blair
@blairaf.com
Asst. Prof, Amii Fellow, sci-fi creator @ UAlberta
Transfeminist AI ethics, policy, governance: blairaf.com
Gay trans cyborg warriors vs. AI monsters: objecttype3.app
Transfeminist AI ethics, policy, governance: blairaf.com
Gay trans cyborg warriors vs. AI monsters: objecttype3.app
Pinned
blair
@blairaf.com
· Apr 10
Why is AI governance so often ineffective at preventing AI from harming people and the planet? My new paper Transfeminist AI Governance addresses this question, now out in this month's issue of First Monday: firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph...
Just opened LinkedIn to a thread where someone posts an AI standard, another person flags it's been superseded by a newer standard in the replies, and then another person flags that the newer standard has been superseded by an even newer standard. Done with AI for today goodnight
November 11, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Just opened LinkedIn to a thread where someone posts an AI standard, another person flags it's been superseded by a newer standard in the replies, and then another person flags that the newer standard has been superseded by an even newer standard. Done with AI for today goodnight
Reposted by blair
The EU’s Digital Omnibus could roll back key parts of the GDPR, AI Act, and ePrivacy rules — laws that set global standards for privacy and AI. Leaked drafts suggest companies could get more leeway on data use and slower enforcement, reports Ramsha Jahangir (@ramshajahangir.bsky.social):
EU Set the Global Standard on Privacy and AI. Now It’s Pulling Back | TechPolicy.Press
The draft Digital Omnibus could weaken core data protections and give tech companies more leeway in using European data, reports Ramsha Jahangir.
www.techpolicy.press
November 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The EU’s Digital Omnibus could roll back key parts of the GDPR, AI Act, and ePrivacy rules — laws that set global standards for privacy and AI. Leaked drafts suggest companies could get more leeway on data use and slower enforcement, reports Ramsha Jahangir (@ramshajahangir.bsky.social):
Reposted by blair
Excited to see AI's results in the Canadian government!
UK government project using AI to find benefit fraud resulted in:
- A 46% false fraud rate
- Anguish for families who were wrongly accused of fraud and had benefits stopped
- Months of additional work for government, setting up a hotline, correcting false fraud
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
- A 46% false fraud rate
- Anguish for families who were wrongly accused of fraud and had benefits stopped
- Months of additional work for government, setting up a hotline, correcting false fraud
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
HMRC trial of child benefit crackdown wrongly suspected fraud in 46% of cases
Exclusive: Almost half of families flagged as emigrants based on Home Office travel data were still living in UK
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Excited to see AI's results in the Canadian government!
Reposted by blair
Love the phrases "Cognitive Cost" and "Executive Function Theft" to pinpoint how exhausting it is to be constantly bombarded with apps telling you to use AI. I've been calling it "Corporate pressure" and "Force feeding". It's quite a lot right now. Seems a bit desperate tbh.
The #ExecutiveFunctionTheft of having to opt out.
Feeling annoyed at the cognitive cost of having to dismiss all the offers of "AI" assitance every time I use Acrobat to provide feedback on documents my students wrote. (NO I do NOT want an "AI" summary of this. In what world???)
Decided to check settings:
Decided to check settings:
November 10, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Love the phrases "Cognitive Cost" and "Executive Function Theft" to pinpoint how exhausting it is to be constantly bombarded with apps telling you to use AI. I've been calling it "Corporate pressure" and "Force feeding". It's quite a lot right now. Seems a bit desperate tbh.
Reposted by blair
I don't want to "drill down," or "circle back" I want to go to sleep on the floor
November 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I don't want to "drill down," or "circle back" I want to go to sleep on the floor
Reposted by blair
Canada's Budget 2025 just dropped. It contains an admission that men and high-income people will benefit the most from the government's new AI funding
November 4, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Canada's Budget 2025 just dropped. It contains an admission that men and high-income people will benefit the most from the government's new AI funding
Reposted by blair
How can we address algorithmic justice challenges when we are faced with unreliable and malicious governments? My new article "Algorithmic Justice vs. State Power" confronts this question. Read here: montrealethics.ai/state-of-ai-...
November 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
How can we address algorithmic justice challenges when we are faced with unreliable and malicious governments? My new article "Algorithmic Justice vs. State Power" confronts this question. Read here: montrealethics.ai/state-of-ai-...
Reposted by blair
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
Phone call with my Mom tonight where I somehow ended up having to explain to her what eggs and chasers are, she now understands our glorious culture
November 10, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Phone call with my Mom tonight where I somehow ended up having to explain to her what eggs and chasers are, she now understands our glorious culture
AI-driven casino economy
“OpenAI is getting ready to run hat in hand to the taxpayer for subsidies.” After losing more than $13 billion this year, OpenAI officials are angling for a bailout. From @ryanlcooper.com:
trib.al/CUazMCQ
trib.al/CUazMCQ
OpenAI Is Maneuvering for a Government Bailout - The American Prospect
For artificial intelligence to ever pencil out, some truly enormous revenue streams will be required. And if you need trillions of dollars for data centers forever, there’s only one entity to turn to: Uncle Sam.
trib.al
November 8, 2025 at 11:51 PM
AI-driven casino economy
Reposted by blair
hey guys isn't it weird how they're all saying this at the same time? ignore the fact that this is now happening with Tyler Cowen, an economist who sits at the center of a sprawling system of think tanks and policy "influencers" who have been laundered into DC with both Koch and SV VC money
November 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
hey guys isn't it weird how they're all saying this at the same time? ignore the fact that this is now happening with Tyler Cowen, an economist who sits at the center of a sprawling system of think tanks and policy "influencers" who have been laundered into DC with both Koch and SV VC money
Reposted by blair
Indefensible to argue this belongs in schools.
