Victor Galaz
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vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz
@vgalaz.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.7K following 420 posts

🇸🇪 🇨🇱 🌎 Associate Prof Pol Sci Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm Uni + Beijer Institute at Royal Swe Academy of Sciences. Politics, AI, nuclear and new tech in the Anthropocene.
👨🏽‍💻ibland för Svenska Dagbladet Kultur.
https://linktr.ee/victorgalaz .. more

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Environmental science 35%
Physics 10%
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vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · Nov 25
This took me a while to finish. My new book "Dark Machines - How Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization and Automation is Changing our Living Planet" can now be pre-ordered at Routledge (UK/US).

www.routledge.com/Dark-Machine...

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 8d
Oh dear...

El Salvador to provide Grok to "5,000 public schools, delivering personalized learning to over one million students and empowering thousands of teachers as collaborative partners in education."

x.ai/news/el-salv...
xAI and El Salvador Pioneer the World's First Nationwide AI Education Program | xAI
Announcing Our Transformative Partnership with the Government of El Salvador.
x.ai

Reposted by Lars Gamfeldt

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 9d
“[M]otsvarande produktionen från fem kärnkraftsreaktorer”.

Alla de organisationer som hajpat användningen av AI i Sverige får hemskt gärna återkomma med en plan på hur detta ska gå ihop med mänskliga elpriser och klimatmål.

sverigesradio.se/play/artikel...
Varningen: Stora datacenter kan höja elpriset - Ekot
I år är ansökningarna om stora datacenter i Sverige som vill ansluta sig till elnätet fem gånger högre än förra året.”Vi har ansökningar på över 5000 megawatt ...
sverigesradio.se

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 9d
Heat and humidity doesn’t stop the expansion of data centres for AI.

restofworld.org/2025/data-ce...
We mapped the world’s hottest data centers
In 21 countries, all data centers are located in climates that are too hot.
restofworld.org

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 9d
Yes to this 👇🏽

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
We need transparency standards for social media research that involves companies | PNAS
We need transparency standards for social media research that involves companies
www.pnas.org

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 10d
Crypto-money-laundering, weapons programs, and rogue nations. This is dark, even for someone who wrote a book about "dark machines"...

theconversation.com/how-rogue-na...
How rogue nations are capitalizing on gaps in crypto regulation to finance weapons programs
North Korea was behind a $1.5 billion digital bank heist in February 2025. Other countries are similarly stealing crypto to fund nefarious activities.
theconversation.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 10d
Alltså någon/några måste ju ha godkänt detta i något steg. Verkar helt vansinnigt annars.

Reposted by Victor Galaz

gwagner.com
Gernot Wagner @gwagner.com · 10d
Ignore climate risk at your peril, AI data center edition:

"some of the high-tech company’s biggest problems began with a very low-tech nuisance: unexpectedly turbulent rainstorms in North Texas"

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/core...
CoreCrash

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 10d
PS: Glöm inte denna också, mvh Försäkringskassans AI-experiment.

www.svd.se/a/d45KKB/for...
Pekade ut mammor – nu slopas AI-systemet
Försäkringskassans hemliga bot skulle stoppa fusk – men pekade i stället ut oskyldiga mammor och föräldrar i utsatta grupper. Ett år efter SvD:s granskning avvecklar myndigheten AI-systemet.
www.svd.se

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 10d
Nu börjar kostnaderna för myndigheters AI-FOMO komma upp till ytan….

”Flera källor beskriver hur modellen tagits in som ett led i att it-avdelningen på Arbetsförmedlingen velat positionera myndigheten och visa att man ligger i framkant av AI-kapplöpningen.”

www.aftonbladet.se/minekonomi/a...
Avslöjar: Arbetsförmedlingen akutstoppar kinesiskt AI-verktyg
Arbetsförmedlingen har haft ett kinesiskt AI-verktyg installerat på kraftfulla servrar, enligt flera samstämmiga uppgifter till Aftonbladet. Det har nu akut stä
www.aftonbladet.se

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 14d
Impressive work, monitoring and visualizing deep-sea mineral-related vessel activity across the world's ocean.

globalfishingwatch.org/map/fishing-...

