Dr Abeba Birhane
@abeba.bsky.social
Founder & PI @aial.ie. Assistant Professor of AI, School of Computer Science & Statistics, @tcddublin.bsky.social
AI accountability, AI audits & evaluation, critical data studies. Cognitive scientist by training. Ethiopian in Ireland. She/her
AI accountability, AI audits & evaluation, critical data studies. Cognitive scientist by training. Ethiopian in Ireland. She/her
Pinned
Dr Abeba Birhane
@abeba.bsky.social
· Jun 25
Computer-vision research powers surveillance technology - Nature
An analysis of research papers and citing patents indicates the extensive ties between computer-vision research and surveillance.
www.nature.com
New paper hot off the press www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We analysed over 40,000 computer vision papers from CVPR (the longest standing CV conf) & associated patents tracing pathways from research to application. We found that 90% of papers & 86% of downstream patents power surveillance
1/
We analysed over 40,000 computer vision papers from CVPR (the longest standing CV conf) & associated patents tracing pathways from research to application. We found that 90% of papers & 86% of downstream patents power surveillance
1/
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
BREAKING: five arrested under Terrorism Act for Westminster bridge banner drop
Six Prisoner for Palestine are on hunger strike, facing two years on remand without trial. Their demands include immediate bail and the end of counter terror powers against people protesting genocide.
Six Prisoner for Palestine are on hunger strike, facing two years on remand without trial. Their demands include immediate bail and the end of counter terror powers against people protesting genocide.
November 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
BREAKING: five arrested under Terrorism Act for Westminster bridge banner drop
Six Prisoner for Palestine are on hunger strike, facing two years on remand without trial. Their demands include immediate bail and the end of counter terror powers against people protesting genocide.
Six Prisoner for Palestine are on hunger strike, facing two years on remand without trial. Their demands include immediate bail and the end of counter terror powers against people protesting genocide.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Our colleagues at the AI Accountability Lab (@aial.ie) in Trinity College Dublin are hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher on Generative AI (GenAI) in Public Service.
👉 Learn more and apply here: aial.ie/hiring/postd...
#AIResearch #GenerativeAI #PublicService #AIAL #ResponsibleAI
👉 Learn more and apply here: aial.ie/hiring/postd...
#AIResearch #GenerativeAI #PublicService #AIAL #ResponsibleAI
November 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Our colleagues at the AI Accountability Lab (@aial.ie) in Trinity College Dublin are hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher on Generative AI (GenAI) in Public Service.
👉 Learn more and apply here: aial.ie/hiring/postd...
#AIResearch #GenerativeAI #PublicService #AIAL #ResponsibleAI
👉 Learn more and apply here: aial.ie/hiring/postd...
#AIResearch #GenerativeAI #PublicService #AIAL #ResponsibleAI
every new AI application amounts to coming up with a smart sounding way to prey and profit from the most vulnerable and gullable
The app Text With Jesus uses artificial intelligence and chatbots to offer spiritual guidance to users who are looking to connect with a higher power: on.nbc10.com/7XM8xrf
People can text with Jesus on a controversial new app. How does it work?
Artificial intelligence app Text With Jesus lets users chat with biblical figures and it is raising debate over faith and technology.
on.nbc10.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM
every new AI application amounts to coming up with a smart sounding way to prey and profit from the most vulnerable and gullable
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Israel btw is blocking mobile home units from being brought into the strip which causes this constant need to get a new tent because the old one flooded
November 15, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Israel btw is blocking mobile home units from being brought into the strip which causes this constant need to get a new tent because the old one flooded
amen!
(particularly for journalists regurgitating tech eco claims about AI)
(particularly for journalists regurgitating tech eco claims about AI)
Make Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence Again!
(Just a thought for journal editors, peer reviewers, journalists... 😉)
(Just a thought for journal editors, peer reviewers, journalists... 😉)
November 15, 2025 at 12:59 PM
amen!
