Medha
@medhadata.bsky.social
if data's the new oil, someone's gotta think about the oil spills
(artificial intelligence ∩ policy ∩ the public service)
burrito enthusiast. chai connoisseur. muhindi wa canada 🇰🇪. #COYG.
(artificial intelligence ∩ policy ∩ the public service)
burrito enthusiast. chai connoisseur. muhindi wa canada 🇰🇪. #COYG.
Reposted by Medha
There are no words for how evil this is
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
There are no words for how evil this is
Reposted by Medha
Things are grim but writing this piece forced me to think of a silver lining.
"2026 is a year of honest reckoning of what technologies are needed for government to function properly. It is a chance to revisit all the unglamorous AI already embedded in government. AI without the generative part."
"2026 is a year of honest reckoning of what technologies are needed for government to function properly. It is a chance to revisit all the unglamorous AI already embedded in government. AI without the generative part."
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 6, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Things are grim but writing this piece forced me to think of a silver lining.
"2026 is a year of honest reckoning of what technologies are needed for government to function properly. It is a chance to revisit all the unglamorous AI already embedded in government. AI without the generative part."
"2026 is a year of honest reckoning of what technologies are needed for government to function properly. It is a chance to revisit all the unglamorous AI already embedded in government. AI without the generative part."
Reposted by Medha
you know, AI/tech policy in city gov, working for Lina Khan, wouldn't be a bad gig
Fresh off of a historic election victory, Mamdani names his transition team
Fresh off of a historic election victory, Mamdani names his transition team
A slate of women leaders with experience across three New York City administrations will help smooth the path for the political novice.
dlvr.it
November 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
you know, AI/tech policy in city gov, working for Lina Khan, wouldn't be a bad gig
dhoom machale. chef's kiss.
November 5, 2025 at 5:49 AM
dhoom machale. chef's kiss.
Reposted by Medha
I am once again asking Canadian journalists to ask the most basic-ass question of "on whose land will these be built?" How is it that every other major industry must consider Indigenous rights but with tech it's like "meh".
www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
ANALYSIS | Why OpenAI wants to help Canada build homegrown artificial intelligence | CBC News
OpenAI wants to help Canada build a sovereign digital infrastructure for artificial intelligence, putting the country in a tough spot as it tries to distance itself from overreliance on U.S. tech comp...
www.cbc.ca
October 11, 2025 at 3:28 PM
I am once again asking Canadian journalists to ask the most basic-ass question of "on whose land will these be built?" How is it that every other major industry must consider Indigenous rights but with tech it's like "meh".
www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
Reposted by Medha
Looks like Canada's approach to "sovereign AI" will involve creating structural dependencies on large US tech companies
October 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Looks like Canada's approach to "sovereign AI" will involve creating structural dependencies on large US tech companies
Reposted by Medha
Working in AI policy rn is like being on a derailed train where the conductor is saying "haha check out this sick trick the train is going so much faster now" and you have to calmly explain to the conductor why actually maybe it is bad that the train has derailed
October 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Working in AI policy rn is like being on a derailed train where the conductor is saying "haha check out this sick trick the train is going so much faster now" and you have to calmly explain to the conductor why actually maybe it is bad that the train has derailed
Reposted by Medha
"OpenAI is Canadian sovereign AI" is astonishing mental gymnastics and it gets worse the more you think about it
October 9, 2025 at 8:20 PM
"OpenAI is Canadian sovereign AI" is astonishing mental gymnastics and it gets worse the more you think about it
Reposted by Medha
Two trials will be repeated endlessly despite always producing the same results:
1) Does UBI work? (yes)
2) Does AI improve productivity? (no)
1) Does UBI work? (yes)
2) Does AI improve productivity? (no)
M365 Copilot fails to up productivity in UK government trial
: AI tech shows promise writing emails or summarizing meetings. Don't bother with anything more complex
www.theregister.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Two trials will be repeated endlessly despite always producing the same results:
1) Does UBI work? (yes)
2) Does AI improve productivity? (no)
1) Does UBI work? (yes)
2) Does AI improve productivity? (no)
Reposted by Medha
Incredible, must-read investigation by @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social into how Tea's founder got women to join the app, how its founding story changed, how it spammed Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook groups, how it hired an influencer marketing firm to promote it
www.404media.co/how-teas-fou...
www.404media.co/how-teas-fou...
How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World
A 404 Media investigation reveals how the man who started Tea, the ‘women dating safety’ app, tried to hire a female ‘face’ for the company and then hijack her grassroots community.
www.404media.co
August 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Incredible, must-read investigation by @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social into how Tea's founder got women to join the app, how its founding story changed, how it spammed Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook groups, how it hired an influencer marketing firm to promote it
www.404media.co/how-teas-fou...
www.404media.co/how-teas-fou...
