Taylor Beauvais
@taylorbeauvais.bsky.social
PhD candidate at Boston University studying the sociology of AI.
Grad fellow at Rafik Hariri institute for computation and computer engineering.
Teaching fellow for AI Ethics
Machine learning analyst at Open Justice Lab.
Grad fellow at Rafik Hariri institute for computation and computer engineering.
Teaching fellow for AI Ethics
Machine learning analyst at Open Justice Lab.
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest. www.wired.com/story/how-to...
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
June 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest. www.wired.com/story/how-to...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
Apple out with a new paper that, not coincidentally, explains why they’ve stayed out of the LLM mania.
The “illusion of thinking” — what I and many, many others have been saying for ages, only to get the “nuh uh” from the mentally ill AI chudbro crowd.
This is why “agents” will fail, btw.
The “illusion of thinking” — what I and many, many others have been saying for ages, only to get the “nuh uh” from the mentally ill AI chudbro crowd.
This is why “agents” will fail, btw.
The Illusion of Thinking: Understanding the Strengths and Limitations of Reasoning Models via the Lens of Problem Complexity
Recent generations of frontier language models have introduced Large Reasoning Models
(LRMs) that generate detailed thinking processes…
machinelearning.apple.com
June 7, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Apple out with a new paper that, not coincidentally, explains why they’ve stayed out of the LLM mania.
The “illusion of thinking” — what I and many, many others have been saying for ages, only to get the “nuh uh” from the mentally ill AI chudbro crowd.
This is why “agents” will fail, btw.
The “illusion of thinking” — what I and many, many others have been saying for ages, only to get the “nuh uh” from the mentally ill AI chudbro crowd.
This is why “agents” will fail, btw.
On moving fast and breaking things . . . again: social media’s lessons for generative AI governance
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
On moving fast and breaking things . . . again: social media’s lessons for generative AI governance
Generative AI systems are increasingly being employed globally, bringing with them both tremendous promise and substantial potential for harm. As is often the case, governance initiatives are laggi...
www.tandfonline.com
June 5, 2025 at 2:35 PM
On moving fast and breaking things . . . again: social media’s lessons for generative AI governance
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
Current tech is a collection of guys in hotdog costumes saying they have a new thing to save you from the old thing. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
![Hassabis said he could also see AI being used to protect people from other algorithms designed by big tech to drain their attention away from more important tasks. “I’m very excited about the idea of a universal AI assistant that knows you really well, enriches your life by maybe giving you amazing recommendations, and helps to take care of mundane chores for you,” he said.
“[It] basically gives you more time and maybe protects your attention from other algorithms trying to gain your attention. I think we can actually use AI in service of the individual.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hakzua5btcgcfjye2yujlhos/bafkreicvmgxhtee7ygyns6knazzogwldrslb2tftwoycbgswdz7l57ldzu@jpeg)
June 3, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Current tech is a collection of guys in hotdog costumes saying they have a new thing to save you from the old thing. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
"Imagine what would happen if most climate science were done by researchers who worked in fossil fuel companies. That’s what’s happening with AI"
@karenhao.bsky.social on the role of tech firms in society & the importance of independent research in democracy
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
@karenhao.bsky.social on the role of tech firms in society & the importance of independent research in democracy
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
Opinion | Silicon Valley Is at an Inflection Point
www.nytimes.com
June 2, 2025 at 4:24 PM
"Imagine what would happen if most climate science were done by researchers who worked in fossil fuel companies. That’s what’s happening with AI"
@karenhao.bsky.social on the role of tech firms in society & the importance of independent research in democracy
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
@karenhao.bsky.social on the role of tech firms in society & the importance of independent research in democracy
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
These people can't stop reinventing phrenology
OpenAI is featuring a "Looksmaxxing GPT" that provides "PSL ratings" for photos. It will rate people as "subhuman", and advise men to get invasive procedures like jaw surgery to "increase their sexual market value" among women, who it describes as "hypergamous by nature".
May 31, 2025 at 10:21 PM
These people can't stop reinventing phrenology
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
this is why "diverse" training datasets doesn't inherently mean those communities end up being the primary beneficiaries of the technology
“Domino's customers who order by phone in Atlanta, for instance, are likely to reach an AI assistant that speaks with a Southern accent…[Domino’s] has also developed a voice that speaks using African-American Vernacular English.”
