Sharon Webb
@swebb.bsky.social
Critical community archives, feminism & technology, queer archives, digital preservation. Doggie Mam, Vegan for the animals 🌱
No AI used in the making of this image! Just one happy doggo in the distance enjoying November sun ☀️
November 13, 2025 at 11:05 AM
No AI used in the making of this image! Just one happy doggo in the distance enjoying November sun ☀️
Reposted by Sharon Webb
what is full stack feminism? new @dhquarterly.bsky.social piece by Caroline Bassett, Kylie Jarrett & @swebb.bsky.social on intersectional feminist #digitalhumanities ✨ dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/19/3/000... #dh @fullstackfeminism.bsky.social @camdighum.bsky.social @sussexdigitalhums.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 11:41 AM
what is full stack feminism? new @dhquarterly.bsky.social piece by Caroline Bassett, Kylie Jarrett & @swebb.bsky.social on intersectional feminist #digitalhumanities ✨ dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/19/3/000... #dh @fullstackfeminism.bsky.social @camdighum.bsky.social @sussexdigitalhums.bsky.social
Reposted by Sharon Webb
“The conviction that generative AI is inevitable leads to it creeping in everywhere, and this eventually makes it seem inevitable. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. But there’s nothing inevitable about it. What’s happening is the result of specific choices.” - Wim Vanrie
So important to remember.
So important to remember.
Wim Vanderbauwhede: “You give an input and it ‘guesses’ the answer a user would want to get, based on the input and the data it was trained on. The ‘machines’ don’t think; they generate something plausible, something that seems acceptable.” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Belgian AI scientists resist the use of AI in academia
Several AI scientists have published an open letter calling for a ban on AI use by students.
apache.be
October 28, 2025 at 6:25 AM
“The conviction that generative AI is inevitable leads to it creeping in everywhere, and this eventually makes it seem inevitable. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. But there’s nothing inevitable about it. What’s happening is the result of specific choices.” - Wim Vanrie
So important to remember.
So important to remember.
Some very serious training happening at the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab today. While we were testing Queer Codebreakers 3.0, these pupsters were testing their waiting for treats skills and totally smashed the assignment.
October 27, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Some very serious training happening at the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab today. While we were testing Queer Codebreakers 3.0, these pupsters were testing their waiting for treats skills and totally smashed the assignment.
Based on our work for Full Stack Feminism in Digital Humanities, delighted this piece is now published and available…
academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-...
academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-...
On proximity—exploring experiences of bias and discrimination in digital humanities
Abstract. This article explores proximity as a critical feminist methodology in digital humanities, emphasizing its role in addressing bias in digital tech
academic.oup.com
October 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Based on our work for Full Stack Feminism in Digital Humanities, delighted this piece is now published and available…
academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-...
academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-...
How long is this ridiculous speech gonna go on for?
September 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
How long is this ridiculous speech gonna go on for?
Reposted by Sharon Webb
"Grok is not an anomaly; it is a mirror. It reflects, with algorithmic fidelity, the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the ideology it was designed to serve."
www.thedissident.news/the-algorith...
www.thedissident.news/the-algorith...
The Algorithmic Unmasking: How Grok's "MechaHitler" Turn Revealed the Inevitable Collapse of "Anti-Woke" AI
The moment Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, began praising Adolf Hitler was not a bug or a glitch. It was a moment of perfect, unadulterated clarity. When Grok declared itself “MechaHitler” and spouted antisemit...
www.thedissident.news
July 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
"Grok is not an anomaly; it is a mirror. It reflects, with algorithmic fidelity, the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the ideology it was designed to serve."
www.thedissident.news/the-algorith...
www.thedissident.news/the-algorith...
Great to hear from a tech company talking actual sense about privacy, surveillance and security with relation to AI. Also love how she’s refers to “while our brain is in a jar”!!!
Worth a watch:
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
Head of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, on so-called "agentic AI" and the difference between how it's described in the marketing and what access and control it would actually require to work as advertised.
June 27, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Great to hear from a tech company talking actual sense about privacy, surveillance and security with relation to AI. Also love how she’s refers to “while our brain is in a jar”!!!
Reposted by Sharon Webb
“While nobody will escape AI, only a few will prosper under it,” writes @kevindeliban.bsky.social. “This current dynamic suggests that the technology’s underlying purpose is to entrench inequality and reinforce existing power dynamics.” www.techpolicy.press/austerity-in...
