Jordan Thayer
@jordanthayer.com
AI researcher, consultant, professional speaker, video and tabletop gamer, and trans woman.
https://jordanthayer.com/
https://jordanthayer.com/
Pinned
Jordan Thayer
@jordanthayer.com
· Nov 8
Hi, I'm Jordan. I did my PhD in heuristic search, one of the less famous subfields of AI. You use it to plan and control robots.
These days, I'm a developer and consultant. I make AI systems and speak on what AI is and how to use it.
I'm also an avid gamer, reader, and outspoken trans lady.
These days, I'm a developer and consultant. I make AI systems and speak on what AI is and how to use it.
I'm also an avid gamer, reader, and outspoken trans lady.
And additional thanks to @techbash.bsky.social for putting on such a lovely conference. There are still a few days left, and I'm really looking forward to the remaining talks.
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
And additional thanks to @techbash.bsky.social for putting on such a lovely conference. There are still a few days left, and I'm really looking forward to the remaining talks.
Thanks to everyone that attended my AI workshop yesterday. I really appreciated the questions and discussion.
November 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Thanks to everyone that attended my AI workshop yesterday. I really appreciated the questions and discussion.
This is absolutely fucking delightful and I need to share it with the handful of people who will get it.
October 31, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This is absolutely fucking delightful and I need to share it with the handful of people who will get it.
Happy Halloween everyone.
October 31, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Happy Halloween everyone.
A brief reminder as our current hellscape careens off the fiscal cliff:
If you see someone stealing food, no you didn't. Couldn't have possibly been what you saw. This is America, the land of plenty. Who would need to steal food in one of the richest nations on Earth?
If you see someone stealing food, no you didn't. Couldn't have possibly been what you saw. This is America, the land of plenty. Who would need to steal food in one of the richest nations on Earth?
October 30, 2025 at 10:39 AM
A brief reminder as our current hellscape careens off the fiscal cliff:
If you see someone stealing food, no you didn't. Couldn't have possibly been what you saw. This is America, the land of plenty. Who would need to steal food in one of the richest nations on Earth?
If you see someone stealing food, no you didn't. Couldn't have possibly been what you saw. This is America, the land of plenty. Who would need to steal food in one of the richest nations on Earth?
Reposted by Jordan Thayer
a trans girl in vermont was kicked off her swimming team and committed suicide and at the very same time, the discourse in d.c. today is about whether the democratic party should’ve abandoned her sooner in order to win votes
a day in an american life
a day in an american life
October 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
a trans girl in vermont was kicked off her swimming team and committed suicide and at the very same time, the discourse in d.c. today is about whether the democratic party should’ve abandoned her sooner in order to win votes
a day in an american life
a day in an american life
Won the office chili cookoff. Guess it's time to enter my tradwife grifting era.
October 27, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Won the office chili cookoff. Guess it's time to enter my tradwife grifting era.
Hey, good news, I'll be giving a tutorial on off the shelf AI tools (the non-generative stuff) at @techbash.bsky.social this year. We'll talk about machine learning, optimization, planning systems, and a little SAT solving. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!
October 13, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Hey, good news, I'll be giving a tutorial on off the shelf AI tools (the non-generative stuff) at @techbash.bsky.social this year. We'll talk about machine learning, optimization, planning systems, and a little SAT solving. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!
From now on, whenever I embark on something particularly amazing or silly, this is how I will be referring to it.
October 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM
From now on, whenever I embark on something particularly amazing or silly, this is how I will be referring to it.
Agentic coding tools (and LLMs more broadly) have all the energy of an undergrad who is more interested in a passing grade than actually correct systems or mastery of the underlying concepts, and I am sick to death of pretending that's not the case.
August 26, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Agentic coding tools (and LLMs more broadly) have all the energy of an undergrad who is more interested in a passing grade than actually correct systems or mastery of the underlying concepts, and I am sick to death of pretending that's not the case.
Thanks to everyone who attended @kcdc.bsky.social and a special thanks to the folks that put it on. That quality of conference is a huge amount of labor, and it was an amazing event.
If I didn't see you there this year, here's hoping I see you there next year!
If I didn't see you there this year, here's hoping I see you there next year!
August 18, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Thanks to everyone who attended @kcdc.bsky.social and a special thanks to the folks that put it on. That quality of conference is a huge amount of labor, and it was an amazing event.
If I didn't see you there this year, here's hoping I see you there next year!
If I didn't see you there this year, here's hoping I see you there next year!
Just a couple more days. I'm driving out tomorrow, but my talk about highway maintenance will have to wait until Thursday. In the interim, I'll be speaking about data structures and Big O notation and wandering around the hallway track. Please come say hello!
August 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Just a couple more days. I'm driving out tomorrow, but my talk about highway maintenance will have to wait until Thursday. In the interim, I'll be speaking about data structures and Big O notation and wandering around the hallway track. Please come say hello!
I suppose I should use the little title card generators they gave me too. I'll be giving that Data Structures talk on Wednesday. I'm really excited about it. Still can't believe it gets accepted, so quick, before they realize their mistakes.
August 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM
I suppose I should use the little title card generators they gave me too. I'll be giving that Data Structures talk on Wednesday. I'm really excited about it. Still can't believe it gets accepted, so quick, before they realize their mistakes.
In a week I'll be out @kcdc.bsky.social. I'm giving a workshop on data structures and a talk on how AI planning approaches can be used to plan for highway maintenance. There's a big slate of content I'm really excited for. You can get tickets here: www.kcdc.info/tickets
Hope to see you there!
Hope to see you there!
August 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
In a week I'll be out @kcdc.bsky.social. I'm giving a workshop on data structures and a talk on how AI planning approaches can be used to plan for highway maintenance. There's a big slate of content I'm really excited for. You can get tickets here: www.kcdc.info/tickets
Hope to see you there!
