Andrew Perfors
@perfors.net
Prof at UniMelb. I'm a computational cognitive scientist studying human inference, learning, information systems, culture, and (mis/dis)info. Nerd & opinionated loudmouth in Oz, originally from America, citizen of both. Parent of two. 🏳️⚧️ perfors.net
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Andrew Perfors
@perfors.net
· 19d
Part 1: How do LLMs work?
YouTube video by Andrew Perfors
www.youtube.com
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
New study in Lancet eClinical Medicine (N=20,358) found that mental healthcare utilization initially increases (consistent with assessment requirements under guidelines), then drops substantially, following gender-affirming medical care. #transgender #mentalhealth #medicine
February 9, 2026 at 9:49 PM
New study in Lancet eClinical Medicine (N=20,358) found that mental healthcare utilization initially increases (consistent with assessment requirements under guidelines), then drops substantially, following gender-affirming medical care. #transgender #mentalhealth #medicine
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
this is a subject that's near and dear to my heart
1. no you didn't, you retconning fucks
2. your decades of anti-governance "free market" "government never functions" propaganda paved the way for the complete authoritarian decimation of labor, consumer, environmental protections
1. no you didn't, you retconning fucks
2. your decades of anti-governance "free market" "government never functions" propaganda paved the way for the complete authoritarian decimation of labor, consumer, environmental protections
February 9, 2026 at 6:06 PM
this is a subject that's near and dear to my heart
1. no you didn't, you retconning fucks
2. your decades of anti-governance "free market" "government never functions" propaganda paved the way for the complete authoritarian decimation of labor, consumer, environmental protections
1. no you didn't, you retconning fucks
2. your decades of anti-governance "free market" "government never functions" propaganda paved the way for the complete authoritarian decimation of labor, consumer, environmental protections
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
You know what they’re going to store in those warehouses?
People
People
In the last month ICE has bought warehouses in:
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
February 9, 2026 at 6:46 PM
You know what they’re going to store in those warehouses?
People
People
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
I really do think this is an excellent metaphor for the moment.
I'm convinced AI is our generation's radium - a discovery with genuinely useful applications in specific, controlled circumstances that we stupidly put in everything from kid's toys to toothpaste until we realised the harm far too late where future generations will ask if we were out of our minds.
VC, founder, dumbass
February 9, 2026 at 5:09 AM
I really do think this is an excellent metaphor for the moment.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
The ‘You Don’t Have to Apologize for Being White Anymore’ guys have now made it against the law to use the word Black at college.
A Florida A&M University law student says the school told her to remove the word 'Black' from a Black History Month event flyer. The school says it is in full compliance with state law
‘Black’ banned from flyers for FAMU College of Law Black History Month event, student says
A student at FAMU College of Law says the school told her to remove the word 'black' from a Black History Month event flyer. The school says it is in full compliance with state law.
www.clickorlando.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:40 PM
The ‘You Don’t Have to Apologize for Being White Anymore’ guys have now made it against the law to use the word Black at college.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
people who say that all creative endeavor can be replaced with AI probably need to reckon with the fact that all televised sports events with human athletes could easily be replicated by high-definition computer-animated simulations….and yet we don’t do this and no one seems to want to.
February 8, 2026 at 7:26 PM
people who say that all creative endeavor can be replaced with AI probably need to reckon with the fact that all televised sports events with human athletes could easily be replicated by high-definition computer-animated simulations….and yet we don’t do this and no one seems to want to.
I see you are well on your way to being an excellent PhD advisor, with that attitude! 😀
February 8, 2026 at 9:59 PM
I see you are well on your way to being an excellent PhD advisor, with that attitude! 😀
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
It’s fucking heartbreaking watching the pleas from MN residents start echoing the pleas from Gaza residents
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 5:52 AM
It’s fucking heartbreaking watching the pleas from MN residents start echoing the pleas from Gaza residents
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
But the other piece of evidence -- the point of this thread -- is that we now have an example of what it looks like when US political & corporate elites *really are* obsessed with and committed to something.
Namely: AI.
Namely: AI.
February 7, 2026 at 8:47 PM
But the other piece of evidence -- the point of this thread -- is that we now have an example of what it looks like when US political & corporate elites *really are* obsessed with and committed to something.
Namely: AI.
Namely: AI.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
February 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
Extremely good analogy. The endgame for AI companies is that everyone becomes dependent on their tech, and has to keep paying $2000 / year to write software.
High-quality software is not actually necessary to achieve that goal.
High-quality software is not actually necessary to achieve that goal.
It feels like a lobster trap to me. Once you’ve vibe coded something it’s basically unmaintainable by a human so you’re kind of stuck interacting with your code through that interface forever.
February 7, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Extremely good analogy. The endgame for AI companies is that everyone becomes dependent on their tech, and has to keep paying $2000 / year to write software.
High-quality software is not actually necessary to achieve that goal.
