Robin
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robinb.bsky.social
Robin
@robinb.bsky.social
professor. traveler. anti-mayo.
My recent @us.theconversation.com article talks about older Americans and their #AI use. More importantly, they reflect on what they want from it (hint: more info about risk) #academicsky

theconversation.com/older-americ...
Older Americans are using AI − study shows how and what they think of it
Over half of older adults report using AI, but many also struggle with trusting the technology.
theconversation.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM
*Cackling in karma*
After resigning from Michigan and bending over backwards to try and appease them, "The Florida Board of Governors voted Tuesday to reject Santa Ono as the next president of the University of Florida"
www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...
Florida Board Rejects Ono for UF Job
The Florida Board of Governors decided against confirming Santa Ono as president of the University of Florida in a contentious vote focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
www.insidehighered.com
June 3, 2025 at 10:41 PM
🚨 Role change alert 🚨

Yesterday the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan (finally) did a good thing & approved my promotion to Associate Professor w/tenure! For non-academic/folks, this means that I can't get fired!

Thanks to students, postdocs, collaborators, mentors, friends, and fam.
May 16, 2025 at 2:35 PM
I feel this. Similarly, I would like to write my own obituary. Who knows me better than me?
A week ago I sat down and said “fuck it” and started writing a memoir.

I feel self indulgent and gross but also it’s fun. I may be the only person who reads it but whatever.
May 13, 2025 at 2:14 AM
NSF abolishing divisions sounds like a bad idea, right? #academicsky
May 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Robin
In 3 years Ono cracked down on protest, attacked shared governance and banned DEI. Of course first on his list of accomplishments was: “Prioritized the strategic expansion of artificial intelligence, making UM the first university to offer custom AI tools to our entire academic community.”
May 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Props to the #CHI2025 general chairs and organizing committee for choosing amazing opening and closing speakers 👌🏾
May 1, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Takeaways:
- AI is a child.
- Agency! AI should be a co-pilot that is active when needed, not constantly
- AI should only be used for tasks humans are not good at, not for everything
Masako Wakamiya is 90 years old and made her first mobile app in her 80s. It is never too late to learn a new skill.

She is the closing plenary speaker at #CHI2025
May 1, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Masako Wakamiya is 90 years old and made her first mobile app in her 80s. It is never too late to learn a new skill.

She is the closing plenary speaker at #CHI2025
May 1, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Not the point of Oliver Suchanek's #CHI2025 presentation but still mind blowing - sign language interpreters aren't an accommodation for Deaf people because they can communicate with each other just fine. Hearing people need interpreters to communicate with Deaf people. #a11y
May 1, 2025 at 12:52 AM
+1 this is how I met @michaelannephd.bsky.social at CHI in Montreal when we were grad students. A fun game of "no research talk allowed" and now we're colleagues 💁🏾‍♀️
3. Don’t make people talk about work all the time.
Some of my best collabs started with conversations about dogs, snacks, or bad travel stories. You’re meeting humans, not LinkedIn profiles. #chi2025
April 28, 2025 at 5:27 AM
The keynote speaker at #CHI2025, @mutalenkonde.bsky.social, ended by proposing "computer scientists need to govern computer scientists" regarding AI and harms.

+1 as this may be more sustainable and faster to implement than relying on governments and organizations to oversee AI regulation.
April 28, 2025 at 5:05 AM
Truly my favorite moment of the day is when I can share with PhD students that there is more free food in the kitchen. The joy on their faces 🥹
April 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Deep sigh.
March 27, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Starting an email to the campus acknowledging DEI programs and then announcing you're ending them in the exact same email is a wild kind of bold. Disappointed can't even begin to describe
March 27, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Working with a designer to edit a friend's website and he literally tried to bribe me with desserts to intentionally fail a color contrast check for the sake of design. Do you know what I do for a living?? Even if you didn't, why is that a logical thought?
a man in a white shirt is standing next to another man in a living room and making a funny face .
Alt: a man in a white shirt is standing making a surprised face while the word "huh" and many question marks surround him
media.tenor.com
March 12, 2025 at 1:25 AM
So grateful that as an undergrad, I had PhD student mentors who put me on game. They encouraged me to leave my UG institution and taught me PhDs are fre. People are really out here thinking all PhD programs cost money!
March 6, 2025 at 8:55 PM
*SOME people won't be at NSBE but I'm headed there tomorrow to recruit.

If you're interested in master's or *free* PhD programs in data science, UX/HCI, information+ stop by University of Michigan's School of Information booth - 💁🏾‍♀️ #NSBE2025 #motherregion #4solid (... but #2hype raised me)
March 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
My personal favorite BHM moment happened this past weekend on a writing retreat with PhD students and faculty from around the country in Tucson. We worked on papers, blog posts, dissertation proposals, and IRBs. + We ate tasty Ethiopian food and played lots of Uno No Mercy 👿 #blacksky #academicsky
February 25, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Robin
Come work with me!
We are looking to bring on more top talent to our language modeling workstream at @ai2.bsky.social building the open ecosystem. We are hiring:
* Research scientists
* Senior research engineers
* Post docs (Young investigators)
* Pre docs

job-boards.greenhouse.io/thealleninst...
The Allen Institute for AI
job-boards.greenhouse.io
February 25, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Spent the evening listening to THE Dr. Angela Davis and Ta-Nehisi Coates discuss activism and solidarity in our current historical moment and learning from oppression in Gaza. Gems. Too many to name. BUT, very inspiring to hear Davis is optimistic given all that she has experienced. #blacksky
February 20, 2025 at 2:29 AM
This is what I imagined home ownership would be like. Instead, it's mostly me walking the dog hoping to come across someone, anyone...
My neighbors and I have a group chat, and now whenever we have an open bottle of wine we likely won’t finish, we text the group chat, and everyone arrives at our doors with a glass 😂
February 9, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Robin
Posting this again because a lot of people said they found it helpful! Guide to ALT text: www.perkins.org/resource/how...
April 19, 2024 at 8:18 PM
1. This is terrifying.
2. Lightbulb moment of connecting why NSF HQ is at the Eisenhower metro stop.
3. How is it still January?
I don’t have a definitive source on this yet but it looks like NSF review panels have been canceled.

Sixty-some years ago, Eisenhower transformed higher education because he viewed a science education gap as the single greatest threat to national security.

This is absolutely an act of sabotage.
January 28, 2025 at 1:06 PM
What strategies do folks use to get them excited about going back to work after the winter break? I think my break was too successful in that I am more excited to watch cooking shows than check emails and prep for classes. #academicsky
January 3, 2025 at 3:48 PM