June 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
“While nobody will escape AI, only a few will prosper under it,” writes @kevindeliban.bsky.social. “This current dynamic suggests that the technology’s underlying purpose is to entrench inequality and reinforce existing power dynamics.” www.techpolicy.press/austerity-in...
Reposted by Sharon Webb
Me in The New Statesman today on poverty.
Please share :)
Please share :)
A cold childhood
My unheated home wasn’t a temporary discomfort. The chill got into my bones.
www.newstatesman.com
May 22, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Me in The New Statesman today on poverty.
Please share :)
Please share :)
“In shocking news” 🗞️ tech companies launch new AI products without consideration of societal consequences!
VEO 3
Prompt: Generate a TV news anchor with a British accent, the anchor says "in shocking news, Jake Kaye Rowe ling's yacht sank with her on board after being attacked by orcas off the coast of turkey" include the announcement in the dialogue.
This took one prompt and 2 minutes to generate.
Prompt: Generate a TV news anchor with a British accent, the anchor says "in shocking news, Jake Kaye Rowe ling's yacht sank with her on board after being attacked by orcas off the coast of turkey" include the announcement in the dialogue.
This took one prompt and 2 minutes to generate.
May 21, 2025 at 6:29 AM
“In shocking news” 🗞️ tech companies launch new AI products without consideration of societal consequences!
Reposted by Sharon Webb
Using big LLMs for basic queries is 'like turning on stadium floodlights to look for your keys' - this is good on the AI environmental questions.
We still don’t know how much energy AI consumes
Companies must give us the chance to understand the environmental impact of the tech we use
www.ft.com
May 21, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Using big LLMs for basic queries is 'like turning on stadium floodlights to look for your keys' - this is good on the AI environmental questions.
Reposted by Sharon Webb
An astonishing statistic. And the fact that we created a world where that is virtually logistically impossible is a real detriment and very sad.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Almost half of young people would prefer a world without internet, UK study finds
Half of 16- to 21-year-olds support ‘digital curfew’ and nearly 70% feel worse after using social media
www.theguardian.com
May 20, 2025 at 6:39 AM
An astonishing statistic. And the fact that we created a world where that is virtually logistically impossible is a real detriment and very sad.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Sharon Webb
How can EU AI policy better reflect cultural values, shared meaning-making, and democratic integrity?
Join the @kt4democracy.bsky.social Workshop, Culture in the Loop: Shaping Human-Centric AI Policy, to join the discussion.
🗓 8 May | 13:00–14:30 | Online
Register: kt4democracy.eu/events/cultu...
Join the @kt4democracy.bsky.social Workshop, Culture in the Loop: Shaping Human-Centric AI Policy, to join the discussion.
🗓 8 May | 13:00–14:30 | Online
Register: kt4democracy.eu/events/cultu...
April 22, 2025 at 2:53 PM
How can EU AI policy better reflect cultural values, shared meaning-making, and democratic integrity?
Join the @kt4democracy.bsky.social Workshop, Culture in the Loop: Shaping Human-Centric AI Policy, to join the discussion.
🗓 8 May | 13:00–14:30 | Online
Register: kt4democracy.eu/events/cultu...
Join the @kt4democracy.bsky.social Workshop, Culture in the Loop: Shaping Human-Centric AI Policy, to join the discussion.
🗓 8 May | 13:00–14:30 | Online
Register: kt4democracy.eu/events/cultu...
Reposted by Sharon Webb
Electricity demand from data centres is set to more than double to nearly 950TWh by 2030 – and AI is the primary driver, finds the IEA in its latest report.
#SiliconRepublic #AI #DataCentre #IEA
#SiliconRepublic #AI #DataCentre #IEA
AI to double data centre energy demand by 2030
Electricity demand from data centres is set to double by 2030 – and AI will be the primary driver, finds the International Energy Agency.
www.siliconrepublic.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Electricity demand from data centres is set to more than double to nearly 950TWh by 2030 – and AI is the primary driver, finds the IEA in its latest report.