Reposted by Juan Rocha

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 16d
"The agency modified sections of its website by deleting information about human-created greenhouse gases and the role they play in warming the planet. It also removed links to scientific data and information."

www.eenews.net/articles/epa...
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites
The agency revamped its webpages to feature natural causes of rising temperatures such as the Earth’s orbit.
www.eenews.net

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 17d
Environmental justice for the AI-era in the US, neat summary in @axios.com

www.axios.com/2025/12/08/a...
AI boom fuels "environmental justice" fears in communities of color
Al data centers promise jobs in needed areas
www.axios.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 17d
Amazing work!
wellerstein.bsky.social Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 22d
This page is augmented by the already-existing page I have been populating with PHOTOGRAPHS (and one beautiful GRAPH) relating to the book and its argument: alexwellerstein.com/writing/book...
The Most Awful Responsibility :: Photographs – Alex Wellerstein
alexwellerstein.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 19d
"Conversations with AI can sway people’s political views. Concerningly, a chatbot’s facts are not always accurate, especially when it supports right-wing positions."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI chatbots can persuade voters to change their minds
Conversations with AI can sway people’s political views. Concerningly, a chatbot’s facts are not always accurate, especially when it supports right-wing positions.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Garry Peterson

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 21d
The invisible precarious work behind AI.

"An unemployment crisis has created fertile ground for companies to step in with opaque systems built on WhatsApp groups, middlemen, and bargain-basement wages."

restofworld.org/2025/kenya-c...
The hidden Kenyan workers training China’s AI models
An unemployment crisis has created fertile ground for companies to step in with opaque systems built on WhatsApp groups, middlemen, and bargain-basement wages.
restofworld.org

Reposted by Victor Galaz

wellerstein.bsky.social
Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 22d
This page is augmented by the already-existing page I have been populating with PHOTOGRAPHS (and one beautiful GRAPH) relating to the book and its argument: alexwellerstein.com/writing/book...
The Most Awful Responsibility :: Photographs – Alex Wellerstein
alexwellerstein.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Victor Galaz

esqueer.net
Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 22d
This Pluribus ad on a fridge caused a schizophrenic woman named Carol to be hospitalized.
A screenshot of a Reddit post from r/LegalAdviceUK by user Fun-Blueberry-2147. The post describes that the user’s sister, who has schizophrenia, admitted herself to the hospital after believing someone was communicating with her through her smart fridge, which turned out to be an LED screen advertisement. The post explains that she spent two days under monitoring with medication adjustments and that the specific ad she saw included her name, making it especially distressing. The user questions the legality of such targeted or unsettling ads on smart appliances in the UK.

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 25d
Over a third of Frankfurt's electricity goes to data centers,
had no idea Germany was going all-in on AI infrastructure.

algorithmwatch.org/en/germany-d...
Germany’s Data Center Boom is Pushing the Power Grid to its Limits - AlgorithmWatch
As Europe pursues the vision of becoming an AI continent, the AI infrastructure boom in Germany is already exposing the limits of the energy supply and physical infrastructure. And the question remain...
algorithmwatch.org

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 28d
Here we go again...

fortune.com/2025/11/25/d...
Deloitte allegedly cited AI-generated research in a million-dollar report for a Canadian provincial government | Fortune
In a healthcare report aimed to address a nurse and doctor shortage, Deloitte cited several fake studies with real researchers’ names attached.
fortune.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 29d
A bit old (from 2016), but really great reporting in this NYT series about forced climate migration.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Climate Change Claims a Lake, and an Identity (Published 2016)
An indigenous group that survived Spanish and Inca conquest cannot handle the abrupt upheaval of global warming. Lake Poopó was more than their livelihood: It was their identity.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Peter Thorne, Kevin J. Anchukaitis , and 20 more

erikangner.com
Erik Angner @erikangner.com · 29d
"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se
Infographic with AI slop published in Nature Scientific Reports

