Matt Abrams
@mattabrams.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattabrams
Advisor, Investor, Co-Founder, Board Member cursed (and blessed) with curiosity and a drive to #leaveitbetter
Focused on intersection of quality information, deliberative dialogue (citizens’ assemblies), and trust
Advisor, Investor, Co-Founder, Board Member cursed (and blessed) with curiosity and a drive to #leaveitbetter
Focused on intersection of quality information, deliberative dialogue (citizens’ assemblies), and trust
Pinned
Matt Abrams
@mattabrams.org
· Feb 1
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... @anneapplebaum.bsky.social
A constant reminder..."Illegitimi non carborundum"
A constant reminder..."Illegitimi non carborundum"
Reposted by Matt Abrams
A core use case for bots’ emotional resonance with the user is psychological addiction.
Human interaction is often messy and emotionally painful.
Bot interaction, if coded properly, can feel less painful—even soothing—to the user, making it addictive.
Addiction is profitable.
Human interaction is often messy and emotionally painful.
Bot interaction, if coded properly, can feel less painful—even soothing—to the user, making it addictive.
Addiction is profitable.
Berger's three laws of chatbotics:
1) The bot should never express emotions.
2) The bot should never praise the user.
3) The bot should never say it understands the user's mental state.
There's no use case for these things, and they're obviously problematic.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
1) The bot should never express emotions.
2) The bot should never praise the user.
3) The bot should never say it understands the user's mental state.
There's no use case for these things, and they're obviously problematic.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.
www.nytimes.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:17 AM
A core use case for bots’ emotional resonance with the user is psychological addiction.
Human interaction is often messy and emotionally painful.
Bot interaction, if coded properly, can feel less painful—even soothing—to the user, making it addictive.
Addiction is profitable.
Human interaction is often messy and emotionally painful.
Bot interaction, if coded properly, can feel less painful—even soothing—to the user, making it addictive.
Addiction is profitable.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
If anyone is curious about the current list of search terms being used by right wing activist organizations to harass university professors, here's a public records request I received today from Mike Howell of the Heritage Foundation. Not intimidating or meant to curtail by my speech at all, right?
August 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM
If anyone is curious about the current list of search terms being used by right wing activist organizations to harass university professors, here's a public records request I received today from Mike Howell of the Heritage Foundation. Not intimidating or meant to curtail by my speech at all, right?
Reposted by Matt Abrams
An Afghan man who worked as a translator for the U.S. military during the war was detained by ICE after showing up for a hearing inside of a federal courthouse in San Diego, his attorney says. He fears that if he returns to Afghanistan, he would be tortured or even killed, @nbcsandiego.com reports.
June 17, 2025 at 1:01 AM
An Afghan man who worked as a translator for the U.S. military during the war was detained by ICE after showing up for a hearing inside of a federal courthouse in San Diego, his attorney says. He fears that if he returns to Afghanistan, he would be tortured or even killed, @nbcsandiego.com reports.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
watch @celinegounder.com 's fantastic and inspiring HSPH commencement speech here (1:12:24):
youtu.be/RtyLHjoQGUY?...
some great bits captured in @kakape.bsky.social 's thread below too
youtu.be/RtyLHjoQGUY?...
some great bits captured in @kakape.bsky.social 's thread below too
May 28, 2025 at 8:49 PM
watch @celinegounder.com 's fantastic and inspiring HSPH commencement speech here (1:12:24):
youtu.be/RtyLHjoQGUY?...
some great bits captured in @kakape.bsky.social 's thread below too
youtu.be/RtyLHjoQGUY?...
some great bits captured in @kakape.bsky.social 's thread below too
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Responding to the mass cancellation of NSF grants, Fazio (@lkfazio.bsky.social), a researcher who studies misinformation: “What can US researchers do in this situation? One thing is clear: do not surrender to political pressure or abandon crucial research questions.”
May 19, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Responding to the mass cancellation of NSF grants, Fazio (@lkfazio.bsky.social), a researcher who studies misinformation: “What can US researchers do in this situation? One thing is clear: do not surrender to political pressure or abandon crucial research questions.”