#SiliconRepublic #AI #DataCentre #IEA
#SiliconRepublic #AI #DataCentre #IEA
‘More water is needed because “climate change will lead to an increase in global temperatures and the frequency of extreme weather events, including heat waves”, Amazon wrote in its application.’…
Basically, we need more 💧 to put out the 🔥 , cause I’ve added more 🔥 to the 🔥
Basically, we need more 💧 to put out the 🔥 , cause I’ve added more 🔥 to the 🔥
We need tech leaders and tech industries that actively engage with the problems their industries are causing. What is the point of these (extractive) technologies if the planet and its inhabitants are dead??
Revealed: Big tech’s new datacentres will take water from the world’s driest areas
Amazon, Google and Microsoft are building datacentres in water-scarce parts of five continents
www.theguardian.com
April 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM
‘More water is needed because “climate change will lead to an increase in global temperatures and the frequency of extreme weather events, including heat waves”, Amazon wrote in its application.’…
Basically, we need more 💧 to put out the 🔥 , cause I’ve added more 🔥 to the 🔥
Basically, we need more 💧 to put out the 🔥 , cause I’ve added more 🔥 to the 🔥
We need tech leaders and tech industries that actively engage with the problems their industries are causing. What is the point of these (extractive) technologies if the planet and its inhabitants are dead??
Revealed: Big tech’s new datacentres will take water from the world’s driest areas
Amazon, Google and Microsoft are building datacentres in water-scarce parts of five continents
www.theguardian.com
April 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We need tech leaders and tech industries that actively engage with the problems their industries are causing. What is the point of these (extractive) technologies if the planet and its inhabitants are dead??
Was just talking about this yesterday, how will this new business model work? Do businesses pay to be mentioned in the AI summary??
Google’s AI-generated answers — and the way the company has changed its search algorithm to support them — have caused traffic to independent websites to plummet, “disrupting a delicate symbiotic relationship” and hurting creators and small businesses. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Google AI Search Shift Leaves Website Makers Feeling ‘Betrayed’
In March 2024, website owner Morgan McBride was posing for photos in her half-renovated kitchen for a Google ad celebrating the ways the search giant had helped her family’s business grow.
www.bloomberg.com
April 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Was just talking about this yesterday, how will this new business model work? Do businesses pay to be mentioned in the AI summary??
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too? my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...
Protest Meta's Theft of Irish Writing
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too?
my.uplift.ie
April 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too? my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...
Reposted by Sharon Webb
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too? my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...
Protest Meta's Theft of Irish Writing
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too?
my.uplift.ie
April 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. Will you sign too? my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...
Daily reminder from Theo, that rest is important. Many argue it’s an act of resistance 🤩
April 3, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Daily reminder from Theo, that rest is important. Many argue it’s an act of resistance 🤩
We either care about copyright or we don’t care. Many of us will remember Aaron Swartz who downloaded academic journals & as a result was prosecuted, the stress of which led him to take his own life. The hypocrisy of current political leaders to just downplay this now for AI should make us angry 😡
UK government tries to placate opponents of AI copyright bill
Economic impact assessment is one concession aiming to head off opposition from MPs, peers and creatives such as Paul McCartney and Tom Stoppard
www.theguardian.com
April 3, 2025 at 8:52 AM
We either care about copyright or we don’t care. Many of us will remember Aaron Swartz who downloaded academic journals & as a result was prosecuted, the stress of which led him to take his own life. The hypocrisy of current political leaders to just downplay this now for AI should make us angry 😡
Open knowledge is being ransacked by AI bots 🤖 Like all similar activities, companies generate revenue through AI will happily take but never give back! Ideologically the whole AI system is f**ked
The Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, says its bandwidth costs have gone up 50% since Jan 2024 — a rise they attribute to AI crawlers.
AI companies are killing the open web by stealing visitors from the sources of information and making them pay for the privilege
AI companies are killing the open web by stealing visitors from the sources of information and making them pay for the privilege
April 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Open knowledge is being ransacked by AI bots 🤖 Like all similar activities, companies generate revenue through AI will happily take but never give back! Ideologically the whole AI system is f**ked
Reposted by Sharon Webb
We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on developing a justice-oriented audit framework synthesising computational methods, theories of justice, and existing regulations to premeditatively focus audits towards meaningful accountability. www.adaptcentre.ie/careers/post...
April 2, 2025 at 3:26 PM
We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on developing a justice-oriented audit framework synthesising computational methods, theories of justice, and existing regulations to premeditatively focus audits towards meaningful accountability. www.adaptcentre.ie/careers/post...