Sam Altman spoke at my engineering graduation and basically said degrees are worthless lol 🫠
interesting how some tech bros claim college is overrated and people should drop out but “Ph.D level” is a marker of expertise
OpenAI releases the newest version of the AI model that powers its popular ChatGPT chatbot, with CEO Sam Altman promoting it as like having a “team of Ph.D. level experts in your pocket.”
August 8, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Sam Altman spoke at my engineering graduation and basically said degrees are worthless lol 🫠
Say what you want IB but the world could really use some OPVL analysis skills atm
August 8, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Say what you want IB but the world could really use some OPVL analysis skills atm
Reposted by Medha
Washington Post: “Is fascism bad? The answer may surprise you”
Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”
Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”
August 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Washington Post: “Is fascism bad? The answer may surprise you”
Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”
Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”
Reposted by Medha
We got a power crisis on our hands, you get that nuclear power plant started like I asked?
Sure did boss, real far away, just like you asked, true story.
What.
Sure did boss, real far away, just like you asked, true story.
What.
EXCLUSIVE: Sean Duffy will announce expedited plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, his first major action as interim NASA administrator.
Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon
This is the first major agency effort by the interim NASA administrator, who is also the Transportation secretary and a former Fox News host.
www.politico.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:21 PM
We got a power crisis on our hands, you get that nuclear power plant started like I asked?
Sure did boss, real far away, just like you asked, true story.
What.
Sure did boss, real far away, just like you asked, true story.
What.
Reposted by Medha
if you use AI to write my obit, I'm going to haunt your ass. you will never get a good night's sleep again. fortune.com/2025/07/29/w...
Wesley LePatner, a 44-year-old Blackstone executive who oversaw its $53 billion real-estate investment fund, was killed in Manhattan's mass shooting
"We cannot properly express the grief we feel upon the sudden and tragic loss of Wesley," the LePatner family told Fortune, adding she was a "driven and extraordinarily talented professional and colle...
fortune.com
July 30, 2025 at 12:40 AM
if you use AI to write my obit, I'm going to haunt your ass. you will never get a good night's sleep again. fortune.com/2025/07/29/w...
Reposted by Medha
Kathy Pham and I spoke with @donmoyn.bsky.social about civic tech & reflections on our oral history of USDS.
Thank you to Don for the opportunity, and to Kathy for being such a wonderful partner on all of this work ❤️🙏🏼
And the biggest thanks to our colleagues who trusted us with their stories ❤️
Thank you to Don for the opportunity, and to Kathy for being such a wonderful partner on all of this work ❤️🙏🏼
And the biggest thanks to our colleagues who trusted us with their stories ❤️
DOGE took over the US Digital Service; what lessons can we learned from the civic tech movement that it eviscerated?
@emilytav.bsky.social & Kathy Pham compiled a history of the the creation of USDS, and describe an alternative vision of govt tech.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/revisiting...
@emilytav.bsky.social & Kathy Pham compiled a history of the the creation of USDS, and describe an alternative vision of govt tech.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/revisiting...
Revisiting the Origins of Civic Tech
In era of DOGE, what can we learn from a different approach to tech and government
donmoynihan.substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Kathy Pham and I spoke with @donmoyn.bsky.social about civic tech & reflections on our oral history of USDS.
Thank you to Don for the opportunity, and to Kathy for being such a wonderful partner on all of this work ❤️🙏🏼
And the biggest thanks to our colleagues who trusted us with their stories ❤️
Thank you to Don for the opportunity, and to Kathy for being such a wonderful partner on all of this work ❤️🙏🏼
And the biggest thanks to our colleagues who trusted us with their stories ❤️
Reposted by Medha
So much research is being done about LLMs that it's hard to stay on top of the literature.
To help with this, I've made a list of all the most important papers from the past 8 years:
rtmccoy.com/pubs/
I hope you enjoy!
To help with this, I've made a list of all the most important papers from the past 8 years:
rtmccoy.com/pubs/
I hope you enjoy!
Home
rtmccoy.com
July 16, 2025 at 4:35 PM
So much research is being done about LLMs that it's hard to stay on top of the literature.
To help with this, I've made a list of all the most important papers from the past 8 years:
rtmccoy.com/pubs/
I hope you enjoy!
To help with this, I've made a list of all the most important papers from the past 8 years:
rtmccoy.com/pubs/
I hope you enjoy!
Reposted by Medha
it’s worth making this more explicit:
The NYT is suggesting Zohran lied by checking off both “Asian” & “African”, because (in their view) someone of Indian descent born & raised in Africa isn’t “truly” African. Which was also how Idi Amin justified expelling Zohran’s father & thousands of others.
The NYT is suggesting Zohran lied by checking off both “Asian” & “African”, because (in their view) someone of Indian descent born & raised in Africa isn’t “truly” African. Which was also how Idi Amin justified expelling Zohran’s father & thousands of others.
