Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
@zeerak.bsky.social
Thinking about content moderation, equity, machine learning, and natural language processing.
Now: Chancellor's Fellow (~Asst. Prof) @technomoralfutures.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social
Past: MBZUAI, SFU, Uni of. {Sheffield, CPH}
Now: Chancellor's Fellow (~Asst. Prof) @technomoralfutures.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social
Past: MBZUAI, SFU, Uni of. {Sheffield, CPH}
Finally! The European Union is prioritising the ease of access to personal and private data for large tech companies!
So good that the EU politicians are starting to take their role as representatives of tech companies' interest more seriously than their side hustle of representing their people.
So good that the EU politicians are starting to take their role as representatives of tech companies' interest more seriously than their side hustle of representing their people.
November 11, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Finally! The European Union is prioritising the ease of access to personal and private data for large tech companies!
So good that the EU politicians are starting to take their role as representatives of tech companies' interest more seriously than their side hustle of representing their people.
So good that the EU politicians are starting to take their role as representatives of tech companies' interest more seriously than their side hustle of representing their people.
It's absolutely fucking insane that we have to keep telling scientists that offloading scientific tasks to a probabilistic machine is bad scientific conduct.
November 11, 2025 at 8:04 AM
It's absolutely fucking insane that we have to keep telling scientists that offloading scientific tasks to a probabilistic machine is bad scientific conduct.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Biden knew that Israel was committing crimes against humanity in Gaza and then decided to keep US commitments to Israel, shortly before handing it over to Trump
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Biden knew that Israel was committing crimes against humanity in Gaza and then decided to keep US commitments to Israel, shortly before handing it over to Trump
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
If Labour wants us to think about their wonderful policies on housing etc, they need to stop making us think that all they really care about is how be nastier and more evil on immigration. Like, every day.
*Again* the top story on BBC 6 music is about immigration
How is Shabana Mahmood wanting to introduce a ‘Danish style’ system for refugees the top story this morning?!?
The obsession of 6 Music news on immigration and asylum is frankly bizarre
How is Shabana Mahmood wanting to introduce a ‘Danish style’ system for refugees the top story this morning?!?
The obsession of 6 Music news on immigration and asylum is frankly bizarre
November 8, 2025 at 11:11 AM
If Labour wants us to think about their wonderful policies on housing etc, they need to stop making us think that all they really care about is how be nastier and more evil on immigration. Like, every day.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Even right-wing propagandists think X has a right-wing propaganda problem that is poisoning people's brains.
That should cause concern among the many media / politics types who still use it and who consider their feeds to be representative of the public's views.
That should cause concern among the many media / politics types who still use it and who consider their feeds to be representative of the public's views.
Ben Shapiro tells Megyn Kelly that to avoid vile extremists like Nick Fuentes “the first thing people need to do is turn off X, which is poisoning brains and making people think not true things.” Yet, Shapiro continues to post there, often multiple times a day. youtu.be/tprng5mObQg?...
Ben Shapiro Responds to Tucker Carlson, Plus Sydney Sweeney and Newsom, with Knowles and Klavan
YouTube video by Megyn Kelly
youtu.be
November 8, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Even right-wing propagandists think X has a right-wing propaganda problem that is poisoning people's brains.
That should cause concern among the many media / politics types who still use it and who consider their feeds to be representative of the public's views.
That should cause concern among the many media / politics types who still use it and who consider their feeds to be representative of the public's views.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN
A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
the american war machine is both the evilest AND stupidest mechanism on planet earth right now
Trump threatens US military action in Nigeria over treatment of Christians reut.rs/4qBrVXy
Trump threatens US military action in Nigeria over treatment of Christians
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria if the Nigerian government "continues to allow the killing of Christians."
reut.rs
November 1, 2025 at 9:47 PM
the american war machine is both the evilest AND stupidest mechanism on planet earth right now
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
POSSIBLE FUTURES WORKSHOP
🗣️ Looking for a fun, hopeful activity to stretch your imaginative muscle?
🌻 If you’re in the Seattle area, @dylnbkr.bsky.social will be hosting a free in person Possible Futures workshop on November 16 @ 2pm PST.