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Welp. 2 California NWS offices--covering entire Sacramento/ San Joaquin Valley region & adjacent foothills/mountains--are no longer operating 24/7 due to extreme understaffing & expanding cuts to NOAA/NWS. This is a very big problem! #CAwx #CAfire #CAwater www.washingtonpost.c...
May 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Welp. 2 California NWS offices--covering entire Sacramento/ San Joaquin Valley region & adjacent foothills/mountains--are no longer operating 24/7 due to extreme understaffing & expanding cuts to NOAA/NWS. This is a very big problem! #CAwx #CAfire #CAwater www.washingtonpost.c...
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Oh this absolutely sucks. Carla Hayden was an amazing Librarian of Congress, and a *massive* improvement over her predecessor who was there forever and was terrible.
BREAKING: President Trump just fired our nation's Librarian. My statement here:
May 9, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Oh this absolutely sucks. Carla Hayden was an amazing Librarian of Congress, and a *massive* improvement over her predecessor who was there forever and was terrible.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Nooooooo!!!!! She's the best!!!!
May 9, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Nooooooo!!!!! She's the best!!!!
Reposted by Matt Abrams
VANCE: We'll have visitors from close to 100 countries. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home, otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem
AUDIENCE: 🦗😳🦗😳
AUDIENCE: 🦗😳🦗😳
May 6, 2025 at 8:26 PM
VANCE: We'll have visitors from close to 100 countries. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home, otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem
AUDIENCE: 🦗😳🦗😳
AUDIENCE: 🦗😳🦗😳
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Most of the recordings from the 2025 University of Cambridge Disinformation Summit have been posted on the YouTube page.
www.youtube.com/@cambridgedi...
www.youtube.com/@cambridgedi...
Cambridge Disinformation Summit
University of Cambridge (UK)
Disinformation Summit
Purpose:
To facilitate interdisciplinary research and policy that:
• Advances understanding of how disinformation is deployed to exploit vulnerabl...
www.youtube.com
May 5, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Most of the recordings from the 2025 University of Cambridge Disinformation Summit have been posted on the YouTube page.
www.youtube.com/@cambridgedi...
www.youtube.com/@cambridgedi...
Reposted by Matt Abrams
A third of Americans surveyed believe at least one false claim spread by Russian media outlets. Why is this a serious problem, & why does it underscore the urgent need for news literacy?
Video: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjBbL7BV/
#Disinformation #NewsLiteracy
Video: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjBbL7BV/
#Disinformation #NewsLiteracy
A third of Americans surveyed believe at least one false claim spread by Russian media outlets. Why is this a serious problem & why does it underscore the urgent need for news literacy? #NewsLiteracy ...
TikTok video by News Literacy Project
www.tiktok.com
May 1, 2025 at 8:27 PM
A third of Americans surveyed believe at least one false claim spread by Russian media outlets. Why is this a serious problem, & why does it underscore the urgent need for news literacy?
Video: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjBbL7BV/
#Disinformation #NewsLiteracy
Video: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjBbL7BV/
#Disinformation #NewsLiteracy
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Remarkable exchange, such good work by interview.
Host: You could call and get Abrego Garcia back.
Trump: I could
Host: But the Supreme Court has ordered you to facilitate his release.
Trump: I'm not the one making this decision
Host: You're the president!
Trump: I could
Host: But the Supreme Court has ordered you to facilitate his release.
Trump: I'm not the one making this decision
Host: You're the president!
April 30, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Remarkable exchange, such good work by interview.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
This exchange is so very telling.
Trump repeatedly claims the photoshopped MS-13 on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles is real, Terry Moran keeps telling him it isn't, prompting Trump to say this:
"I never heard of you. I picked you. You’re not being very nice. He had MS-13 tattooed... Just say yes!"
Trump repeatedly claims the photoshopped MS-13 on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles is real, Terry Moran keeps telling him it isn't, prompting Trump to say this:
"I never heard of you. I picked you. You’re not being very nice. He had MS-13 tattooed... Just say yes!"
April 30, 2025 at 12:46 AM
This exchange is so very telling.
