Thomas Dietterich
@tdietterich.bsky.social
Safe and robust AI/ML, computational sustainability. Former President AAAI and IMLS. Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Oregon State University. https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~tgd/
Love this new technology from Cellular Tracking Technology for tracking Monarch butterflies. Great NYTimes story.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Love this new technology from Cellular Tracking Technology for tracking Monarch butterflies. Great NYTimes story.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
So many nonsense ad hoc pipelines could be prevented by requiring that they work on synthetic data.
I tend to think of experiments as special cases of inference, since most of the problems I work on cannot be studied in experiments. But I get that many researchers see experiments as base analogy.
I tend to think of experiments as special cases of inference, since most of the problems I work on cannot be studied in experiments. But I get that many researchers see experiments as base analogy.
"Validate With Simulated Truth: A first habit is to test whether an analytical pipeline can recover known conditions."
Very good advice below. So much COVID nonsense (e.g. 'immunological dark matter') basically came down to a non-identifiable model that hadn't been properly tested.
Very good advice below. So much COVID nonsense (e.g. 'immunological dark matter') basically came down to a non-identifiable model that hadn't been properly tested.
Modelling Like an Experimentalist
Dahlin et al. (2024) apply experimental thinking to a model of mosquito-borne disease transmissions.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:41 PM
So many nonsense ad hoc pipelines could be prevented by requiring that they work on synthetic data.
I tend to think of experiments as special cases of inference, since most of the problems I work on cannot be studied in experiments. But I get that many researchers see experiments as base analogy.
I tend to think of experiments as special cases of inference, since most of the problems I work on cannot be studied in experiments. But I get that many researchers see experiments as base analogy.
We are not "banning" reviews; we are just requiring peer review first. Good review articles are important for the field!
You can’t really blame arXiv for the decision to stop publishing computer science stuff (given the flood of slop) but this is also a textbook example of a global public good being gratuitously degraded www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Preprint site arXiv is banning computer-science reviews: here’s why
The repository is taking steps to tackle a surge in low quality, AI-generated content.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:57 PM
We are not "banning" reviews; we are just requiring peer review first. Good review articles are important for the field!
The blog post is available: blog.arxiv.org/2025/10/31/a...
November 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The blog post is available: blog.arxiv.org/2025/10/31/a...
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
Yes. This raises the following question: What should be the consequences for an author who submits a paper for peer review that contains hallucinated references? (Or more generally any text that is found to contain obvious falsehoods?)
October 31, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Yes. This raises the following question: What should be the consequences for an author who submits a paper for peer review that contains hallucinated references? (Or more generally any text that is found to contain obvious falsehoods?)
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
Great job alert! 👇
📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd...
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
October 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Great job alert! 👇
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
6. If scientists start noticing the similarities between observations in different fields, that should be treated as an opportunity to ask new research questions, perhaps even to conduct a comparative analysis or attempt advancing a unifying theory; not an opportunity for a cheap dunk.
October 27, 2025 at 5:42 PM
6. If scientists start noticing the similarities between observations in different fields, that should be treated as an opportunity to ask new research questions, perhaps even to conduct a comparative analysis or attempt advancing a unifying theory; not an opportunity for a cheap dunk.
thebulletin.org/2025/05/the-...
Words of wisdom from David Woods, Mike Rayo, and Sean Pruchnicki. Air traffic accidents and near misses are up; proactive safety engineering needs to be reinvigorated.
Words of wisdom from David Woods, Mike Rayo, and Sean Pruchnicki. Air traffic accidents and near misses are up; proactive safety engineering needs to be reinvigorated.
The Silicon Valley Way: Move fast and break…aviation safety?
The magnitude and frequency of aviation incidents have stimulated a search for answers ranging from small fixes to extreme makeovers.
thebulletin.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:10 AM
thebulletin.org/2025/05/the-...
Words of wisdom from David Woods, Mike Rayo, and Sean Pruchnicki. Air traffic accidents and near misses are up; proactive safety engineering needs to be reinvigorated.
Words of wisdom from David Woods, Mike Rayo, and Sean Pruchnicki. Air traffic accidents and near misses are up; proactive safety engineering needs to be reinvigorated.
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
We made more than 100 cold calls. Each one began the same way: “You’ve been targeted by government-grade surveillance tech.” In our @lighthousereports.com collab with @revealnews.org, you can hear the voices on the other end. revealnews.org/podcast/cell...
A young reporter discovers a mysterious trove of data that exposes a global surveillance empire.
In a major investigation, a young reporter uncovers a powerful technology used to spy on thousands of people across the world.
revealnews.org
October 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM
We made more than 100 cold calls. Each one began the same way: “You’ve been targeted by government-grade surveillance tech.” In our @lighthousereports.com collab with @revealnews.org, you can hear the voices on the other end. revealnews.org/podcast/cell...
Feature story, webinar, and report from @nationalacademies.org on machine learning in safety-critical applications. www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/10...
www.nationalacademies.org
October 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Feature story, webinar, and report from @nationalacademies.org on machine learning in safety-critical applications. www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/10...
