Steve Scott
@manuscript.bsky.social
Director of Portfolio Development at Digital Science. Spend my time investing in and working with startups in the science research sector. Startups. AI. Investment. Cycling. Scottish. Introverted.
It's not just job applications sadly. I spend more time reading AI-generated emails than I used to.
When an AI-powered writing tool was rolled out on a job site, the length of proposals exploded. Signals employers used to identify good candidates — like quality of writing, and relevance of experience — became ubiquitous. That was OK for bad candidates, but terrible for good ones.
November 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
It's not just job applications sadly. I spend more time reading AI-generated emails than I used to.
Reposted by Steve Scott
My first full post for @scholarlyfutures.bsky.social - What might it mean to publish research with no human in the loop? open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...
October 21, 2025 at 11:43 AM
My first full post for @scholarlyfutures.bsky.social - What might it mean to publish research with no human in the loop? open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...
The moment before The Beatles walked across Abbey Road. I think they should have used this one personally.
Also, whose gran is that?
Also, whose gran is that?
October 15, 2025 at 7:59 PM
The moment before The Beatles walked across Abbey Road. I think they should have used this one personally.
Also, whose gran is that?
Also, whose gran is that?
Reposted by Steve Scott
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Flying home to Edinburgh seldom lacks visual impact.
September 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Flying home to Edinburgh seldom lacks visual impact.
Reposted by Steve Scott
🌟 Can you visualize a future in which you’ve won a grant of up to £25,000? #CatalystGrant
💡🌱 Digital Science’s 2025 Catalyst Grant is now open for applications - with the theme of #DataVisualization.
🔗 See more about our Catalyst Grant - and apply here: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
💡🌱 Digital Science’s 2025 Catalyst Grant is now open for applications - with the theme of #DataVisualization.
🔗 See more about our Catalyst Grant - and apply here: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
August 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM
🌟 Can you visualize a future in which you’ve won a grant of up to £25,000? #CatalystGrant
💡🌱 Digital Science’s 2025 Catalyst Grant is now open for applications - with the theme of #DataVisualization.
🔗 See more about our Catalyst Grant - and apply here: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
💡🌱 Digital Science’s 2025 Catalyst Grant is now open for applications - with the theme of #DataVisualization.
🔗 See more about our Catalyst Grant - and apply here: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
The 2025 Catalyst Grant is now live. Our theme this year, Data Visualization, relates to any technique that helps automate the way people interrogate, interpret and act on research-related data. If you have an idea, or an early prototype, we want to hear about it.
Please share!
Please share!
📢 Great news: Applications are now open for the 2025 Digital Science Catalyst Grant! #CatalystGrant
💡 Our theme this year is #DataVisualization
🌱 Your innovative idea could win a grant of up to £25,000.
🔗 See our announcement: www.digital-science.com/blog/2025/08...
💡 Our theme this year is #DataVisualization
🌱 Your innovative idea could win a grant of up to £25,000.
🔗 See our announcement: www.digital-science.com/blog/2025/08...
August 19, 2025 at 9:13 AM
The 2025 Catalyst Grant is now live. Our theme this year, Data Visualization, relates to any technique that helps automate the way people interrogate, interpret and act on research-related data. If you have an idea, or an early prototype, we want to hear about it.
Please share!
Please share!
If you'd like to know more, feel free to ping me...
🌟 Can you visualize a future in which your idea has won a grant of up to £25,000?
💡🌱 Coming soon: Digital Science’s Catalyst Grant returns! #CatalystGrant
👉 Watch out for details - including our theme for 2025.
🔗 See more about Catalyst Grant: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
💡🌱 Coming soon: Digital Science’s Catalyst Grant returns! #CatalystGrant
👉 Watch out for details - including our theme for 2025.
🔗 See more about Catalyst Grant: www.digital-science.com/investment/c...
August 8, 2025 at 12:20 PM
If you'd like to know more, feel free to ping me...
I was 50% right here...
July 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I was 50% right here...
Arrived home after a three day course on AI. Of all the facts, this stuck with me:
Generating an image using AI = charging a smartphone, or driving 4.1 miles
Generating a 100-word email with GPT-4 = 519ml of water (basically a standard bottle).
There are mitigating factors, but still. Ouch.
Generating an image using AI = charging a smartphone, or driving 4.1 miles
Generating a 100-word email with GPT-4 = 519ml of water (basically a standard bottle).
There are mitigating factors, but still. Ouch.
June 27, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Arrived home after a three day course on AI. Of all the facts, this stuck with me:
Generating an image using AI = charging a smartphone, or driving 4.1 miles
Generating a 100-word email with GPT-4 = 519ml of water (basically a standard bottle).
There are mitigating factors, but still. Ouch.
Generating an image using AI = charging a smartphone, or driving 4.1 miles
Generating a 100-word email with GPT-4 = 519ml of water (basically a standard bottle).
There are mitigating factors, but still. Ouch.
June 17, 2025 at 6:04 PM
When Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes, it triggered the loss of 20,000 subscriptions to the Strand Magazine.
To recoup lost revenue and placate outraged readership, the magazine serialized a new Holmes adventure as a “prequel.”
For some reason, this reminded me of Fox News and Dominion.