High-quality software is not actually necessary to achieve that goal.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
So much profound harm has been done by the inane, ultra-popular notion that talent is innate, fixed, and semi-mystical
February 6, 2026 at 6:57 PM
So much profound harm has been done by the inane, ultra-popular notion that talent is innate, fixed, and semi-mystical
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
🆕 Fabulous, ✨fabulous✨ work by our friends at the Social Media Lab, one of the best research centres in our field. A very timely and much-needed intervention to introduce some transparency into online advertising. 🙌
PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform - Social Media Lab
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 4, 2026 Toronto, Ontario — In the wake of recent reports highlighting the prevalence of fraudulent advertisements on Meta-owned platforms (Tech Transparency Project) and perennial concerns about the influence of political advertising on digital platforms more broadly, the Social Media Lab is pleased to announce the addition of 25 new country-specific dashboards […]
socialmedialab.ca
February 7, 2026 at 7:15 AM
🆕 Fabulous, ✨fabulous✨ work by our friends at the Social Media Lab, one of the best research centres in our field. A very timely and much-needed intervention to introduce some transparency into online advertising. 🙌
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
It really pays to remind ourselves frequently that this whole immigration "crisis" is made up out of whole cloth. There was no emergency,danger or problem, only a demagogue stirring up racist grievances for political advantage.
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
It really pays to remind ourselves frequently that this whole immigration "crisis" is made up out of whole cloth. There was no emergency,danger or problem, only a demagogue stirring up racist grievances for political advantage.
February 7, 2026 at 1:57 AM
To be fair, when your mental capacity is diminished enough that your effective time horizon is three days, that IS basically changing your life
February 7, 2026 at 1:56 AM
To be fair, when your mental capacity is diminished enough that your effective time horizon is three days, that IS basically changing your life
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
MERE HOURS after the President of the United States posted an AI video of the Obama’s as monkeys, the Science Tech Action Committee (led by @aaas.org and @researchamerica.bsky.social) posted a THANK YOU to TRUMP for SIGNING THE BUDGET.
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
February 7, 2026 at 1:18 AM
MERE HOURS after the President of the United States posted an AI video of the Obama’s as monkeys, the Science Tech Action Committee (led by @aaas.org and @researchamerica.bsky.social) posted a THANK YOU to TRUMP for SIGNING THE BUDGET.
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
odd feature of our time in how many liberals and progressive are bog standard monogamous family types--Serwer, Bouie, Hayes, AOC, etc--and how many Traditional Family Values conservatives are fuckin drugged up perverts
February 6, 2026 at 3:32 PM
odd feature of our time in how many liberals and progressive are bog standard monogamous family types--Serwer, Bouie, Hayes, AOC, etc--and how many Traditional Family Values conservatives are fuckin drugged up perverts
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
New blog post on ways to lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Vaccines. That's the secret.
Turns out many diseases have long-term consequences, including dementia risk.
Bonus is that I also write about disinfo. 1/
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
Vaccines. That's the secret.
Turns out many diseases have long-term consequences, including dementia risk.
Bonus is that I also write about disinfo. 1/
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
A Medical Treatment to Lower Your Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
Are you interested in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia? We can take actions early in life that will substantially lower our risks.
www.psychologytoday.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:49 PM
New blog post on ways to lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Vaccines. That's the secret.
Turns out many diseases have long-term consequences, including dementia risk.
Bonus is that I also write about disinfo. 1/
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
Vaccines. That's the secret.
Turns out many diseases have long-term consequences, including dementia risk.
Bonus is that I also write about disinfo. 1/
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
if you spend any significant amount of time on X the everything app, your brain is being cooked
February 6, 2026 at 2:56 PM
if you spend any significant amount of time on X the everything app, your brain is being cooked
This is an especially good article about why the Epstein files matter so much.
February 6, 2026 at 9:54 PM
This is an especially good article about why the Epstein files matter so much.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
You’re not crazy. The anti-trans movement is not organic; it was funded by pedophilic billionaires like Jeffrey Epstein who backed a network of conservatives to accuse the same people they were sexually abusing of being the real danger. @madycast.com exposes the truth in our in-depth report.
Epstein Backed ‘Billionaires’ Dinner’ Network of Prominent Anti-Trans Figures
Lawrence Krauss, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and other anti-trans influencers personally benefited from a right-wing academic social group backed by infamous human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, somet...
transnews.network
February 6, 2026 at 8:12 PM
You’re not crazy. The anti-trans movement is not organic; it was funded by pedophilic billionaires like Jeffrey Epstein who backed a network of conservatives to accuse the same people they were sexually abusing of being the real danger. @madycast.com exposes the truth in our in-depth report.
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
Is AI killing publishing reform? Important post by Ulrike Hahn about #scholarlyPublishing. (write.as/ulrikehahn/i...)
I've had the same thought, that the flood of LLM-written junk and fraudulent manuscripts being submitted to journals means that
I've had the same thought, that the flood of LLM-written junk and fraudulent manuscripts being submitted to journals means that
Is AI killing scientific reform?
Recently I tried to post a pre-print on arXiv about what might be going wrong in debate about reasoning in LLMs. arXiv seemed a relevant ...
write.as
February 6, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Is AI killing publishing reform? Important post by Ulrike Hahn about #scholarlyPublishing. (write.as/ulrikehahn/i...)
I've had the same thought, that the flood of LLM-written junk and fraudulent manuscripts being submitted to journals means that
I've had the same thought, that the flood of LLM-written junk and fraudulent manuscripts being submitted to journals means that
Reposted by Andrew Perfors
can't help but think there is probably a corrosive effect of having sex trafficker-elite emails unveiled for months on end as one of the biggest cultural/news stories of the last year— unearthing an inexcusable moral rot in the upper echelons of power—but without any real accountability/justice
February 5, 2026 at 6:03 PM
can't help but think there is probably a corrosive effect of having sex trafficker-elite emails unveiled for months on end as one of the biggest cultural/news stories of the last year— unearthing an inexcusable moral rot in the upper echelons of power—but without any real accountability/justice