🪴 RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/e/dair-prese... to attend.
🗣️ Looking for a fun, hopeful activity to stretch your imaginative muscle?
🌻 If you’re in the Seattle area, @dylnbkr.bsky.social will be hosting a free in person Possible Futures workshop on November 16 @ 2pm PST.
🪴 RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/e/dair-prese... to attend.
October 28, 2025 at 11:42 PM
POSSIBLE FUTURES WORKSHOP
🗣️ Looking for a fun, hopeful activity to stretch your imaginative muscle?
🌻 If you’re in the Seattle area, @dylnbkr.bsky.social will be hosting a free in person Possible Futures workshop on November 16 @ 2pm PST.
🪴 RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/e/dair-prese... to attend.
🗣️ Looking for a fun, hopeful activity to stretch your imaginative muscle?
🌻 If you’re in the Seattle area, @dylnbkr.bsky.social will be hosting a free in person Possible Futures workshop on November 16 @ 2pm PST.
🪴 RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/e/dair-prese... to attend.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
We’re excited to release the Call for Papers for #FAccT2026 which will be held in Montreal, Canada in June 2026! Abstracts are due on January 8th, papers due on January 13th.
Call for Papers: facctconference.org/2026/cfp
Important info in thread →
Call for Papers: facctconference.org/2026/cfp
Important info in thread →
ACM FAccT - 2026 CFP
facctconference.org
October 17, 2025 at 1:27 PM
We’re excited to release the Call for Papers for #FAccT2026 which will be held in Montreal, Canada in June 2026! Abstracts are due on January 8th, papers due on January 13th.
Call for Papers: facctconference.org/2026/cfp
Important info in thread →
Call for Papers: facctconference.org/2026/cfp
Important info in thread →
Really looking forward to the incredible @mayameme.bsky.social talking at Edinburgh Uni about her book on Friday!
Come join if you're into (great) takes on AI!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/auto-corre...
Come join if you're into (great) takes on AI!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/auto-corre...
‘Auto-correct’ - A book talk by Dr Maya Indira Ganesh
A talk on the fantasies and failures of AI, ethics, and the driverless car.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 27, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Really looking forward to the incredible @mayameme.bsky.social talking at Edinburgh Uni about her book on Friday!
Come join if you're into (great) takes on AI!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/auto-corre...
Come join if you're into (great) takes on AI!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/auto-corre...
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
This is why we need a more political approach to AI as a project: Red-brown politics, trying to build alliances between AI skeptics and fascists is coming to AI
The AI boom has crystallized feelings of anxiety in the public sphere, writes Lam Tran, yet recent policy developments have revealed the potential of an unlikely coalition to safeguard the public interest in AI.
The Age of AI Anxiety — and the Hope of Democratic Resistance | TechPolicy.Press
Amid the AI frenzy, one sentiment has crystallized across the public sphere: anxiety, writes Lam Tran.
buff.ly
October 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
This is why we need a more political approach to AI as a project: Red-brown politics, trying to build alliances between AI skeptics and fascists is coming to AI
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
🤩 So happy and proud to be part of the Society for Hopeful Technologists (or SOHOT ;) We have a charter, and it was such a cool exercise to work with people from different sectors to co-produce this. Our #3 newsletter is OUT! where you can find our charter -> buttondown.com/society-of-h...
October 16, 2025 at 7:37 AM
🤩 So happy and proud to be part of the Society for Hopeful Technologists (or SOHOT ;) We have a charter, and it was such a cool exercise to work with people from different sectors to co-produce this. Our #3 newsletter is OUT! where you can find our charter -> buttondown.com/society-of-h...
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Open PhD position in embodied AI, Edinburgh - applications closing soon!
PhD position available ! - Generative AI for Embodied Collaborative Agents (eg. robots :) - Please distribute
PhD position in Generative AI for Embodied Collaborative Agents: #GenAI #NLProc #HRI #ELLISforEurope #AI #ML #PhD @heriotwattuni.bsky.social - please contact me ASAP if you are interested !
sites.google.com/site/hwinter...
sites.google.com/site/hwinter...
October 16, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Open PhD position in embodied AI, Edinburgh - applications closing soon!