Trump repeatedly claims the photoshopped MS-13 on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles is real, Terry Moran keeps telling him it isn't, prompting Trump to say this:
"I never heard of you. I picked you. You’re not being very nice. He had MS-13 tattooed... Just say yes!"
Trump repeatedly claims the photoshopped MS-13 on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles is real, Terry Moran keeps telling him it isn't, prompting Trump to say this:
"I never heard of you. I picked you. You’re not being very nice. He had MS-13 tattooed... Just say yes!"
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Groups Trump has targeted the most, as of now.
April 29, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Groups Trump has targeted the most, as of now.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Reposted by Matt Abrams
"In a particularly dark moment, a propaganda-style video of deportees being taken into an El Salvador mega prison and having their heads shaved before being locked up, drew chants of 'USA! USA!' from the crowd."
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump defends tariffs, says Americans ‘signed up’ for this in tense ABC interview
President brushes aside slumping approval ratings as he marks 100 days of his second term with campaign-style rally
www.independent.co.uk
April 30, 2025 at 1:26 AM
"In a particularly dark moment, a propaganda-style video of deportees being taken into an El Salvador mega prison and having their heads shaved before being locked up, drew chants of 'USA! USA!' from the crowd."
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Matt Abrams
29 April 1913 | A Polish man, Ryszard Klimek, was born in Krakow. A university student.
In #Auschwitz from 24 April 1942.
No. 32520
Shot in the camp on 27 May 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 24 April 1942.
No. 32520
Shot in the camp on 27 May 1942.
April 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
29 April 1913 | A Polish man, Ryszard Klimek, was born in Krakow. A university student.
In #Auschwitz from 24 April 1942.
No. 32520
Shot in the camp on 27 May 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 24 April 1942.
No. 32520
Shot in the camp on 27 May 1942.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Pritzker: The reckoning is here. And now that this culture of timidity is on display, these same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on the defense of Black people, trans kids, and immigrants, instead of on their own lack of guts and gumption.
April 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Pritzker: The reckoning is here. And now that this culture of timidity is on display, these same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on the defense of Black people, trans kids, and immigrants, instead of on their own lack of guts and gumption.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Hey Paul Weiss associates—meet your new pro bono clients. It’s ok, the Skadden associates are getting the coal companies.
April 29, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Hey Paul Weiss associates—meet your new pro bono clients. It’s ok, the Skadden associates are getting the coal companies.
Reposted by Matt Abrams
"Even if Wikipedia’s content was biased (it isn’t), even if every editor was actively trying to push an anti-Israel narrative (they aren’t), that would still be protected by the First Amendment."
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/g...
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/g...
Government Actually Threatens Wikipedia’s Editorial Freedom; Self-Proclaimed Free Speech Warriors Suddenly Have Other Plans
When Trump officials want to censor speech, they don’t quite say “we want to censor speech” (after all, they pretend to be the party that “brought free speech back.”) Instead, the…
www.techdirt.com
April 28, 2025 at 7:23 PM
"Even if Wikipedia’s content was biased (it isn’t), even if every editor was actively trying to push an anti-Israel narrative (they aren’t), that would still be protected by the First Amendment."
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/g...
www.techdirt.com/2025/04/28/g...
Reposted by Matt Abrams
ICE Agents Wait At Edge Of Delivery Table To Deport Newborn
April 28, 2025 at 9:00 PM
ICE Agents Wait At Edge Of Delivery Table To Deport Newborn
Reposted by Matt Abrams
Reposted by Matt Abrams
I spoke with @semaforben.bsky.social about his big @semafor.com piece on Silicon Valley's group chats for the Techmeme Ride Home podcast today. Episode dropping around noon eastern. youtu.be/Stn7MnUlZQE
Semafor's Ben Smith On His Piece About Silicon Valley's Group Chats
YouTube video by Techmeme Ride Home Podcast
youtu.be
April 28, 2025 at 2:39 PM
I spoke with @semaforben.bsky.social about his big @semafor.com piece on Silicon Valley's group chats for the Techmeme Ride Home podcast today. Episode dropping around noon eastern. youtu.be/Stn7MnUlZQE