Reposted by Victor Galaz

mlkristola.bsky.social
Marie-Louise Kristola @mlkristola.bsky.social · Nov 25
Inte mycket nytt under årets klimatmöte. Om det inte vore för det ”vibbskifte” hos världens ultrarika: ”Supereliten bryr sig inte längre om klimatet, eftersom de har en plan B.” www.svd.se/a/V6lxl4/ult...
Ultrarika förbereder sig – med bunkrar | Victor Galaz
KOMMENTAR. Supereliten bryr sig inte längre om klimatet, eftersom de har en plan B. Efter COP30 i Belém anas ett skifte i tonen kring klimatet.
www.svd.se

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · Nov 25
Coal ❤️ AI

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
‘It’s hell for us here’: Mumbai families suffer as datacentres keep the city hooked on coal
As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new datacenters, particularly from Amazon, the filthiest neighbourhood in one of India’s largest cities must keep its major coal plants
www.theguardian.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · Nov 24
Klimatförhandlingarna #COP30 är slut. Vad är nytt denna gång, egentligen? Min spaning om supereliten, tech-miljardärer, och alla vi andra i dagens SvD Kultur (online).

www.svd.se/a/V6lxl4/ult...
Ultrarika förbereder sig – med bunkrar | Victor Galaz
KOMMENTAR. Supereliten bryr sig inte längre om klimatet, eftersom de har en plan B. Efter COP30 i Belém anas ett skifte i tonen kring klimatet.
www.svd.se

Reposted by Victor Galaz

alevermann.bsky.social
Prof. Anders Levermann, PhD @alevermann.bsky.social · Nov 23
This is a remarkable paper on the climate-induced heatwave death in Europe and how they will increase in a warming world.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Increasing risk of mass human heat mortality if historical weather patterns recur - Nature Climate Change
The authors couple calculations of historical heatwave intensity at present and future global temperatures with exposure–response functions to quantify mortality from extreme heat events in Europe. Th...
www.nature.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · Nov 20
Stay safe colleagues and others at #COP30 !

www.bbc.com/news/article...
COP30 evacuated after fire breaks out
Thousands of people are attending the UN climate talks in Brazil.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Victor Galaz

maryamaldossari.bsky.social
Maryam Aldossari @maryamaldossari.bsky.social · Nov 18
Asylum seekers’ jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister- UK government sinks even lower!
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Asylum seekers’ jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister
Idea borrowed from Denmark is latest attempt to reduce number of people seeking asylum in UK
www.theguardian.com

vgalaz.bsky.social
Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · Nov 16
Herregud, vilken unik formuleringsförmåga som Lena Andersson besitter ändå, som kan få bloggosfärens stinkande kloaker av klimat- och vetenskapsförnekelse att framstå som sanningssökande och ”den ljuslåga som fria människor strävar mot”.

Reposted by Victor Galaz, Jack Stilgoe

gavin-kelly.bsky.social
Gavin Kelly @gavin-kelly.bsky.social · Nov 14
The ethics council to the vast Norwegian sovereign wealth fund (largest in the world) has been suspended by the Norwegian government.

Important & troubling piece by @martinsandbu.ft.com

www.ft.com/content/f6b3...
How Norway jeopardised its integrity overnight
Oslo abruptly changed the ethics rules for the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund
www.ft.com

Reposted by Stacy D. VanDeveer, Victor Galaz, Dana R. Fisher , and 3 more

wolvendamien.bsky.social
Dr. Damien P. Williams! Look over here! … It's All For You! @wolvendamien.bsky.social · Nov 14
A new state-by-state evaluation of the projected energy and water use of "AI" data centers in the US. Looks… real bad. Like, "undoing tech sector climate gains" bad.

Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Environmental impact and net-zero pathways for sustainable artificial intelligence servers in the USA - Nature Sustainability
The rapid expansion of AI server installations in the United States poses sustainability challenges in terms of water usage and carbon emissions. A study now quantifies these potential impacts and out...
www.nature.com