Andy Dow
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apocalypsedow.bsky.social
Andy Dow
@apocalypsedow.bsky.social
Asst. Prof @ Northumbria Uni #HCI researcher 👀 #AI in the 3rd sector. Dad and lover of #scifi
" #AI risks contributing to the erasure of systems of understanding that have evolved over centuries" What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian share.google/HtzGjiSy4OTE...
What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Deepak Varuvel Dennison
The long read: As GenAI becomes the primary way to find information, local and traditional wisdom is being lost. And we are only beginning to realise what we’re missing
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November 24, 2025 at 4:45 PM
So it's not that troubling the threat of #AI in #writing then? A troubling question has been raised around human authors vs AI | The Independent share.google/fXYySiL6VGLw...
A troubling question has been raised around human authors vs AI
More than half of the UK’s published novelists agree that it’s likely artificial intelligence will displace their work entirely, prompting fears of a two-tier market in the literary world where only t...
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November 21, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Judges are having to wade through rising tides of #AI slop... just like the rest of us #AIjustice #Law #Australia Judges have become ‘human filters’ as AI in Australian courts reaches ‘unsustainable phase’, chief justice says | Australian law | The Guardian share.google/0bkKFrF64chm...
Judges have become ‘human filters’ as AI in Australian courts reaches ‘unsustainable phase’, chief justice says
Stephen Gageler warns the speed of AI’s development could be outstripping people’s ability to ‘comprehend its potential risks and rewards’
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November 21, 2025 at 8:24 AM
#AI "LLMs will be less useful in attempting to create AI systems that can match human intelligence." #ChatGPT BBC News - Why an AI 'godfather' is quitting Meta after 12 years
www.bbc.com/news/article...
AI godfather Yann LeCun to leave Meta and start own firm
One of the pioneers in the current AI boom has had disagreements with fellow engineers over the future of AI.
www.bbc.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Reposted by Andy Dow
In my Foundations of HCI class, we’re in the midst of our social computing section, thinking about how to address online toxicities. Had the students play Masnick’s “Trust & Safety Tycoon” game in class yesterday. Their reactions: moderation is HARD... www.techdirt.com/2023/10/17/t...
November 19, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Andy Dow
A new blog post from myself!! I got around to writing up my notes from restoring my old iPod classic, it’s more the notes on things I didn’t realise from the usual guides.

blog.r0b.io/post/notes-o...

#Blog #iPod #iFixit
Notes on restoring my iPod Classic
I got my old iPod Classic working ... just ... here are some of my notes from it.
blog.r0b.io
November 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Becoming an AI detective is a job I never wanted and wish I could quit | Samantha Floreani | The Guardian share.google/JFk99dwOA1Jl...
Becoming an AI-detective is a job I never wanted and wish I could quit | Samantha Floreani
My social media feed is now a hellish stream of puerile AI slop. Am I stubborn to want to hang on to reality?
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November 19, 2025 at 7:34 PM
All schools in England to be given AI-generated pupil attendance targets | School attendance and absence | The Guardian share.google/dR9jhH6M4cfQ...
All schools in England to be given AI-generated pupil attendance targets
Unions decry move, saying it will put more pressure on headteachers without tackling absence from classrooms
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November 12, 2025 at 7:46 AM
BBC News - ChatGPT shares data on how many users exhibit psychosis or suicidal thoughts
www.bbc.com/news/article...
OpenAI shares data on ChatGPT users with suicidal thoughts, psychosis
The figure could mean potentially hundreds of thousands of users show signs of mental health distress weekly.
www.bbc.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:59 AM
BBC News - AI couldn't create an image of a woman like me - until now - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
AI couldn't create an image of a woman like me - until now
Paralympic swimmer Jess Smith, says representation means being seen as part of the AI world that's being built.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 15, 2025 at 3:38 PM
BBC News - The new AI arms race changing the war in Ukraine - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The new AI arms race changing the war in Ukraine
Both Ukraine and Russia use AI in battle, but removing human decision-making comes with risks.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Tilly Norwood: how scared should we be of the viral AI ‘actor’? | Film | The Guardian share.google/JTZN3OJiXmqV...
Tilly Norwood: how scared should we be of the viral AI ‘actor’?
A bunch of code is being pushed as the next Scarlett Johansson, a creation that is already causing pushback from real human actors
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September 30, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Finally Morrisons to introduce AI trolleys next year - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News share.google/LuROYZHIbTVh...
Morrisons to introduce AI trolleys next year - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News
Morrisons has announced plans to launch Instacart’s AI-powered smart trolleys in early 2026 at one store and potentially expand across the UK.
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September 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing | Fortune share.google/4ME0rxRVHuRS...
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing | Fortune
There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.
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September 9, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Impact of chatbots on mental health is warning over future of AI, expert says | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian share.google/CKbgDtAI11f2...
Impact of chatbots on mental health is warning over future of AI, expert says
Nate Soares says case of US teenager Adam Raine highlights danger of unintended consequences in super-intelligent AI
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September 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Andy Dow
I don't think the science fiction itself needs to be optimistic. I think there needs to be some optimism that there will be a future (aside from the pure "yes, time indeed moves forward" sort).
Huh. I defer to your expertise, but is it actually true that SF thrives with optimism about the future? Star Trek is one mode, but isn't dystopian a subgenre that thrives when it needs to thrive?
August 30, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Coventry council to use Palantir AI in social work, Send and children’s services | Coventry | The Guardian www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Coventry council to use Palantir AI in social work, Send and children’s services
Exclusive: Workers say £500k contract with US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces raises ‘serious ethical questions’
www.theguardian.com
August 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Andy Dow
I AM ACCLAIMED Y'ALL

Also this will be my first time back in Spokane in a decade and only my second appearance there ever, so if you're in the area, please come see me (and, obviously, get some books from Auntie's)!
There’s a lot of excitement for this event already! Wednesday, September 17, acclaimed science fiction master @scalzi.com will visit Auntie’s to talk about the seventh book in his Old Man’s War series, THE SHATTERING PEACE. We can’t wait!
August 20, 2025 at 4:33 PM
😯 Microsoft boss troubled by rise in reports of 'AI psychosis'
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Microsoft boss troubled by rise in reports of 'AI psychosis'
Mustafa Suleyman said there was still "zero evidence of AI consciousness today".
www.bbc.com
August 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
"enshittification" 😅 Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the ‘AI slop’ taking over YouTube | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian share.google/NHI3xVGeoJbJ...
Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the ‘AI slop’ taking over YouTube
Nearly one in 10 of the fastest growing channels globally consist of mass-produced, surreal AI-generated videos
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August 12, 2025 at 10:17 PM
AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian share.google/wIqdBXDHDdj7...
AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds
Exclusive: LSE research finds risk of gender bias in care decisions made based on AI summaries of case notes
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August 11, 2025 at 7:32 AM
BBC News - Mark Sewards becomes first MP to create himself as an AI bot - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mark Sewards becomes first MP to create himself as an AI bot
Mark Sewards MP says the chatbot version of himself will allow people to ask for help with local issues.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 7, 2025 at 6:16 AM
BBC News - Council in Peterborough turns experienced worker into AI chatbot - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Council in Peterborough turns experienced worker into AI chatbot
Geraldine Jinks's knowledge has been used to develop a virtual tool to offer advice to colleagues.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 29, 2025 at 8:05 AM
BBC News - OpenAI and UK sign deal to use AI in public services
www.bbc.com/news/article...
OpenAI and UK sign deal to use AI in public services
The US tech firm behind ChatGPT say it will work with the UK government to "deliver prosperity for all".
www.bbc.com
July 22, 2025 at 7:55 AM