The clever way that Domino's is making AI feel more real — and better at taking your pizza order
Domino's and other restaurants use text-to-voice software that can imitate specific accents or tones. It leads more people to complete their orders.
www.businessinsider.com
May 31, 2025 at 10:22 PM
this is why "diverse" training datasets doesn't inherently mean those communities end up being the primary beneficiaries of the technology
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
to summarise the study, there is negligible productivity and time gain from AI chatbot use and the only driving factor for mass deployment is fabricated fear of being left behind from the "AI revolution"
AI chatbots have been rolled out across 100s of white-collar workplaces but their effect on hours & pay has been negligible accrdg NBER. On average, employees saved 3% of their time, while just 3%-7% of their productivity gains came back to them in the form of higher pay fortune.com/2025/05/18/a...
Study looking at AI chatbots in 7,000 workplaces finds 'no significant impact on earnings or recorded hours in any occupation'
Despite AI’s promise to revolutionize white-collar work, most workers are using it sparingly—or hiding it from their boss.
fortune.com
May 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
to summarise the study, there is negligible productivity and time gain from AI chatbot use and the only driving factor for mass deployment is fabricated fear of being left behind from the "AI revolution"
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
AI-generated slop on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube has become a barometer of political fame, just as it has of pop culture celebrity — and some lawmakers are starting to worry.
AI-powered political fanfiction racks up views online
Fake stories about real politicians sometimes get more views than real-world reporting that’s not built for the algorithms.
www.semafor.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM
AI-generated slop on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube has become a barometer of political fame, just as it has of pop culture celebrity — and some lawmakers are starting to worry.
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
The AI revolution: opening new frontiers in bullying.
This technology should not be easily accessible by the public, it serves no purpose, provides no benefit.
This technology should not be easily accessible by the public, it serves no purpose, provides no benefit.
No One Knows How to Deal With 'Student-on-Student' AI CSAM
A new report from Stanford finds that schools, parents, police, and our legal system are not prepared to deal with the growing problem of minors using AI to generate CSAM of other minors.
www.404media.co
May 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The AI revolution: opening new frontiers in bullying.
This technology should not be easily accessible by the public, it serves no purpose, provides no benefit.
This technology should not be easily accessible by the public, it serves no purpose, provides no benefit.
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
The hype cycle, while purporting to be all grown-up and hard-headed, is just another coping strategy for those invested in technological determinism.
May 27, 2025 at 8:44 AM
The hype cycle, while purporting to be all grown-up and hard-headed, is just another coping strategy for those invested in technological determinism.
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
welcome to the future, now your error-prone software can call the cops
(this is an Anthropic employee talking about Claude Opus 4)
(this is an Anthropic employee talking about Claude Opus 4)
May 22, 2025 at 8:55 PM
welcome to the future, now your error-prone software can call the cops
(this is an Anthropic employee talking about Claude Opus 4)
(this is an Anthropic employee talking about Claude Opus 4)
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
My firm belief is that the reason they are so bad at presenting compelling use cases is that they are trying to sell an empty container built for their purposes but not for actual users.
May 22, 2025 at 12:39 PM
My firm belief is that the reason they are so bad at presenting compelling use cases is that they are trying to sell an empty container built for their purposes but not for actual users.
"...some issues... require not just a knowledge of law or of technology, but of both. That is, some problems cannot be discussed purely on technical grounds or purely on legal grounds; the crux of the matter lies in the intersection"
AI "safety " work requires sociology!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
AI "safety " work requires sociology!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Computer Science and the Law | Communications of the ACM
dl.acm.org
May 22, 2025 at 12:59 PM
"...some issues... require not just a knowledge of law or of technology, but of both. That is, some problems cannot be discussed purely on technical grounds or purely on legal grounds; the crux of the matter lies in the intersection"
AI "safety " work requires sociology!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
AI "safety " work requires sociology!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Good article pushing back on algorithmic radicalization hypotheses. Users play a role in their own curation.
“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users - Raven Maragh-Lloyd, Ryan Stoldt, Javie Ssozie, Kathryn...
Links between extremism online and personalization algorithms are, by now, widely accepted. However, discussions surrounding sociopolitical radicalization and i...
journals.sagepub.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Good article pushing back on algorithmic radicalization hypotheses. Users play a role in their own curation.