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
• Prison was 40 degrees but no water was given to Greta and her friends for days
• People fell sick. Guards mocked them saying they would gas them, showing them cylinders
• She was kept in solitary confinement for hours with bugs
• People fell sick. Guards mocked them saying they would gas them, showing them cylinders
• She was kept in solitary confinement for hours with bugs
October 15, 2025 at 4:46 PM
• Prison was 40 degrees but no water was given to Greta and her friends for days
• People fell sick. Guards mocked them saying they would gas them, showing them cylinders
• She was kept in solitary confinement for hours with bugs
• People fell sick. Guards mocked them saying they would gas them, showing them cylinders
• She was kept in solitary confinement for hours with bugs
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Greta Thunberg: “Israeli soldiers hit, kicked, starved, and tortured me”
• They placed a flag next to me, and anytime the flag touched me, they kicked me
• Whenever I raised my head to look at Ben-Gvir, I was kicked
• She was filmed while stripped naked
Aftonbladet: tinyurl.com/a33vxatc
• They placed a flag next to me, and anytime the flag touched me, they kicked me
• Whenever I raised my head to look at Ben-Gvir, I was kicked
• She was filmed while stripped naked
Aftonbladet: tinyurl.com/a33vxatc
October 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Greta Thunberg: “Israeli soldiers hit, kicked, starved, and tortured me”
• They placed a flag next to me, and anytime the flag touched me, they kicked me
• Whenever I raised my head to look at Ben-Gvir, I was kicked
• She was filmed while stripped naked
Aftonbladet: tinyurl.com/a33vxatc
• They placed a flag next to me, and anytime the flag touched me, they kicked me
• Whenever I raised my head to look at Ben-Gvir, I was kicked
• She was filmed while stripped naked
Aftonbladet: tinyurl.com/a33vxatc
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
October 9, 2025 at 8:23 PM
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Just because an LLM can produce a report with various figures & charts doesn't mean it is good at statistics.
Because good statistics is not about producing code.
It's about deep knowledge of study design & conduct. In my opinion, 95% of all data science problems come from poor questions & design.
Because good statistics is not about producing code.
It's about deep knowledge of study design & conduct. In my opinion, 95% of all data science problems come from poor questions & design.
Y'all. I just got ChatGPT to do everything in R for this manuscript. I mean EVERYTHING. And it's all legit and reproducible. I'm shook.
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
Statistics in the era of AI
How do we mentor, teach, and do stats when AI can do so much of the work?
scienceforeveryone.science
October 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Just because an LLM can produce a report with various figures & charts doesn't mean it is good at statistics.
Because good statistics is not about producing code.
It's about deep knowledge of study design & conduct. In my opinion, 95% of all data science problems come from poor questions & design.
Because good statistics is not about producing code.
It's about deep knowledge of study design & conduct. In my opinion, 95% of all data science problems come from poor questions & design.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
📣Job alert: We're hiring a Public Services Research Lead!
This role will develop and lead the delivery of Ada’s work on public sector use of data and AI.
Closing: 09:30 GMT, 29 October 2025
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/job/public-s...
This role will develop and lead the delivery of Ada’s work on public sector use of data and AI.
Closing: 09:30 GMT, 29 October 2025
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/job/public-s...
Public Services Research Lead
The Ada Lovelace Institute is hiring a Public Services Research Lead to evaluate and shape UK public service decisions about the use of data and AI.
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org
October 9, 2025 at 9:55 AM
📣Job alert: We're hiring a Public Services Research Lead!
This role will develop and lead the delivery of Ada’s work on public sector use of data and AI.
Closing: 09:30 GMT, 29 October 2025
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/job/public-s...
This role will develop and lead the delivery of Ada’s work on public sector use of data and AI.
Closing: 09:30 GMT, 29 October 2025
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/job/public-s...
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Stuart Hall took Thatcherism seriously & tried to understand its affective & aspirational appeal. Trumpism operates differently, as @cnewf.bsky.social notes, but the need to offer a cultural & political counter-strategy is key. I keep thinking about Hall’s adept use of new forms of media.
