Thiago Krause
@thiagokrause.bsky.social
Associate Professor of History & African American Studies, Wayne State University. Brazilian historian in the US. Interested in LLMs for research and wary of its impacts on learning and society. Opinions are my own and do not reflect my employer. PT/ENG.
Reposted by Thiago Krause
Grateful to The Verge for publishing my essay on why large-language models are not going to achieve general intelligence nor push the scientific frontier.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Is language the same as intelligence? The AI industry desperately needs it to be
The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake.
www.theverge.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Grateful to The Verge for publishing my essay on why large-language models are not going to achieve general intelligence nor push the scientific frontier.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
It was a pleasure talking to @samcowie84.bsky.social for this great piece for the @thenewworldmag.bsky.social which takes the long view of Brazilian history to understand the present.
Can Brazil break free from its violent past?
Can Brazil finally defy an old joke, and show its time has come - or will five centuries of inequality, violence and foreign meddling haunt it once again?
www.thenewworld.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:08 AM
It was a pleasure talking to @samcowie84.bsky.social for this great piece for the @thenewworldmag.bsky.social which takes the long view of Brazilian history to understand the present.
Excellent piece by Mark Humphries explaining Gemini 3 major advances in HTR for 18th and 19th English documents. I’m not as confident as he is that it will be able to read hard hands, but still, I’ve tested and it is impressive for decent handwriting in French and English.
Gemini 3 Solves Handwriting Recognition and it’s a Bitter Lesson
Testing shows that Gemini 3 has effectively solved handwriting on English texts, one of the oldest problems in AI, achieving expert human levels of performance.
generativehistory.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Excellent piece by Mark Humphries explaining Gemini 3 major advances in HTR for 18th and 19th English documents. I’m not as confident as he is that it will be able to read hard hands, but still, I’ve tested and it is impressive for decent handwriting in French and English.
I never cease to be amazed by the American library system: thanks to MeLCat (the Michigan eLibrary Catalogue system) and interlibrary loan, it is actually much easier for me to access most Brazilian books (except new releases) here than in Brazil. Thanks, librarians!
November 25, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I never cease to be amazed by the American library system: thanks to MeLCat (the Michigan eLibrary Catalogue system) and interlibrary loan, it is actually much easier for me to access most Brazilian books (except new releases) here than in Brazil. Thanks, librarians!
Reposted by Thiago Krause
Reuters: the Pope has told kids not to use AI instead of doing the work!
Also Reuters: wanna skip reading the story and have AI summarize it for you? 😈
Also Reuters: wanna skip reading the story and have AI summarize it for you? 😈
November 23, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reuters: the Pope has told kids not to use AI instead of doing the work!
Also Reuters: wanna skip reading the story and have AI summarize it for you? 😈
Also Reuters: wanna skip reading the story and have AI summarize it for you? 😈
Quite a tell about the quality of the work often done by these consulting firms. If their work is interchangeable with LLM slop, it means their human-authored reports are also slop (at least at times). Governments and higher ed admins, take notice!
This is the 2nd time a major government report from Deloitte has been found to contain errors likely generated by AI.
First in Australia and now, as The Independent has confirmed, in a major healthcare policy paper for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador #nlpoli #AI #deloitte
First in Australia and now, as The Independent has confirmed, in a major healthcare policy paper for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador #nlpoli #AI #deloitte
A major healthcare policy paper commissioned by @govnl.bsky.social government from Deloitte at a cost of $1.6 million, cites research papers that don’t exist, making it the second major government policy paper called into question in as many months. #nlpoli #AI
theindependent.ca/news/lji/maj...
theindependent.ca/news/lji/maj...
November 23, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Quite a tell about the quality of the work often done by these consulting firms. If their work is interchangeable with LLM slop, it means their human-authored reports are also slop (at least at times). Governments and higher ed admins, take notice!
The solution is, at least partially, what we should have been doing all along: student-centered teaching instead of lectures, uncomfortable as it is for those like me who are control freaks. And the other is an emphasis on the performance: in-class writing and speaking. Very much worth reading.
AI Killed the Take-Home Essay. COVID Killed Attendance. Now What?
Reclaiming Learning in an Age of Distraction and Artificial Intelligence
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:51 AM
The solution is, at least partially, what we should have been doing all along: student-centered teaching instead of lectures, uncomfortable as it is for those like me who are control freaks. And the other is an emphasis on the performance: in-class writing and speaking. Very much worth reading.
Does the Archives de Nantes website open for anyone? It doesn’t load for me, and friends in Brazil say the same. Could anyone in Europe (or, even better, in France) check, just to confirm? Has anyone ever used it?
@wadehistory.bsky.social @profmarylewis.bsky.social
catalogue-archives.nantes.fr
@wadehistory.bsky.social @profmarylewis.bsky.social
catalogue-archives.nantes.fr
catalogue-archives.nantes.fr
November 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Does the Archives de Nantes website open for anyone? It doesn’t load for me, and friends in Brazil say the same. Could anyone in Europe (or, even better, in France) check, just to confirm? Has anyone ever used it?