“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
46% of 16 to 21 year olds say they would rather a world without internet, and 70% say they feel worse about themselves after using social media.
It’s long past time governments stepped in to address the consequences of leaving the internet to the private sector.
It’s long past time governments stepped in to address the consequences of leaving the internet to the private sector.
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
46% of 16 to 21 year olds say they would rather a world without internet, and 70% say they feel worse about themselves after using social media.
It’s long past time governments stepped in to address the consequences of leaving the internet to the private sector.
It’s long past time governments stepped in to address the consequences of leaving the internet to the private sector.
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
New study finds that AI chatbots were nearly five times more likely to contain broad generalizations about scientific research compared to humans.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Generalization bias in large language model summarization of scientific research | Royal Society Open Science
Artificial intelligence chatbots driven by large language models (LLMs) have the potential to increase public science literacy and support scientific research, as they can quickly summarize complex scientific information in accessible terms. However, when ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
May 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
New study finds that AI chatbots were nearly five times more likely to contain broad generalizations about scientific research compared to humans.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
NEWS: The courts have decided against DOGE and the US government in their legal battle to take full control of the United States Institute of Peace, including a headquarters building with an estimated value of $500 million. www.wired.com/story/usip-d...
DOGE Loses Battle to Take Over USIP—and Its $500 Million Headquarters
A federal judge called DOGE’s actions at the United States Institute of Peace ‘unlawful.’
www.wired.com
May 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
NEWS: The courts have decided against DOGE and the US government in their legal battle to take full control of the United States Institute of Peace, including a headquarters building with an estimated value of $500 million. www.wired.com/story/usip-d...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
"The tool put those users’ posts through a large language model, gave each a “radical score,” and provided its reason for doing so."
The person quoted here says they have no social science background, and doesn't even define what "radical" means...
The person quoted here says they have no social science background, and doesn't even define what "radical" means...
Student Makes Tool That Identifies ‘Radicals’ on Reddit, Deploys AI Bots to Engage With Them
🔗 www.404media.co/student-make...
🔗 www.404media.co/student-make...
Student Makes Tool That Identifies ‘Radicals’ on Reddit, Deploys AI Bots to Engage With Them
The tool scans for users writing certain keywords on Reddit and assigns those users a so-called “radical score,” before deploying an AI-powered bot to automatically engage with the users to de-radical...
www.404media.co
May 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
"The tool put those users’ posts through a large language model, gave each a “radical score,” and provided its reason for doing so."
The person quoted here says they have no social science background, and doesn't even define what "radical" means...
The person quoted here says they have no social science background, and doesn't even define what "radical" means...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
I was on WGBH today at the Boston Public Library to talk about #TeslaTakedown and the state of modern media.
I laid out the political stakes of the battle ahead:
Oligarchs vs. Fascists
youtu.be/pagjozs8dAA?...
I laid out the political stakes of the battle ahead:
Oligarchs vs. Fascists
youtu.be/pagjozs8dAA?...
Boston Public Radio & The Culture Show Live from the Boston Public Library, Friday, April 11, 2025
YouTube video by GBH News
youtu.be
April 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I was on WGBH today at the Boston Public Library to talk about #TeslaTakedown and the state of modern media.
I laid out the political stakes of the battle ahead:
Oligarchs vs. Fascists
youtu.be/pagjozs8dAA?...
I laid out the political stakes of the battle ahead:
Oligarchs vs. Fascists
youtu.be/pagjozs8dAA?...
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
I spoke to an expert in authoritarianism, who explained to me that things like this are extremely meaningful and they help protect democracy, even if there’s not a straight line between this and actual legislating
Senator Cory Booker concludes his record-breaking Senate Floor speech after 25 hours
Massive applause for Booker
Massive applause for Booker
April 2, 2025 at 10:28 AM
I spoke to an expert in authoritarianism, who explained to me that things like this are extremely meaningful and they help protect democracy, even if there’s not a straight line between this and actual legislating
Reposted by Taylor Beauvais
has anyone done analysis comparing the pace of wealth and market growth of big tech compared to other major industries (like automotive, supermarket chains, tobacco, etc) in the past?
February 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
has anyone done analysis comparing the pace of wealth and market growth of big tech compared to other major industries (like automotive, supermarket chains, tobacco, etc) in the past?