October 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I keep hoping for an “authenticity backlash”. It can’t come too soon
October 12, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I keep hoping for an “authenticity backlash”. It can’t come too soon
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
October 9, 2025 at 8:23 PM
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
tbh I think Microsoft is going to blink right before October 14, and if they don’t… well, that’s a very, very bad decision on their part.
October 9, 2025 at 11:23 PM
tbh I think Microsoft is going to blink right before October 14, and if they don’t… well, that’s a very, very bad decision on their part.
Interesting story!
As GLP-1 medications become more common, restaurants and brands are trying to adapt to the public’s changing diet preferences. That means more protein and smaller portions, but some of those preferences aren’t necessarily good for business.
As Ozempic changes how Americans eat, the food industry is trying to adapt
Restaurants and snack companies are moving towards high-protein foods and smaller portions.
mktplc.org
October 9, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Interesting story!
Great article on autism.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Opinion | Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Great article on autism.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
But I am reading a long Hitchens essay from when he was still a leftist and socialist about Thomas Paine and he writes about this parody from 1791, sung to the tune of My Country ‘Tis of Thee:
September 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
But I am reading a long Hitchens essay from when he was still a leftist and socialist about Thomas Paine and he writes about this parody from 1791, sung to the tune of My Country ‘Tis of Thee:
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
Yes! Scientific papers are a rather inefficient and chaotic way of recording and consolidating scientific knowledge. I think we can do much better if we have better tools. 1/
September 15, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Yes! Scientific papers are a rather inefficient and chaotic way of recording and consolidating scientific knowledge. I think we can do much better if we have better tools. 1/
We need new rules for publishing AI-generated research. The teams developing automated AI scientists have customarily submitted their papers to standard refereed venues (journals and conferences) and to arXiv. Often, acceptance has been treated as the dependent variable. 1/
September 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
We need new rules for publishing AI-generated research. The teams developing automated AI scientists have customarily submitted their papers to standard refereed venues (journals and conferences) and to arXiv. Often, acceptance has been treated as the dependent variable. 1/
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
I have many thoughts about Charlie Kirk—and perhaps even more about the white elites, including some on the left, who insist we can’t hold multiple realities at once. We can. And we must.
A brief 🧵
A brief 🧵
September 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I have many thoughts about Charlie Kirk—and perhaps even more about the white elites, including some on the left, who insist we can’t hold multiple realities at once. We can. And we must.
A brief 🧵
A brief 🧵
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
Are you interested in #AIforConservation #AIforBiodiversity #AIforWildlife or #AIforNature?? Are you located in the Boston Area?
If so, come join us!! The AI for Conservation Slack community is doing our first local-area Boston meetup, partnering with iNaturalist and TEDx Boston!
If so, come join us!! The AI for Conservation Slack community is doing our first local-area Boston meetup, partnering with iNaturalist and TEDx Boston!
September 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Are you interested in #AIforConservation #AIforBiodiversity #AIforWildlife or #AIforNature?? Are you located in the Boston Area?
If so, come join us!! The AI for Conservation Slack community is doing our first local-area Boston meetup, partnering with iNaturalist and TEDx Boston!
If so, come join us!! The AI for Conservation Slack community is doing our first local-area Boston meetup, partnering with iNaturalist and TEDx Boston!
Excellent Essay by Jamelle Bouie
“We live in Lincoln’s America as much as anyone else’s,” writes our columnist Jamelle Bouie. “Which makes it supremely ironic that the project of Lincoln’s partisan political descendants — the project of the modern Republican Party — is the destruction of his republic of equals.”
Opinion | They Don’t Want to Live in Lincoln’s America
Five words from the Declaration of Independence that national conservatives don’t like.
nyti.ms
September 10, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Excellent Essay by Jamelle Bouie
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
1/5 A poem titled "Artificial Intelligence" from 1961, dedicated to GPS (of Newell and Simon), by poet Adrienne Rich. Very prophetic, and eerily describes the how LLMs write poetry, "when they make you write your poems, later on". It is on page 136 of this book: www.amazon.com/dp/039328511...
Collected Poems: 1950–2012
Collected Poems: 1950–2012 [Rich, Adrienne, Rankine, Claudia] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Collected Poems: 1950–2012
www.amazon.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:16 AM
1/5 A poem titled "Artificial Intelligence" from 1961, dedicated to GPS (of Newell and Simon), by poet Adrienne Rich. Very prophetic, and eerily describes the how LLMs write poetry, "when they make you write your poems, later on". It is on page 136 of this book: www.amazon.com/dp/039328511...
Reposted by Thomas Dietterich
A case study in how Cowen's uncritical use of GPT/o3 is causing him to spread misinformation on Marginal Revolution, from @pappubahry.com
pappubahry.substack.com/p/misinforma...
pappubahry.substack.com/p/misinforma...
Misinformation on Marginal Revolution
A case study in o3 hallucination
pappubahry.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:07 AM
A case study in how Cowen's uncritical use of GPT/o3 is causing him to spread misinformation on Marginal Revolution, from @pappubahry.com
pappubahry.substack.com/p/misinforma...
pappubahry.substack.com/p/misinforma...