@wadehistory.bsky.social @profmarylewis.bsky.social
catalogue-archives.nantes.fr
@wadehistory.bsky.social @profmarylewis.bsky.social
catalogue-archives.nantes.fr
Reposted by Thiago Krause
I've said it before and I will say it again many times, people using "AI" to design and deliver 'teaching' to students, to mark their work, and in this case to (!) generate literal voice overs are risking their jobs, and frankly they *should* be at risk if they do this sort of thing:
‘We could have asked ChatGPT’: students fight back over course taught by AI
Staffordshire students say signs material was AI-generated included suspicious file names and rogue voiceover accent
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:11 PM
I've said it before and I will say it again many times, people using "AI" to design and deliver 'teaching' to students, to mark their work, and in this case to (!) generate literal voice overs are risking their jobs, and frankly they *should* be at risk if they do this sort of thing:
E a Folha de SP repete o erro comum no uso da Slave Voyages database: a incapacidade de entender a diferença entre as viagens registradas e as estimativas.
“Metade dos escravizados trazidos ao Brasil partiu de Angola e da Costa da Mina
Folha analisou base que reúne dados de 36,1 mil viagens”
“Metade dos escravizados trazidos ao Brasil partiu de Angola e da Costa da Mina
Folha analisou base que reúne dados de 36,1 mil viagens”
www1.folha.uol.com.br
November 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
E a Folha de SP repete o erro comum no uso da Slave Voyages database: a incapacidade de entender a diferença entre as viagens registradas e as estimativas.
“Metade dos escravizados trazidos ao Brasil partiu de Angola e da Costa da Mina
Folha analisou base que reúne dados de 36,1 mil viagens”
“Metade dos escravizados trazidos ao Brasil partiu de Angola e da Costa da Mina
Folha analisou base que reúne dados de 36,1 mil viagens”
Reposted by Thiago Krause
TT job here at UMass in 20th cen African American history; application deadline is December 1; more info here: careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Details - Assistant Professor/20th Century African American History | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
TT job here at UMass in 20th cen African American history; application deadline is December 1; more info here: careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Reposted by Thiago Krause
@csschmitt.bsky.social @randybrowne.bsky.social are among the splendid titles on offer here: no excuses accepted!
IT'S HERE! Our 2025 Holiday Sale starts today and runs through December 31!
Save 40% on available books on pennpress.org when you use code PENN-HOLIDAY25 at checkout.
Save 40% on available books on pennpress.org when you use code PENN-HOLIDAY25 at checkout.
November 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM
@csschmitt.bsky.social @randybrowne.bsky.social are among the splendid titles on offer here: no excuses accepted!
Reposted by Thiago Krause
Join us on Monday, December 1, 2025 at noon for a JCB Reads virtual discussion of The Predatory Sea: Human Trafficking and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean by Casey Schmitt.
This event is online only. All are welcome!
Register here! brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
This event is online only. All are welcome!
Register here! brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
November 18, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Join us on Monday, December 1, 2025 at noon for a JCB Reads virtual discussion of The Predatory Sea: Human Trafficking and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean by Casey Schmitt.
This event is online only. All are welcome!
Register here! brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
This event is online only. All are welcome!
Register here! brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
“Even if an AI scraped every article I’ve ever written and listened in on all my Zoom calls, it still wouldn’t know the whole of my life. The most efficient way to come up with a statement that sounds like something I would say is for me to just say something”
True of writing and thinking in general
True of writing and thinking in general
How to Cheat at Conversation
A new AI tool promises to improve social interactions but instead makes them worse.
www.theatlantic.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:11 AM
“Even if an AI scraped every article I’ve ever written and listened in on all my Zoom calls, it still wouldn’t know the whole of my life. The most efficient way to come up with a statement that sounds like something I would say is for me to just say something”
True of writing and thinking in general
True of writing and thinking in general
Reposted by Thiago Krause
A two-year LABOR HISTORY postdoc @brownhist.bsky.social and @watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social
Possible foci: migration/displacement/ human trafficking; automation/technology/processes of global integration; or gender/sexuality/politics of reproductive labor
Please apply!
Possible foci: migration/displacement/ human trafficking; automation/technology/processes of global integration; or gender/sexuality/politics of reproductive labor
Please apply!
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
A two-year LABOR HISTORY postdoc @brownhist.bsky.social and @watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social
Possible foci: migration/displacement/ human trafficking; automation/technology/processes of global integration; or gender/sexuality/politics of reproductive labor
Please apply!
Possible foci: migration/displacement/ human trafficking; automation/technology/processes of global integration; or gender/sexuality/politics of reproductive labor
Please apply!