Great call to arms by @cnewf.bsky.social, following the tactic of Jed Esty's "Future of Decline" by looking to Stuart Hall & the New Left, & urging us to forego "private agency within our universities" in favor of "collective agency by running them."
Academics Must Seize the Means of Knowledge Production - Public Books
Trumpism has canceled the knowledge society.
www.publicbooks.org
October 6, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Stuart Hall took Thatcherism seriously & tried to understand its affective & aspirational appeal. Trumpism operates differently, as @cnewf.bsky.social notes, but the need to offer a cultural & political counter-strategy is key. I keep thinking about Hall’s adept use of new forms of media.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
““They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.”+
Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags
Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water
www.theguardian.com
October 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
““They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.”+
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Current wearables innovation is mainly invested in figuring out the right form factor to convince people to adopt an always on camera and mic.
Cutest AI Ever? This Wearable Kitten-Shaped Camera Won Me Over
The Looki L1 is a fascinating addition to the burgeoning landscape of AI wearables. Plus, you can buy one now for $199.
www.cnet.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Current wearables innovation is mainly invested in figuring out the right form factor to convince people to adopt an always on camera and mic.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
1. More Americans work at the Cheesecake Factory than in the entire coal industry, and that won't change. It's because of automation, not snooty libs.
2. Coal energy is now more expensive than wind and solar.
3. So this means: higher energy prices, more pollution, no jobs benefit. Genius!
2. Coal energy is now more expensive than wind and solar.
3. So this means: higher energy prices, more pollution, no jobs benefit. Genius!
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: "We're announcing today expanded programs to help the American coal industry. We're helping it because for years it has been under assault. It was out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, and NYC ... coal just makes the world go round."
September 29, 2025 at 2:11 PM
1. More Americans work at the Cheesecake Factory than in the entire coal industry, and that won't change. It's because of automation, not snooty libs.
2. Coal energy is now more expensive than wind and solar.
3. So this means: higher energy prices, more pollution, no jobs benefit. Genius!
2. Coal energy is now more expensive than wind and solar.
3. So this means: higher energy prices, more pollution, no jobs benefit. Genius!
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Yep since 2019 we’ve paid £10-£15k in visa fees including around £5k to the NHS during which time my wife had no access to public funds and was paying income tax and NI like everyone else. Stop pretending it isn’t already a massive rip off and overwhelmingly net positive for the country.
Migrants already "earn the right to settlement" through extortionate visa costs, which can run into tens of thousands of pounds. They prop up key services, including through the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Pushing the hostile environment on steroids helps no-one.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pushing the hostile environment on steroids helps no-one.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mahmood demands migrants earn right to settlement in UK
New tests will include learning English to a high standard, paying National Insurance and not claiming benefits.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 29, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Yep since 2019 we’ve paid £10-£15k in visa fees including around £5k to the NHS during which time my wife had no access to public funds and was paying income tax and NI like everyone else. Stop pretending it isn’t already a massive rip off and overwhelmingly net positive for the country.
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
Absolutely.
That’s how the media covers everything right now.
The aggressors are people
The victims are sad collateral.
The current administration and most of research is guided by people who share that model
That’s how the media covers everything right now.
The aggressors are people
The victims are sad collateral.
The current administration and most of research is guided by people who share that model
I think the Trump admin assumed no one would try to find out who the people on the boats they blew up really were
September 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Absolutely.
That’s how the media covers everything right now.
The aggressors are people
The victims are sad collateral.
The current administration and most of research is guided by people who share that model
That’s how the media covers everything right now.
The aggressors are people
The victims are sad collateral.
The current administration and most of research is guided by people who share that model
Reposted by Zeerak Talat زیرک ظلعت (they/them)
About to be the family that owns TikTok.
Larry Ellison envisions a surveillance state in which techbros rule. '“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on,” Ellison said in an hour-long Q&A during Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting last week.'
Larry Ellison predicts rise of the modern surveillance state where ‘citizens will be on their best behavior’ | Fortune
Oracle's Larry Ellison believes citizens and police alike will be under constant surveillance of each other.
fortune.com
September 28, 2025 at 8:37 PM
About to be the family that owns TikTok.