(particularly for journalists regurgitating tech eco claims about AI)
(particularly for journalists regurgitating tech eco claims about AI)
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
To reiterate, this is about making life immeasurably more miserable and stressful for some of the most vulnerable people, in the almost certainly vain hope of winning over the votes of racists.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Asylum in UK to be made temporary under Home Secretary’s plans
Shabana Mahmood will lay out reforms modelled on the Danish system on Monday.
www.independent.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:14 AM
To reiterate, this is about making life immeasurably more miserable and stressful for some of the most vulnerable people, in the almost certainly vain hope of winning over the votes of racists.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
It also doesnt provide a massive amount of tax revenue as most of the well-paid senior engineering staff can work remotely from anywhere and you've given huge tax breaks/preferable rated to start with and spent a lot of tax money improving infrastructure (roads ,plumbing) for them
November 15, 2025 at 11:53 AM
It also doesnt provide a massive amount of tax revenue as most of the well-paid senior engineering staff can work remotely from anywhere and you've given huge tax breaks/preferable rated to start with and spent a lot of tax money improving infrastructure (roads ,plumbing) for them
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Motion for Bluesky bans resulting from reactionary interpretations of benign posts to be renamed “Łinked” in honour of Łink. Like nerfed but Bluesky special edition.
Ex:
“What happened to Sarah’s account?”
“Oh, she got Łinked for posting Johnny Cash lyrics.”
Ex:
“What happened to Sarah’s account?”
“Oh, she got Łinked for posting Johnny Cash lyrics.”
Well I can see Bluesky is handling a PR crisis in their normal competent manner
November 15, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Motion for Bluesky bans resulting from reactionary interpretations of benign posts to be renamed “Łinked” in honour of Łink. Like nerfed but Bluesky special edition.
Ex:
“What happened to Sarah’s account?”
“Oh, she got Łinked for posting Johnny Cash lyrics.”
Ex:
“What happened to Sarah’s account?”
“Oh, she got Łinked for posting Johnny Cash lyrics.”
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
this is a far more explicit death threat from people with the actual means to carry it out
November 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
this is a far more explicit death threat from people with the actual means to carry it out
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
More than 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists granted access to the Cop30 climate negotiations in Belém (Brazil), 12% up from last year’s talks in Baku, Azerbaijan.
What should be the most serious, urgent talks on the planet continue to be a farce.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
What should be the most serious, urgent talks on the planet continue to be a farce.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
More than 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists granted access to the Cop30 climate negotiations in Belém (Brazil), 12% up from last year’s talks in Baku, Azerbaijan.
What should be the most serious, urgent talks on the planet continue to be a farce.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
What should be the most serious, urgent talks on the planet continue to be a farce.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Even back in the day (say two decades ago) our on-site server rooms required almost no staff. Someone to reboot a server or swap a dead disk in a raid.
Now with modern management software & greater hardware reliability, I could imagine that are more security than technology staff at a data centre.
Now with modern management software & greater hardware reliability, I could imagine that are more security than technology staff at a data centre.
November 15, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Even back in the day (say two decades ago) our on-site server rooms required almost no staff. Someone to reboot a server or swap a dead disk in a raid.
Now with modern management software & greater hardware reliability, I could imagine that are more security than technology staff at a data centre.
Now with modern management software & greater hardware reliability, I could imagine that are more security than technology staff at a data centre.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
“The government is allowed to post real death threats on social media but you’re not allowed to post sarcastic death threats on social media” is actually a pretty apt distillation of power and violence
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
“The government is allowed to post real death threats on social media but you’re not allowed to post sarcastic death threats on social media” is actually a pretty apt distillation of power and violence
this is how you do investigative journalism
Microsoft, Google say their data centers create thousands of jobs. Their permit filings say otherwise
https://restofworld.org/2025/data-centers-jobs-microsoft-google-chile/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1763146621
https://restofworld.org/2025/data-centers-jobs-microsoft-google-chile/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1763146621
November 15, 2025 at 9:09 AM
this is how you do investigative journalism
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
$1 billion data centre to maybe create 100 jobs. That's likely an overstatement.
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
Meta plans $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam
The facility is expected to be completed in 2027 and will support 100 jobs, according to state officials.
www.wisn.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:17 PM
$1 billion data centre to maybe create 100 jobs. That's likely an overstatement.
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
It is truly not worth draining the living word for this vampiric tech and people are starting to realize it.
www.wisn.com/article/meta...
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Learning loss was an ableist concept created by the same people now pumping ai into schools, and feeding student data into ATS systems to reduce their life chances.