To recoup lost revenue and placate outraged readership, the magazine serialized a new Holmes adventure as a “prequel.”
For some reason, this reminded me of Fox News and Dominion.
May 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
When Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes, it triggered the loss of 20,000 subscriptions to the Strand Magazine.
To recoup lost revenue and placate outraged readership, the magazine serialized a new Holmes adventure as a “prequel.”
For some reason, this reminded me of Fox News and Dominion.
To recoup lost revenue and placate outraged readership, the magazine serialized a new Holmes adventure as a “prequel.”
For some reason, this reminded me of Fox News and Dominion.
Reposted by Steve Scott
Anyone involved in publishing, reading, writing or editing scientific papers should read this argument against generative AI carefully.
NEW
A close reading of the "AI" fake cases judgment
Why it the very plausibility of AI-generated case law that should put lawyers on their guard
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-re...
Personal blog
davidallengreen.com/2025/05/a-cl...
A close reading of the "AI" fake cases judgment
Why it the very plausibility of AI-generated case law that should put lawyers on their guard
By me
Substack:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-re...
Personal blog
davidallengreen.com/2025/05/a-cl...
May 10, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Anyone involved in publishing, reading, writing or editing scientific papers should read this argument against generative AI carefully.
Reposted by Steve Scott
thank you Private Eye for taking apart this flakey headline-grabbing research
May 1, 2025 at 11:22 AM
thank you Private Eye for taking apart this flakey headline-grabbing research
Gliders gliding in the park this afternoon. Amazing machines.
April 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Gliders gliding in the park this afternoon. Amazing machines.
Every journalist today looking at their boss.
March 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Every journalist today looking at their boss.
Today’s news reminds me of the time the HR department of a company I worked at (not my current one!) sent a send:all email to staff outlining who was to be made redundant.
March 24, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Today’s news reminds me of the time the HR department of a company I worked at (not my current one!) sent a send:all email to staff outlining who was to be made redundant.
Getting to the stage where I ask an LLM to do something ambitious, hit submit, and think "I really hope you aren't able to do a good job on this...".
March 9, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Getting to the stage where I ask an LLM to do something ambitious, hit submit, and think "I really hope you aren't able to do a good job on this...".
Reposted by Steve Scott
Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain
February 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain
Reposted by Steve Scott
4 weeks after preprint "Understanding the importance of SHAPE to the UK research ecosystem" by @britishacademy.bsky.social, @jameswilsdon.bsky.social , and @digital-science.com I checked Bluesky reach on @altmetric.com: Phenomenal with an upper bound of 121550 followers! doi: doi.org/10.48550/arx...
February 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
4 weeks after preprint "Understanding the importance of SHAPE to the UK research ecosystem" by @britishacademy.bsky.social, @jameswilsdon.bsky.social , and @digital-science.com I checked Bluesky reach on @altmetric.com: Phenomenal with an upper bound of 121550 followers! doi: doi.org/10.48550/arx...
Reposted by Steve Scott
Detail from the Art Nouveau gesso panels by Glasgow School artist Margaret Macdonald, c.1907 #WomensArt
February 22, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Detail from the Art Nouveau gesso panels by Glasgow School artist Margaret Macdonald, c.1907 #WomensArt
Reposted by Steve Scott
✍️Despite being the world's biggest oil producer, America is v reliant on Canadian oil. And getting MORE reliant, not less.
So what happens when tariffs get imposed on Canada?
The answers are quite unsettling, for the American people... and for everyone else edconway.substack.com/p/america-st...
So what happens when tariffs get imposed on Canada?
The answers are quite unsettling, for the American people... and for everyone else edconway.substack.com/p/america-st...
America still needs Canadian oil. Here's why
And why the tariffs on Canada could plausibly lead to America doing deals with considerably more shady countries. A dive into the weird and wonderful world of heavy oil
edconway.substack.com
February 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
✍️Despite being the world's biggest oil producer, America is v reliant on Canadian oil. And getting MORE reliant, not less.
So what happens when tariffs get imposed on Canada?
The answers are quite unsettling, for the American people... and for everyone else edconway.substack.com/p/america-st...
So what happens when tariffs get imposed on Canada?
The answers are quite unsettling, for the American people... and for everyone else edconway.substack.com/p/america-st...
Ah no. Not David Lynch. Here’s to the weird ones. RIP.
January 16, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Ah no. Not David Lynch. Here’s to the weird ones. RIP.
Such a great writer - RIP.
RIP David Lodge, author of comic campus novels Small World and Nice Work. www.bbc.com/news/article...
David Lodge: Author of Nice Work and Small World dies aged 89 - BBC News
Lodge was twice nominated for the Booker Prize in the 1980s for comic novels Small World and Nice Work.
www.bbc.com
January 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Such a great writer - RIP.
Reposted by Steve Scott
What if we don’t really have free will? Terrific, thoughtful column by @j-amesmarriott.bsky.social on a terrific, thoughtful book:
Big tech firms know us better than we do
Keeping to new year’s resolutions looks doubly hard when you realise how insistently our free will is undermined
www.thetimes.com
December 31, 2024 at 12:04 PM
What if we don’t really have free will? Terrific, thoughtful column by @j-amesmarriott.bsky.social on a terrific, thoughtful book: