Renee Moodie
@reneemoodie.bsky.social
Thought leadership writer & editor ⭐ Human-centred Gen AI & leadership ⭐ Clear thinker, tech tinkerer, hand-holder ⭐ Journalist-for-life ⭐ Pronouns: she/her
I’ve tried using a small language model (that you download to your machine) and found the whole thing underwhelming. My experiment is in my latest blog post: safehands.co.za/gen-ai-that-...)
November 13, 2025 at 1:02 PM
I’ve tried using a small language model (that you download to your machine) and found the whole thing underwhelming. My experiment is in my latest blog post: safehands.co.za/gen-ai-that-...)
Accepted wisdom on prompting AI is to give it context. Here’s a trick though - if you are writing social media posts, don’t tell the AI tool what the platform is. That way you get vanilla text you can play with rather than a formula. #PromptingTips
October 30, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Accepted wisdom on prompting AI is to give it context. Here’s a trick though - if you are writing social media posts, don’t tell the AI tool what the platform is. That way you get vanilla text you can play with rather than a formula. #PromptingTips
I have a list of perfect songs. Not necessarily favourite or emotional songs. Just songs where nothing could be changed, where you get a shiver down your spine when you hear them. If I had to pick one it would be Prince’s Purple Rain. Yours? (Long list in blog post: tinyurl.com/bdh2zrn6)
October 24, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I have a list of perfect songs. Not necessarily favourite or emotional songs. Just songs where nothing could be changed, where you get a shiver down your spine when you hear them. If I had to pick one it would be Prince’s Purple Rain. Yours? (Long list in blog post: tinyurl.com/bdh2zrn6)
AI and climate change? I’ve done research: individual use of Gen AI is not a big deal. But all the stuff that underpins our digital lives is; needs to be tackled at systemic level. Hat tip to @hannahritchie.bsky.social and @andymasley.bsky.social. Latest blog post: tinyurl.com/xawbbdvb
October 16, 2025 at 12:03 PM
AI and climate change? I’ve done research: individual use of Gen AI is not a big deal. But all the stuff that underpins our digital lives is; needs to be tackled at systemic level. Hat tip to @hannahritchie.bsky.social and @andymasley.bsky.social. Latest blog post: tinyurl.com/xawbbdvb
You know that thing that says ancient mapmakers used to put the words “here be dragons” to indicate unknown territory. It’s a myth, according to @dmgeo.bsky.social. A reminder to check the things you think you know. (More on dragons here: safehands.co.za/here-be-drag...)
October 9, 2025 at 12:02 PM
You know that thing that says ancient mapmakers used to put the words “here be dragons” to indicate unknown territory. It’s a myth, according to @dmgeo.bsky.social. A reminder to check the things you think you know. (More on dragons here: safehands.co.za/here-be-drag...)
We all have Information overload – social media, news, WhatsApp messages. How to cope? It’s all about making choices, about deciding to use AI (and all tech, actually) in ways that help you with important work, but that don’t take over. Blog post: tinyurl.com/377pzpte
October 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
We all have Information overload – social media, news, WhatsApp messages. How to cope? It’s all about making choices, about deciding to use AI (and all tech, actually) in ways that help you with important work, but that don’t take over. Blog post: tinyurl.com/377pzpte
Where do you stand on eavesdropping? Not hovering with your ear to a door. I mean wandering around with your ears open, listening. You get to hear fragments of dialogue which is, to me, one of life’s small pleasures. Latest blog post on my latest overheard snippet: tinyurl.com/424p7nmu
September 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Where do you stand on eavesdropping? Not hovering with your ear to a door. I mean wandering around with your ears open, listening. You get to hear fragments of dialogue which is, to me, one of life’s small pleasures. Latest blog post on my latest overheard snippet: tinyurl.com/424p7nmu
My latest advice on the subject of Gen AI. Don’t trust it. (In fact, trust nothing in the virtual world). Assume it’s all nonsense. If there’s a bit of information that you actually need, then do some verification and checking. That’s it really. See blog post: tinyurl.com/35tp5ap8
September 18, 2025 at 12:01 PM
My latest advice on the subject of Gen AI. Don’t trust it. (In fact, trust nothing in the virtual world). Assume it’s all nonsense. If there’s a bit of information that you actually need, then do some verification and checking. That’s it really. See blog post: tinyurl.com/35tp5ap8
Team sports at school are good for later leadership skills? Sure - but what about children who are terrible at sport? Does that doom them to a life of failure? Nope - but making them do sport makes them hate exercise. My latest blog post: safehands.co.za/how-to-get-o...
September 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Team sports at school are good for later leadership skills? Sure - but what about children who are terrible at sport? Does that doom them to a life of failure? Nope - but making them do sport makes them hate exercise. My latest blog post: safehands.co.za/how-to-get-o...
Who are you talking to when you engage with generative AI? Not a human being. But the data that gen AI was trained on was made by humans. So gen AI will reflect the biases inherent in all that material. To overcome that, try feminist prompting! How to do that: tinyurl.com/zp63s9s8
September 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Who are you talking to when you engage with generative AI? Not a human being. But the data that gen AI was trained on was made by humans. So gen AI will reflect the biases inherent in all that material. To overcome that, try feminist prompting! How to do that: tinyurl.com/zp63s9s8
Last week, Anne Taylor and I ran a webinar about Gen AI for the Eastern Cape branch of the Professional Editor’s Guild. It was the first time we’d done this kind of thing as a duo and welcome prep for the AI training we know we’re going to be doing over the next while. #LearningCurve #SensibleAI
August 28, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Last week, Anne Taylor and I ran a webinar about Gen AI for the Eastern Cape branch of the Professional Editor’s Guild. It was the first time we’d done this kind of thing as a duo and welcome prep for the AI training we know we’re going to be doing over the next while. #LearningCurve #SensibleAI
What to do when you have a blog post to write and a shortage of time? Ask for help is my suggestion… someone else can write a guest post and give you a breather. The guest post that saved my bacon: safehands.co.za/how-an-award...
August 21, 2025 at 12:01 PM
What to do when you have a blog post to write and a shortage of time? Ask for help is my suggestion… someone else can write a guest post and give you a breather. The guest post that saved my bacon: safehands.co.za/how-an-award...
Agentic AI can reason and get things done. But is that what we want: Having the virtual equivalent of butlers and manservants taking all the friction out of our lives? See my blog post: tinyurl.com/mtd5nf6h
August 7, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Agentic AI can reason and get things done. But is that what we want: Having the virtual equivalent of butlers and manservants taking all the friction out of our lives? See my blog post: tinyurl.com/mtd5nf6h
On July 9 a dream came true - I went on @bushradio.bsky.social about a book project. The most fun I've had in a long time! The project? A history of SA through the eyes of people born in 1962. I need people to interview - DM me if you were born in ‘62! Blog post: tinyurl.com/3e4vzvjn
July 31, 2025 at 12:02 PM
On July 9 a dream came true - I went on @bushradio.bsky.social about a book project. The most fun I've had in a long time! The project? A history of SA through the eyes of people born in 1962. I need people to interview - DM me if you were born in ‘62! Blog post: tinyurl.com/3e4vzvjn
May I introduce you to a weed? My messy pavement has masses of Oxalis and its pretty yellow flowers. Am I going to pull it out? No. Weeds have rights too. #LongLiveWeeds (Blog post with everyday uses of AI, including identifying weeds, is here: tinyurl.com/3e6jxr6d)
July 24, 2025 at 12:01 PM
May I introduce you to a weed? My messy pavement has masses of Oxalis and its pretty yellow flowers. Am I going to pull it out? No. Weeds have rights too. #LongLiveWeeds (Blog post with everyday uses of AI, including identifying weeds, is here: tinyurl.com/3e6jxr6d)
Question: When did you realise you were a grown-up? For me, it was the 3am realisation that I was always going to be on call for the very small human being I had just given birth to. That meant be responsible, no excuses. And you?
Blog post: safehands.co.za/what-does-be...
Blog post: safehands.co.za/what-does-be...
July 17, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Question: When did you realise you were a grown-up? For me, it was the 3am realisation that I was always going to be on call for the very small human being I had just given birth to. That meant be responsible, no excuses. And you?
Blog post: safehands.co.za/what-does-be...
Blog post: safehands.co.za/what-does-be...
Thanks to @astrokatie.com for a thread (buff.ly/X1HIxu9 ) about AI models being “taught to be convincing before they were taught to be right”. Sent me down a rabbit hole after information about AI hallucinations, and inspired a blog post:
What you need to know about AI hallucinations (hint: they aren’t hallucinations) | Safe Hands
When AI makes mistakes, it’s called hallucinating. But there’s a better, if ruder, word for it. Here's how to approach that AI tool...
safehands.co.za
July 10, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Thanks to @astrokatie.com for a thread (buff.ly/X1HIxu9 ) about AI models being “taught to be convincing before they were taught to be right”. Sent me down a rabbit hole after information about AI hallucinations, and inspired a blog post:
Feeling stuck? Me too. Getting my creative mojo back after burnout & family stuff has been tough. So I’ve made a "closed list" of just 6 things. And I’ll only add more when I’ve finished one of those six things. #StartingOver safehands.co.za/how-to-get-o...
July 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Feeling stuck? Me too. Getting my creative mojo back after burnout & family stuff has been tough. So I’ve made a "closed list" of just 6 things. And I’ll only add more when I’ve finished one of those six things. #StartingOver safehands.co.za/how-to-get-o...
Be honest: have you ever read an AI chatbot privacy page? Me neither. We're used to giving data to Big Tech, but our info now goes into huge data sets in models we know too little about. I did a deep dive into this, and am now being more cautious. Blog post here:
Privacy and Generative AI – what you need to know | Safe Hands
I’ve done some research on the question of individual privacy and Gen AI. Here are my findings and thoughts…
tinyurl.com
June 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Be honest: have you ever read an AI chatbot privacy page? Me neither. We're used to giving data to Big Tech, but our info now goes into huge data sets in models we know too little about. I did a deep dive into this, and am now being more cautious. Blog post here:
Reposted by Renee Moodie
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
This about AI chatbots made me sit up in my chair. Use it, but don't trust it.
I expect that consumer-facing AI programs will continue to improve and they may become much more useful tools for everyday life in the future.
But I think it was a disastrous mistake that today’s models were taught to be convincing before they were taught to be right.
But I think it was a disastrous mistake that today’s models were taught to be convincing before they were taught to be right.
June 20, 2025 at 7:48 AM
This about AI chatbots made me sit up in my chair. Use it, but don't trust it.
Where do hope and science intersect? In the fight against TB. I was recently part of a training team, in a room with early-career researchers working on a better TB vaccine. I came away optimistic and in awe of the young people who are our future. My blog post: tinyurl.com/3adwbv59
June 19, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Where do hope and science intersect? In the fight against TB. I was recently part of a training team, in a room with early-career researchers working on a better TB vaccine. I came away optimistic and in awe of the young people who are our future. My blog post: tinyurl.com/3adwbv59
My latest post explores Terry Pratchett's small gods concept - like Anoia (Goddess of Stuck Drawers). Our family pantheon includes a God of Parking and a Goddess of the Sea. Yours? Maybe a goddess of finding the scissors? Read the post here; tinyurl.com/yvp2d9d9
June 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM
My latest post explores Terry Pratchett's small gods concept - like Anoia (Goddess of Stuck Drawers). Our family pantheon includes a God of Parking and a Goddess of the Sea. Yours? Maybe a goddess of finding the scissors? Read the post here; tinyurl.com/yvp2d9d9
I want AI to serve people – not replace them. My mission is to help thoughtful humans learn to work with AI in ways that are useful, ethical and clear. Find out more about Safe Hands AI Training.: safehands.co.za/ai-training/
May 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I want AI to serve people – not replace them. My mission is to help thoughtful humans learn to work with AI in ways that are useful, ethical and clear. Find out more about Safe Hands AI Training.: safehands.co.za/ai-training/
I’m writing a book about South Africa (1962-2024) through the eyes of people born in 1962. Were YOU born in SA in 1962? Or know someone who was? I need 10 diverse life stories that span apartheid to democracy. Help me make this happen! Form: forms.gle/Szoc9WKKDu7m...
May 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I’m writing a book about South Africa (1962-2024) through the eyes of people born in 1962. Were YOU born in SA in 1962? Or know someone who was? I need 10 diverse life stories that span apartheid to democracy. Help me make this happen! Form: forms.gle/Szoc9WKKDu7m...