Shobita Parthasarathy
@shobitap.org
Science & tech politics/policy incl patents. Author: next book on politics of inclusive innovation/tech for equity. #STS scholar. Prof & Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, U of Michigan. Expert Voices columnist, Science. shobitap.org
Pinned
Shobita Parthasarathy
@shobitap.org
· Sep 18
Beware the drive to scale technology
When it comes to technology, scalability—its capacity to be standardized and then distributed en masse and across contexts—is the ultimate goal. Scientists and engineers view scalability as the route ...
www.science.org
I am a new Expert Voices columnist @science.org and my first article just came out! In it, I argue that scaling technology has a dark side, particularly when it comes to alleviating inequality and injustice. And I suggest what scientists, engineers, and policymakers can do about it.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
I'm grateful for my brilliant students. One wrote about impacts of last weekend's debacle: "if we only talk about #Waymo, we will miss a critical, broader conversation around how San Francisco’s innovation policy still treats the city as a laboratory first and a community second." archive.ph/x6Iyq
San Francisco should learn from Waymo’s power outage debacle — and enact tech rollout standards
OPINION: “The weekend outage gave us a clear, non-theoretical glimpse of what happens when new systems meet old infrastructure,” Michael Redmond writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I'm grateful for my brilliant students. One wrote about impacts of last weekend's debacle: "if we only talk about #Waymo, we will miss a critical, broader conversation around how San Francisco’s innovation policy still treats the city as a laboratory first and a community second." archive.ph/x6Iyq
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Quite a story: "A South Park writer anticipated President Donald Trump would rename the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts after himself, so he bought domain names connected to the Trump-Kennedy Center."
www.newsnationnow.com
December 25, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Quite a story: "A South Park writer anticipated President Donald Trump would rename the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts after himself, so he bought domain names connected to the Trump-Kennedy Center."
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Oh my god they used almost the exact words i’ve been saying for years:
“We’re trapped in someone else’s experiment without consent or a right to opt out.”
“We’re trapped in someone else’s experiment without consent or a right to opt out.”
December 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Oh my god they used almost the exact words i’ve been saying for years:
“We’re trapped in someone else’s experiment without consent or a right to opt out.”
“We’re trapped in someone else’s experiment without consent or a right to opt out.”
I'm grateful for my brilliant students. One wrote about impacts of last weekend's debacle: "if we only talk about #Waymo, we will miss a critical, broader conversation around how San Francisco’s innovation policy still treats the city as a laboratory first and a community second." archive.ph/x6Iyq
San Francisco should learn from Waymo’s power outage debacle — and enact tech rollout standards
OPINION: “The weekend outage gave us a clear, non-theoretical glimpse of what happens when new systems meet old infrastructure,” Michael Redmond writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I'm grateful for my brilliant students. One wrote about impacts of last weekend's debacle: "if we only talk about #Waymo, we will miss a critical, broader conversation around how San Francisco’s innovation policy still treats the city as a laboratory first and a community second." archive.ph/x6Iyq
What's even more interesting to me is that the serious risks of GI problems and muscle wasting were clear before widespread use, and that didn't affect the hype.
I am shocked, SHOCKED that GLP-1s, like everything else, are not magic bullets. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/h...
December 23, 2025 at 2:52 PM
What's even more interesting to me is that the serious risks of GI problems and muscle wasting were clear before widespread use, and that didn't affect the hype.
I am shocked, SHOCKED that GLP-1s, like everything else, are not magic bullets. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/h...
December 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I am shocked, SHOCKED that GLP-1s, like everything else, are not magic bullets. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/h...
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
The video has been taken down from YouTube. You can still download it here: is.gd/paU8Ko
I just uploaded @jasonparis.bsky.social 's recording of the segment CBS News pulled from "60 Minutes" to YouTube:
WATCH: Segment CBS News Pulled From "60 Minutes"
YouTube video by Phil Lewis
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:14 AM
The video has been taken down from YouTube. You can still download it here: is.gd/paU8Ko
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
They have made enormous headway. The central issue is that driving isn't _really_ a rule-based process; the rules are codifications of social mores but fundamentally driving around other people is about theory of mind and social negotiation, which ML is largely hopeless at; here's a thing I wrote.
Driving is a social process
Photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia on Unsplash There is something very strange about automobiles. They are much faster and more dangerous than our brains are...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:19 AM
They have made enormous headway. The central issue is that driving isn't _really_ a rule-based process; the rules are codifications of social mores but fundamentally driving around other people is about theory of mind and social negotiation, which ML is largely hopeless at; here's a thing I wrote.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
In these turbulent times, light persists. Take a moment to watch this beautiful celebration. It will brighten your day.
Hanukkah blessings for A New Era for New York City (and for the galaxies?!).
Hanukkah blessings for A New Era for New York City (and for the galaxies?!).
It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love.
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
Happy Hanukkah
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtu.be
December 20, 2025 at 2:38 PM
In these turbulent times, light persists. Take a moment to watch this beautiful celebration. It will brighten your day.
Hanukkah blessings for A New Era for New York City (and for the galaxies?!).
Hanukkah blessings for A New Era for New York City (and for the galaxies?!).
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
December 17, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
I would argue that this recording also clearly suggests his mental decline since 2020.
NYT: “In a newly obtained recording of a phone call from late 2020, President Trump can be heard pressing the speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives to hold a special legislative session to overturn Mr. Trump’s election loss.”
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
December 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I would argue that this recording also clearly suggests his mental decline since 2020.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
AI search tools fuckin suck but this is pretty damned funny.
December 18, 2025 at 2:31 AM
AI search tools fuckin suck but this is pretty damned funny.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Coda: over on X Susie Wiles clutches her pearls and calls the piece a "hit job". But it's not, and she is playacting. The same dynamic occurred in 2024, when she gave Tim Alberta access to the Trump campaign. She had the last laugh then and will now. No one has Chotiner'd Wiles. They got Wiles-d. 8/
December 16, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Coda: over on X Susie Wiles clutches her pearls and calls the piece a "hit job". But it's not, and she is playacting. The same dynamic occurred in 2024, when she gave Tim Alberta access to the Trump campaign. She had the last laugh then and will now. No one has Chotiner'd Wiles. They got Wiles-d. 8/
We have made enormous strides to help deafblind people lead happy, fulfilling lives since the says if Helen Keller. But the Trump administration is cutting funding for these programs because of their DEI commitments. Gift link: 👇🏽
Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:51 PM
We have made enormous strides to help deafblind people lead happy, fulfilling lives since the says if Helen Keller. But the Trump administration is cutting funding for these programs because of their DEI commitments. Gift link: 👇🏽
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
When universities stop serving the common good and start serving their corporate interests:
"Deception, deflection, and disregard: How UMich is forcing a data center on Ypsilanti."
#AcademicSky
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/colu...
"Deception, deflection, and disregard: How UMich is forcing a data center on Ypsilanti."
#AcademicSky
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/colu...
How UMich is forcing a data center on Ypsilanti
The combined 144 acres the University seems to have settled on are agricultural or recreational use land. No one deserves to have their local park taken over by a data center.
www.michigandaily.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:30 PM
When universities stop serving the common good and start serving their corporate interests:
"Deception, deflection, and disregard: How UMich is forcing a data center on Ypsilanti."
#AcademicSky
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/colu...
"Deception, deflection, and disregard: How UMich is forcing a data center on Ypsilanti."
#AcademicSky
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/colu...
"Carnegie Mellon is a tech institution, which helps to explain its preference for a style of innovation that comes with wires and microprocessors attached. But....it becomes less about finding brave, new ways to create knowledge and more about maintaining existing power structures."
Opinion | A Coup at Carnegie Mellon?
The university is replacing the humanities with more computers.
www.chronicle.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"Carnegie Mellon is a tech institution, which helps to explain its preference for a style of innovation that comes with wires and microprocessors attached. But....it becomes less about finding brave, new ways to create knowledge and more about maintaining existing power structures."
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Northeastern is hiring in Ethics and Health! The job is tenure track with great colleagues in a great city.
Philosophers of science, bioethicists, research ethicists, and STS scholars, please apply! Soft deadline is December 15th.
philjobs.org/job/show/30469
Philosophers of science, bioethicists, research ethicists, and STS scholars, please apply! Soft deadline is December 15th.
philjobs.org/job/show/30469
Assistant Professor/ Associate Professor/ Full Professor, Northeastern University
- PhilJobs:JFP
Assistant Professor/ Associate Professor/ Full Professor, Northeastern University
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Northeastern is hiring in Ethics and Health! The job is tenure track with great colleagues in a great city.