It has allowed young people to be written off as damaged.
And as David says- we ignore the impact of a mass death/disabling event
It has allowed young people to be written off as damaged.
And as David says- we ignore the impact of a mass death/disabling event
Every time Covid and learning loss hits the news, people act like the only factor is folk staying home and learning online, rather than… Living through a global mass death event.
November 14, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Learning loss was an ableist concept created by the same people now pumping ai into schools, and feeding student data into ATS systems to reduce their life chances.
It has allowed young people to be written off as damaged.
And as David says- we ignore the impact of a mass death/disabling event
It has allowed young people to be written off as damaged.
And as David says- we ignore the impact of a mass death/disabling event
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
I always think “learning loss” compared to what?
Compared to what they would’ve learned on an alternate earth that *didn’t* experience a massive and global deadly pandemic?
Compared to what they would’ve learned on an alternate earth that *didn’t* experience a massive and global deadly pandemic?
Every time Covid and learning loss hits the news, people act like the only factor is folk staying home and learning online, rather than… Living through a global mass death event.
November 14, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I always think “learning loss” compared to what?
Compared to what they would’ve learned on an alternate earth that *didn’t* experience a massive and global deadly pandemic?
Compared to what they would’ve learned on an alternate earth that *didn’t* experience a massive and global deadly pandemic?
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Michael is my neighbor and a wonderful, courageous person. When Nazis left anti-Semitic leaflets on people’s cars, he organized a neighborhood sign-making session and led people in posting the signs communicating our solidarity against hate.
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Michael is my neighbor and a wonderful, courageous person. When Nazis left anti-Semitic leaflets on people’s cars, he organized a neighborhood sign-making session and led people in posting the signs communicating our solidarity against hate.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
AI in education is treated as the future of education when it actually represents very old ideas of individualized learning
November 15, 2025 at 12:47 AM
AI in education is treated as the future of education when it actually represents very old ideas of individualized learning
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
AI in education is being treated as an unbelievable, better-than-Covid opportunity for profitmaking by the exploitative, predatory, extractive edtech industry
November 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
AI in education is being treated as an unbelievable, better-than-Covid opportunity for profitmaking by the exploitative, predatory, extractive edtech industry
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Can I quietly ask we stop talking about what "AI" *could* do in education and identify instead what's actually happening with AI in education? I'll start...
November 15, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Can I quietly ask we stop talking about what "AI" *could* do in education and identify instead what's actually happening with AI in education? I'll start...
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
Forced sterilization never died!
“Many of the women say that they were pressured to have unwanted or unnecessary gynecological procedures while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”
"They tried to shut me up by deporting me."
www.npr.org/2020/12/22/9...
www.npr.org/2020/12/22/9...
November 15, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Forced sterilization never died!
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
What usually gets lost in the focus on what an evil racist James Watson was is just how colossal of a dumbass he was and just how far he set the field back.
But @sramach.bsky.social and @cbo.bsky.social kept their eye on the ball.
But @sramach.bsky.social and @cbo.bsky.social kept their eye on the ball.
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:19 AM
What usually gets lost in the focus on what an evil racist James Watson was is just how colossal of a dumbass he was and just how far he set the field back.
But @sramach.bsky.social and @cbo.bsky.social kept their eye on the ball.
But @sramach.bsky.social and @cbo.bsky.social kept their eye on the ball.
Reposted by Dr Abeba Birhane
The irony here is that academics don’t just write the articles for free—we also referee and edit for them for free. Something is deeply broken.
“New Zealand's eight universities spent $30-million a year on journal licences and about half of that sum went to Elsevier.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
“New Zealand's eight universities spent $30-million a year on journal licences and about half of that sum went to Elsevier.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Universities in 'battle of the century' with journal publisher Elsevier
One New Zealand university told its staff all universities in New Zealand and Australia would "lose some degree of access" to the publisher's 1600 titles from the start of next year.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 15, 2025 at 5:50 AM
The irony here is that academics don’t just write the articles for free—we also referee and edit for them for free. Something is deeply broken.
“New Zealand's eight universities spent $30-million a year on journal licences and about half of that sum went to Elsevier.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
“New Zealand's eight universities spent $30-million a year on journal licences and about half of that sum went to Elsevier.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...