Seven more families are now suing OpenAI over ChatGPT's role in suicides, delusions | TechCrunch
In one case, 23-year-old Zane Shamblin had a conversation with ChatGPT that lasted more than four hours.
techcrunch.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Indefensible to argue this belongs in schools.
Reposted by blair
Surprise, surprise. Here we go.
“The European Commission is proposing a pause to parts of its landmark artificial intelligence laws amid intense pressure from Big Tech companies and the US government.”
www.ft.com/content/af6c...
“The European Commission is proposing a pause to parts of its landmark artificial intelligence laws amid intense pressure from Big Tech companies and the US government.”
www.ft.com/content/af6c...
EU set to water down landmark AI act after Big Tech pressure
Commission proposes pauses to provisions in digital rule book
www.ft.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Surprise, surprise. Here we go.
“The European Commission is proposing a pause to parts of its landmark artificial intelligence laws amid intense pressure from Big Tech companies and the US government.”
www.ft.com/content/af6c...
“The European Commission is proposing a pause to parts of its landmark artificial intelligence laws amid intense pressure from Big Tech companies and the US government.”
www.ft.com/content/af6c...
AI-driven casino economy
"we actually don't know if AI will have the positive effects we're claiming but that's ok we are starting a new program to find out & we promise the AI will fix everything"
November 7, 2025 at 5:33 PM
AI-driven casino economy
Reposted by blair
Holy shit. Noam Shazeer, one of the original authors on the "Attention is All You Need" paper and Character.AI founder, came out as major transphobe. Like Trumpian levels of "this is child mutilation" of transphobia.
(via The Information)
(via The Information)
November 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Holy shit. Noam Shazeer, one of the original authors on the "Attention is All You Need" paper and Character.AI founder, came out as major transphobe. Like Trumpian levels of "this is child mutilation" of transphobia.
(via The Information)
(via The Information)
Reposted by blair
appearing in my 2011 dorm to tell my collegiate self that “the syrian revolution ends with an al-qaeda operative currently in american custody letting the guy from the apprentice build an airbase outside damascus because they’re the presidents now”
Reports across the Middle East that Syria has given the US an airbase outside of Damascus and has given the Trump organization exclusive rights to build a new hotel there. www.reuters.com/world/middle...
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 AM
appearing in my 2011 dorm to tell my collegiate self that “the syrian revolution ends with an al-qaeda operative currently in american custody letting the guy from the apprentice build an airbase outside damascus because they’re the presidents now”
Reposted by blair
No, it can't. We cleared this up a few years ago: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
November 7, 2025 at 1:26 AM
No, it can't. We cleared this up a few years ago: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by blair
i'm very glad this technology is being forced onto us everywhere on all levels
November 7, 2025 at 1:32 AM
i'm very glad this technology is being forced onto us everywhere on all levels
Still stunned at the implications of this particular aspect of the budget
"we actually don't know if AI will have the positive effects we're claiming but that's ok we are starting a new program to find out & we promise the AI will fix everything"
November 6, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Still stunned at the implications of this particular aspect of the budget
Reposted by blair
"Achieving algorithmic justice against a backdrop of state sponsored injustice will require coalitions that are polycentric, flexible, durable, and multifarious."
🎯🎯🎯
🎯🎯🎯
How can we address algorithmic justice challenges when we are faced with unreliable and malicious governments? My new article "Algorithmic Justice vs. State Power" confronts this question. Read here: montrealethics.ai/state-of-ai-...
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
"Achieving algorithmic justice against a backdrop of state sponsored injustice will require coalitions that are polycentric, flexible, durable, and multifarious."
🎯🎯🎯
🎯🎯🎯
Reposted by blair
"a lil bit of austerity is ok we promise the AI will fix it"
November 5, 2025 at 2:10 AM
"a lil bit of austerity is ok we promise the AI will fix it"
Reposted by blair
Canada budget: AI is going to do an awful lot apparently. We can cut lots of money, AI will deliver instead!
Public safety? AI will deliver
RCMP? You guessed it, AI will save the day
Fisheries? Yup
ESDC? Also on the AI train
CRA? See above
Gosh I hope this AI thing works out
Public safety? AI will deliver
RCMP? You guessed it, AI will save the day
Fisheries? Yup
ESDC? Also on the AI train
CRA? See above
Gosh I hope this AI thing works out
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Canada budget: AI is going to do an awful lot apparently. We can cut lots of money, AI will deliver instead!
Public safety? AI will deliver
RCMP? You guessed it, AI will save the day
Fisheries? Yup
ESDC? Also on the AI train
CRA? See above
Gosh I hope this AI thing works out
Public safety? AI will deliver
RCMP? You guessed it, AI will save the day
Fisheries? Yup
ESDC? Also on the AI train
CRA? See above
Gosh I hope this AI thing works out
Reposted by blair
Unions, Lawsuits and Whistleblowers: Public Sector Leadership from Below
Excited to share my piece for the @mtlaiethics.bsky.social's State of AI Ethics Report on AI in Government: Public Sector Leadership and Implementation.
montrealethics.ai/state/
Excited to share my piece for the @mtlaiethics.bsky.social's State of AI Ethics Report on AI in Government: Public Sector Leadership and Implementation.
montrealethics.ai/state/
November 4, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Unions, Lawsuits and Whistleblowers: Public Sector Leadership from Below
Excited to share my piece for the @mtlaiethics.bsky.social's State of AI Ethics Report on AI in Government: Public Sector Leadership and Implementation.
montrealethics.ai/state/
Excited to share my piece for the @mtlaiethics.bsky.social's State of AI Ethics Report on AI in Government: Public Sector Leadership and Implementation.
montrealethics.ai/state/