Mahmood was in pan-African nationalist movements in the 70s until Idi Amin expelled Indo-Ugandans? Zohran’s dad gave him the middle name Kwame to honour the first President of Ghana? idk maybe three white American journalists aren’t the best ones to opine on whether or not he’s African.
July 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
it’s worth making this more explicit:
The NYT is suggesting Zohran lied by checking off both “Asian” & “African”, because (in their view) someone of Indian descent born & raised in Africa isn’t “truly” African. Which was also how Idi Amin justified expelling Zohran’s father & thousands of others.
The NYT is suggesting Zohran lied by checking off both “Asian” & “African”, because (in their view) someone of Indian descent born & raised in Africa isn’t “truly” African. Which was also how Idi Amin justified expelling Zohran’s father & thousands of others.
Reposted by Medha
It does suck that "AI" now means both generative AI (boo hiss) and a whole basket of incredibly useful machine learning techniques.
June 3, 2025 at 2:26 AM
It does suck that "AI" now means both generative AI (boo hiss) and a whole basket of incredibly useful machine learning techniques.
Reposted by Medha
The New York Times, after suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, has now agreed to license its content to Amazon for training its AI models. This deal includes news, NYT Cooking, and The Athletic, potentially integrating with Alexa. Terms are undisclosed.
#MLSky
#MLSky
The New York Times and Amazon ink AI licensing deal | TechCrunch
Nearly two years after suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, The New York Times has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon to train the tech giant’s AI platforms.
techcrunch.com
May 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
The New York Times, after suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, has now agreed to license its content to Amazon for training its AI models. This deal includes news, NYT Cooking, and The Athletic, potentially integrating with Alexa. Terms are undisclosed.
#MLSky
#MLSky
Not an endorsement of the candidate (if you're reading, Values and Ethics) but an endorsement of this cute family activity. My parents always brought me voting with them and it's been a foundational memory for me.
Every election, we also hold a vote for the kids to decide what's for dinner.
We do this to explain democracy (you don't always get what you want, you always get your say) & to expose the kids to how easy it is to vote.
Make your own dinner ballots here: files.coreyhogan.ca/Election_Nig...
We do this to explain democracy (you don't always get what you want, you always get your say) & to expose the kids to how easy it is to vote.
Make your own dinner ballots here: files.coreyhogan.ca/Election_Nig...
April 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Not an endorsement of the candidate (if you're reading, Values and Ethics) but an endorsement of this cute family activity. My parents always brought me voting with them and it's been a foundational memory for me.
Reposted by Medha
It is actually much more basic than this. They have absolutely no interest whatsoever in currently deployed, real world AI systems that operate in sensitive areas like criminal justice, hospitals, consumer finance, etc, that already affect and sometimes hurt many millions of people.
You know the effective altruism and the linked “AI safety” people are full of shit because they seemingly never propose “making some powerfully-enforced regulations” as a means of protecting humanity from evil AI.
April 20, 2025 at 4:09 AM
It is actually much more basic than this. They have absolutely no interest whatsoever in currently deployed, real world AI systems that operate in sensitive areas like criminal justice, hospitals, consumer finance, etc, that already affect and sometimes hurt many millions of people.
Reposted by Medha
The transformer was invented in Google. RLHF was not invented in industry labs, but came to prominence in OpenAI and DeepMind. I took 5 of the most influential papers (black dots) and visualized their references. Blue dots are papers that acknowledge federal funding (DARPA, NSF).
April 12, 2025 at 2:35 AM
The transformer was invented in Google. RLHF was not invented in industry labs, but came to prominence in OpenAI and DeepMind. I took 5 of the most influential papers (black dots) and visualized their references. Blue dots are papers that acknowledge federal funding (DARPA, NSF).
Reposted by Medha
Many people dismiss the idea that AI can work in the public interest (at the same time that tech moguls increasingly work against the "public interest").
Yet the idea of "AI in the public interest" is extremely important and under mortal threat.
Yet the idea of "AI in the public interest" is extremely important and under mortal threat.
I was in Paris last week for the #AIActionSummit & was honoured to participate in the “AI in public interest” panel.
👇🏾 my thoughts & reflections on what AI in public interest is/isn’t & some concrete steps/initiatives for `bending the arc of AI towards the public interest' aial.ie/pages/aiparis/
👇🏾 my thoughts & reflections on what AI in public interest is/isn’t & some concrete steps/initiatives for `bending the arc of AI towards the public interest' aial.ie/pages/aiparis/
Bending the arc of AI towards the public interest
By Abeba Birhane, 18/02/2025
Following the first in Bletchley Park in 2023 and the second in Seoul in 2024, the third AI Action Summit took place in February 2025 in Paris. In the context of previous ...
aial.ie
February 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Many people dismiss the idea that AI can work in the public interest (at the same time that tech moguls increasingly work against the "public interest").
Yet the idea of "AI in the public interest" is extremely important and under mortal threat.
Yet the idea of "AI in the public interest" is extremely important and under mortal threat.