears in typical training data.
These are all things they can't be scraped.
Most cultures, especially low-resource and oral ones, rely on:
gesture, tone, ritual, interaction, shared history, silence, embodiment…
None of that appears in typical training data.
These are all things they can't be scraped.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
6/
Most cultures, especially low-resource and oral ones, rely on:
gesture, tone, ritual, interaction, shared history, silence, embodiment…
None of that appears in typical training data.
These are all things they can't be scraped.
Most cultures, especially low-resource and oral ones, rely on:
gesture, tone, ritual, interaction, shared history, silence, embodiment…
None of that appears in typical training data.
These are all things they can't be scraped.
5/
Another point from the panel (and one I’ve written about as well):
LLMs see an extremely narrow window into human culture.
They learn mainly from written text, which is a tiny slice of how cultures actually transmit meaning.
Another point from the panel (and one I’ve written about as well):
LLMs see an extremely narrow window into human culture.
They learn mainly from written text, which is a tiny slice of how cultures actually transmit meaning.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
5/
Another point from the panel (and one I’ve written about as well):
LLMs see an extremely narrow window into human culture.
They learn mainly from written text, which is a tiny slice of how cultures actually transmit meaning.
Another point from the panel (and one I’ve written about as well):
LLMs see an extremely narrow window into human culture.
They learn mainly from written text, which is a tiny slice of how cultures actually transmit meaning.
4/
If we want culturally aligned AI, we have to design for it on purpose; not hope it emerges from scale, benchmarks, or clever prompting.
If we want culturally aligned AI, we have to design for it on purpose; not hope it emerges from scale, benchmarks, or clever prompting.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
4/
If we want culturally aligned AI, we have to design for it on purpose; not hope it emerges from scale, benchmarks, or clever prompting.
If we want culturally aligned AI, we have to design for it on purpose; not hope it emerges from scale, benchmarks, or clever prompting.
3/
In my own research, I often describe culture as fractal.
Zoom in or zoom out, the complexity stays.
Multiple layers, overlapping identities, situational norms.
It’s lived, embodied, contextual.
In my own research, I often describe culture as fractal.
Zoom in or zoom out, the complexity stays.
Multiple layers, overlapping identities, situational norms.
It’s lived, embodied, contextual.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
3/
In my own research, I often describe culture as fractal.
Zoom in or zoom out, the complexity stays.
Multiple layers, overlapping identities, situational norms.
It’s lived, embodied, contextual.
In my own research, I often describe culture as fractal.
Zoom in or zoom out, the complexity stays.
Multiple layers, overlapping identities, situational norms.
It’s lived, embodied, contextual.
2/
My main point was: intentionality matters.
A lot of AI work still treats culture as something you can “vibe-code” into models by scraping more text. But culture doesn’t work like that; not in any society I’ve ever studied.
My main point was: intentionality matters.
A lot of AI work still treats culture as something you can “vibe-code” into models by scraping more text. But culture doesn’t work like that; not in any society I’ve ever studied.
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 AM
2/
My main point was: intentionality matters.
A lot of AI work still treats culture as something you can “vibe-code” into models by scraping more text. But culture doesn’t work like that; not in any society I’ve ever studied.
My main point was: intentionality matters.
A lot of AI work still treats culture as something you can “vibe-code” into models by scraping more text. But culture doesn’t work like that; not in any society I’ve ever studied.
Well, yes, but it's not quite as clear cut as that.
Either way, and what I think many aren't considering is how undermining your own regulation and policies because external pressure is itself a losing move.
And that's besides whether you think the EU is under or over regulated.
Either way, and what I think many aren't considering is how undermining your own regulation and policies because external pressure is itself a losing move.
And that's besides whether you think the EU is under or over regulated.
November 10, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Well, yes, but it's not quite as clear cut as that.
Either way, and what I think many aren't considering is how undermining your own regulation and policies because external pressure is itself a losing move.
And that's besides whether you think the EU is under or over regulated.
Either way, and what I think many aren't considering is how undermining your own regulation and policies because external pressure is itself a losing move.
And that's besides whether you think the EU is under or over regulated.
Not from Hokkaido, but from Iwate Prefecture. But incredible nonetheless!
Now just imagine what could be done if the Koiwai Farm of Iwate collaborated with the dairy farmers of Hokkaido... Butter that would make you launch 1,000 ships.
Now just imagine what could be done if the Koiwai Farm of Iwate collaborated with the dairy farmers of Hokkaido... Butter that would make you launch 1,000 ships.
September 17, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Not from Hokkaido, but from Iwate Prefecture. But incredible nonetheless!
Now just imagine what could be done if the Koiwai Farm of Iwate collaborated with the dairy farmers of Hokkaido... Butter that would make you launch 1,000 ships.
Now just imagine what could be done if the Koiwai Farm of Iwate collaborated with the dairy farmers of Hokkaido... Butter that would make you launch 1,000 ships.
Hold on... People say this???
May 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Hold on... People say this???