I was listening to NYT's "The Daily", and the reporter says Belém "is a relatively small, relatively impoverished city." Impoverished is fine - it's a middle income city in a middle income country. But small? It has c.1.5m people - it would be the 7th largest city in the US, the size of San Antonio!
The Future of Energy Has Arrived — Just Not in the U.S.
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I was listening to NYT's "The Daily", and the reporter says Belém "is a relatively small, relatively impoverished city." Impoverished is fine - it's a middle income city in a middle income country. But small? It has c.1.5m people - it would be the 7th largest city in the US, the size of San Antonio!
Fascinating post by Mark Humphries on Gemini 3 and it's emerging "reasoning" (?) capabilities. Worth reading even by those who are skeptical of LLMs.
The Sugar Loaf Test: How an 18th-Century Ledger Reveals Gemini 3.0’s Emergent Reasoning
A deep dive into my experience testing the new Gemini 3.0 Pro and the growing evidence I’ve seen for emergent neuro-symbolic reasoning.
generativehistory.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Fascinating post by Mark Humphries on Gemini 3 and it's emerging "reasoning" (?) capabilities. Worth reading even by those who are skeptical of LLMs.
Reposted by Thiago Krause
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
holy shit: “Among the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported more than 3 million Africans to the Caribbean, 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Caribbean reparations leaders in ‘historic’ first UK visit to press for justice
CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain’s colonial legacy and its lasting impact
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
Interesting @newyorker piece on Costco.
I kind of feel the appeal. I also find it fascinating how many of the shoppers are migrants on “my” Costco.
I kind of feel the appeal. I also find it fascinating how many of the shoppers are migrants on “my” Costco.
Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?
With its standout deals and generous employment practices, the warehouse chain became a feel-good American institution. In a fraught time, it can be hard to remain beloved.
www.newyorker.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Interesting @newyorker piece on Costco.
I kind of feel the appeal. I also find it fascinating how many of the shoppers are migrants on “my” Costco.
I kind of feel the appeal. I also find it fascinating how many of the shoppers are migrants on “my” Costco.
Every semester is lean more strongly towards banning devices in my classes… Might finally do it next year.
Opinion | The Screen That Ate Your Child’s Education
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Every semester is lean more strongly towards banning devices in my classes… Might finally do it next year.
Made my wife watch “Superman” (2025). Not sure our marriage will survive that.
November 15, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Made my wife watch “Superman” (2025). Not sure our marriage will survive that.
As someone who grew up playing D&D (and other RPGs) in a nerdy, white, male subculture but hasn’t played in over a decade, it’s heartening to read this piece by @adamserwer.bsky.social on how the game is reaching a wider range of players (despite the objections of some). I do miss it!
Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons & Dragons to Be Racist
The fantastical roots of “scientific racism”
www.theatlantic.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM
As someone who grew up playing D&D (and other RPGs) in a nerdy, white, male subculture but hasn’t played in over a decade, it’s heartening to read this piece by @adamserwer.bsky.social on how the game is reaching a wider range of players (despite the objections of some). I do miss it!
Reposted by Thiago Krause
A major international project to examine how the transatlantic traffic in enslaved African people shaped the development of Europe will be led by our own Prof William Pettigrew, thanks to a new €10 million grant. (1/3)
@globalaffairslu.bsky.social | @erc.europa.eu
@globalaffairslu.bsky.social | @erc.europa.eu
€10 million research grant to examine how the trafficking of enslaved African people shaped Europe’s development - Lancaster University
An international research team, led by a Lancaster University History Professor, is to receive a €9,999,324 million grant to identify and examine how investors in the trans-Atlantic traffic in enslave...
www.lancaster.ac.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
A major international project to examine how the transatlantic traffic in enslaved African people shaped the development of Europe will be led by our own Prof William Pettigrew, thanks to a new €10 million grant. (1/3)
@globalaffairslu.bsky.social | @erc.europa.eu
@globalaffairslu.bsky.social | @erc.europa.eu
Reposted by Thiago Krause
This is what I’m saying about AI & classroom lockdowns. Everything I’ve learned about teaching has taught me that trusting and respecting students whenever possible is the right choice. But LLMs present students w an instrument perfectly tuned for cheating. So now what? Back to surveillance I guess.
I never met one of my most important mentors, Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do. This could be the most important book I've ever read and it's more relevant today than when it was first published 20 years ago. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Ken Bain Changed College Teaching Forever
What the Best College Teachers Do is perhaps the most important book I’ve ever read.
www.insidehighered.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:37 PM
This is what I’m saying about AI & classroom lockdowns. Everything I’ve learned about teaching has taught me that trusting and respecting students whenever possible is the right choice. But LLMs present students w an instrument perfectly tuned for cheating. So now what? Back to surveillance I guess.
Looking forward to getting my copy!
November 13, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Looking forward to getting my copy!