Hope to see you there!
In less contentious and depressing conversations, I gave an internal talk on how I use LLMs for the work I do that's not writing source code, like blogging, presentations, and planning how to work events: youtu.be/e5wCxM8zA60?...
LLMs for Not Coding Brownbag
YouTube video by Jordan Thayer
youtu.be
July 25, 2025 at 5:38 PM
In less contentious and depressing conversations, I gave an internal talk on how I use LLMs for the work I do that's not writing source code, like blogging, presentations, and planning how to work events: youtu.be/e5wCxM8zA60?...
I took some time out of writing about AI in our industry to write about marginalization. It's got a super uplifting title, but I promise it's not just venting or bitching. It's an anectdote laden discussion of being othered and advice on how to avoid that.
jordanthayer.com/every-day-br...
jordanthayer.com/every-day-br...
Every Day Brings New Horrors – Jordan Thayer
jordanthayer.com
July 25, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I took some time out of writing about AI in our industry to write about marginalization. It's got a super uplifting title, but I promise it's not just venting or bitching. It's an anectdote laden discussion of being othered and advice on how to avoid that.
jordanthayer.com/every-day-br...
jordanthayer.com/every-day-br...
So, I also got rolled up in this. I have a fantasy novel and a set of open letters about the trans experience published under a pen name that are no longer discoverable.
Many of the things delisted here weren't anywhere near pornographic, they were just queer or discussed heavy topics.
Many of the things delisted here weren't anywhere near pornographic, they were just queer or discussed heavy topics.
July 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
So, I also got rolled up in this. I have a fantasy novel and a set of open letters about the trans experience published under a pen name that are no longer discoverable.
Many of the things delisted here weren't anywhere near pornographic, they were just queer or discussed heavy topics.
Many of the things delisted here weren't anywhere near pornographic, they were just queer or discussed heavy topics.
Most AI “research tools” aren’t helping you research. They’re just helping you produce. (Un?)Fortunately, real research isn’t about output, it's about building expertise.
I wrote a slightly more nuanced version of this that you might care to read:
jordanthayer.com/ai-research-...
I wrote a slightly more nuanced version of this that you might care to read:
jordanthayer.com/ai-research-...
AI Research Tools Miss the Point of Research – Jordan Thayer
jordanthayer.com
July 23, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Most AI “research tools” aren’t helping you research. They’re just helping you produce. (Un?)Fortunately, real research isn’t about output, it's about building expertise.
I wrote a slightly more nuanced version of this that you might care to read:
jordanthayer.com/ai-research-...
I wrote a slightly more nuanced version of this that you might care to read:
jordanthayer.com/ai-research-...
Once again, if someone is looking for a gently used AI expert, my home has made it abundantly clear that my family, my tax dollars, and my capabilities are unwelcome here.
Indiana proposes a policy change that would block gender changes on ID, but it's not too late to push back.
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Moves to Block Gender Changes on State ID — Assigned
The proposed change includes the information that there are no known beneficial effects.
www.assignedmedia.org
July 17, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Once again, if someone is looking for a gently used AI expert, my home has made it abundantly clear that my family, my tax dollars, and my capabilities are unwelcome here.
Today I fulfill a lifelong dream. I've wanted to see weird Al live since I was 7. I used to record myself singing his songs because my folks forbade me from buying the albums.
July 3, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Today I fulfill a lifelong dream. I've wanted to see weird Al live since I was 7. I used to record myself singing his songs because my folks forbade me from buying the albums.
Got a visit in to the Vonnegut museum today. I'd hoped for more correspondence, but it's still lovely
July 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Got a visit in to the Vonnegut museum today. I'd hoped for more correspondence, but it's still lovely
I misread a calendar, and so now I have an hour to read white papers on LLM evaluation techniques. Under a tree. Next to a pond. There's a fountain!
You can take the girl out of academia, but you can't take academia out of the girl I guess.
You can take the girl out of academia, but you can't take academia out of the girl I guess.
June 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
I misread a calendar, and so now I have an hour to read white papers on LLM evaluation techniques. Under a tree. Next to a pond. There's a fountain!
You can take the girl out of academia, but you can't take academia out of the girl I guess.
You can take the girl out of academia, but you can't take academia out of the girl I guess.
A colleague suggested that I produce a sheet of pop culture references for all of my talks so that he can stop asking "Wait, what is that from?" and get back to focusing on the educational content.
Is this a thing people would actually want? I feel terrible bringing leave behinds no one takes.
Is this a thing people would actually want? I feel terrible bringing leave behinds no one takes.
June 16, 2025 at 10:15 PM
A colleague suggested that I produce a sheet of pop culture references for all of my talks so that he can stop asking "Wait, what is that from?" and get back to focusing on the educational content.
Is this a thing people would actually want? I feel terrible bringing leave behinds no one takes.
Is this a thing people would actually want? I feel terrible bringing leave behinds no one takes.
So there I was, chatting with my friend from Germany about how we're processing the political killings in the US this weekend when this lumbers across the sky...
I suspect I will spend the rest of my life unpacking this moment.
I suspect I will spend the rest of my life unpacking this moment.
June 16, 2025 at 12:07 PM
So there I was, chatting with my friend from Germany about how we're processing the political killings in the US this weekend when this lumbers across the sky...
I suspect I will spend the rest of my life unpacking this moment.
I suspect I will spend the rest of my life unpacking this moment.
I know it's a bit belated, but thanks to the folks that came out to Stir Trek (if you missed it, it's a lovely show, you should go!) and to the folks that swang by the talk.
May 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I know it's a bit belated, but thanks to the folks that came out to Stir Trek (if you missed it, it's a lovely show, you should go!) and to the folks that swang by the talk.