Philosophers of science, bioethicists, research ethicists, and STS scholars, please apply! Soft deadline is December 15th.
philjobs.org/job/show/30469
Philosophers of science, bioethicists, research ethicists, and STS scholars, please apply! Soft deadline is December 15th.
philjobs.org/job/show/30469
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
BREAKING: NY Gov. Kathy Hochul gutted an AI regulation bill awaiting her signature and replaced it wholesale with a weaker version sought by Big Tech firms. At least two of the groups lobbying on the bill held fundraisers for Hochul in recent weeks.
prospect.org/2025/12/11/h...
prospect.org/2025/12/11/h...
Hochul Caves to Big Tech on AI Safety Bill - The American Prospect
A bill that passed the New York legislature was completely gutted and substituted with language perceived as friendlier to the industry.
prospect.org
December 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM
BREAKING: NY Gov. Kathy Hochul gutted an AI regulation bill awaiting her signature and replaced it wholesale with a weaker version sought by Big Tech firms. At least two of the groups lobbying on the bill held fundraisers for Hochul in recent weeks.
prospect.org/2025/12/11/h...
prospect.org/2025/12/11/h...
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
This is inaccurate. An accurate post would read:
Weakened, unpopular Trump, having failed to convince Congress to block AI state laws, signs toothless EO to signal his solidarity with Silicon Valley
Weakened, unpopular Trump, having failed to convince Congress to block AI state laws, signs toothless EO to signal his solidarity with Silicon Valley
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that blocks states from enforcing their own regulations around artificial intelligence and instead aims to create a "single national framework" for AI. https://cnn.it/49chVwf
December 12, 2025 at 2:22 AM
This is inaccurate. An accurate post would read:
Weakened, unpopular Trump, having failed to convince Congress to block AI state laws, signs toothless EO to signal his solidarity with Silicon Valley
Weakened, unpopular Trump, having failed to convince Congress to block AI state laws, signs toothless EO to signal his solidarity with Silicon Valley
Enjoyed speaking @michiganpublic.bsky.social about @stpp-um.bsky.social's new Technology Assessment Project report on advanced nuclear, which aims to "empower citizens to ask detailed, sophisticated questions about the implications of [advanced] nuclear power for them and their communities.”
December 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Enjoyed speaking @michiganpublic.bsky.social about @stpp-um.bsky.social's new Technology Assessment Project report on advanced nuclear, which aims to "empower citizens to ask detailed, sophisticated questions about the implications of [advanced] nuclear power for them and their communities.”
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
This report is how I have channeled my rage as the tech industry has grown in wealth and power at the expense of workers, communities, and the environment. The old mechanisms of reform aren’t sufficient in a time of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism datasociety.net/library/turn...
December 10, 2025 at 10:38 PM
This report is how I have channeled my rage as the tech industry has grown in wealth and power at the expense of workers, communities, and the environment. The old mechanisms of reform aren’t sufficient in a time of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism datasociety.net/library/turn...
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
at this point AI is the equivalent of your friend eating something disgusting and asking 800 times if you wanna try it
December 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
at this point AI is the equivalent of your friend eating something disgusting and asking 800 times if you wanna try it
I loved this. It was Mr. Rogers vibes from the jump.
I’m running for Congress because we need leaders who will fight, not fold. I recognize this moment, and I’m ready to meet it. #FightDontFold #LanderForNYC #LanderForCongress
December 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
I loved this. It was Mr. Rogers vibes from the jump.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Join us this Thursday December 11th from noon-1pm Eastern to learn about @stpp-um.bsky.social's new technology assessment of small modular nuclear reactors. We'll discuss our methods, findings, & policy recommendations, and the report's timeliness as we deal with #AI and data center energy needs!
December 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Join us this Thursday December 11th from noon-1pm Eastern to learn about @stpp-um.bsky.social's new technology assessment of small modular nuclear reactors. We'll discuss our methods, findings, & policy recommendations, and the report's timeliness as we deal with #AI and data center energy needs!
First they came for Calibri....
Gift link: 👇🏽
Gift link: 👇🏽
Rubio Deletes Calibri as the State Department’s Official Typeface
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:33 AM
First they came for Calibri....
Gift link: 👇🏽
Gift link: 👇🏽