Olly Singleton
@oliversingleton.bsky.social
PhD Student in Cog Neuro🧠 at Katlab - UCL
Studying the human sense of object reality and unreality using VR and VR haptics
Views my own if you agree with them
Studying the human sense of object reality and unreality using VR and VR haptics
Views my own if you agree with them
Pinned
OSF
osf.io
🚨New preprint alert🚨
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
Reposted by Olly Singleton
This is what my AI colleagues should have been doing for long but instead they preferred to ride the hype wave
irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2023/01/14/s...
irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2023/01/14/s...
October 26, 2025 at 8:59 PM
This is what my AI colleagues should have been doing for long but instead they preferred to ride the hype wave
irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2023/01/14/s...
irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2023/01/14/s...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
I am once again pitching my romantic comedy:
- two academics start dating
- discover they are each other's terrible reviewer
- hijinks ensue
Working title: Love is Double-Blind
- two academics start dating
- discover they are each other's terrible reviewer
- hijinks ensue
Working title: Love is Double-Blind
June 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
I am once again pitching my romantic comedy:
- two academics start dating
- discover they are each other's terrible reviewer
- hijinks ensue
Working title: Love is Double-Blind
- two academics start dating
- discover they are each other's terrible reviewer
- hijinks ensue
Working title: Love is Double-Blind
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Out now @mitpress.bsky.social: The Invisible Hand by @mattlongo.bsky.social - our hands shaped evolution, but their real power lies in the brain. 🧠✋ Longo blends anatomy, neuroscience, archaeology & more into a unified story of how we sense, move, and even think of our hands.
The Invisible Hand
The hand has a central role in both human evolution and cultural development—in our descent and in our ascent. It is, Immanuel Kant said, “the visible pa...
mitpress.mit.edu
April 25, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Out now @mitpress.bsky.social: The Invisible Hand by @mattlongo.bsky.social - our hands shaped evolution, but their real power lies in the brain. 🧠✋ Longo blends anatomy, neuroscience, archaeology & more into a unified story of how we sense, move, and even think of our hands.
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness: https://osf.io/7qvwu
April 8, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness: https://osf.io/7qvwu
🚨New preprint alert🚨
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
OSF
osf.io
April 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
🚨New preprint alert🚨
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
Presence is Reality: Rethinking Virtual and Real-World Consciousness
In which we argue that 'presence' as defined and discussed in the field of computer science, is mechanistically and conceptually identical to 'reality'
osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/🧵
Reposted by Olly Singleton
1/3 New preprint alert! 🚨 doi.org/10.31219/osf...
Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?
We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.
Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?
We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.
OSF
doi.org
April 3, 2025 at 1:22 PM
1/3 New preprint alert! 🚨 doi.org/10.31219/osf...
Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?
We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.
Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?
We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Just got a cold call from an energy company which was a chatbot- but a remarkably nuanced one. First time I’ve interrupted a phone conversation to say (with genuine curiosity) “excuse me are you an AI?”
Reminds me of this from Dennett: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reminds me of this from Dennett: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
The Problem With Counterfeit People
Companies using AI to generate fake people are committing an immoral act of vandalism, and should be held liable.
www.theatlantic.com
March 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Just got a cold call from an energy company which was a chatbot- but a remarkably nuanced one. First time I’ve interrupted a phone conversation to say (with genuine curiosity) “excuse me are you an AI?”
Reminds me of this from Dennett: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reminds me of this from Dennett: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
We're recruiting for new postdoc and RA positions on our @erc.europa.eu project "ConsciousComputation"
To apply and for more details, please see:
RA: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Postdoc: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Very happy to chat to anyone interested! 🧠🧪
To apply and for more details, please see:
RA: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Postdoc: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Very happy to chat to anyone interested! 🧠🧪
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
March 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM
We're recruiting for new postdoc and RA positions on our @erc.europa.eu project "ConsciousComputation"
To apply and for more details, please see:
RA: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Postdoc: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Very happy to chat to anyone interested! 🧠🧪
To apply and for more details, please see:
RA: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Postdoc: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Very happy to chat to anyone interested! 🧠🧪
This makes sense. I hate comparing LLMs to the human mind, but I imagine this would be like attempting to create a human being who didn't have the capacity to hallucinate
Predictive processing is foundational to how we operate, but also leaves room for unavoidable error (hallucinations)
Predictive processing is foundational to how we operate, but also leaves room for unavoidable error (hallucinations)
Because AI hallucinations are fundamental to how LLMs work, researchers say that eliminating them completely is impossible
https://go.nature.com/4hhFRRm
https://go.nature.com/4hhFRRm
AI hallucinations can’t be stopped — but these techniques can limit their damage
Nature - Developers have tricks to stop artificial intelligence from making things up, but large language models are still struggling to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
go.nature.com
February 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
This makes sense. I hate comparing LLMs to the human mind, but I imagine this would be like attempting to create a human being who didn't have the capacity to hallucinate
Predictive processing is foundational to how we operate, but also leaves room for unavoidable error (hallucinations)
Predictive processing is foundational to how we operate, but also leaves room for unavoidable error (hallucinations)
Reposted by Olly Singleton
🚓Police sexual misconduct allegations soared 67% between 2023-24 in England & Wales @politicshome.bsky.social analysis reveals
The number of allegations relating to sexual conduct –including assault & harassment – against police officers rose to 819 in 2024
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
The number of allegations relating to sexual conduct –including assault & harassment – against police officers rose to 819 in 2024
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Police Sexual Misconduct Allegations Soar 67 Per Cent In One Year
Allegations relating to sexual conduct involving police officers have soared by more than two thirds last year, according to analysis of new govern...
www.politicshome.com
January 31, 2025 at 3:22 PM
🚓Police sexual misconduct allegations soared 67% between 2023-24 in England & Wales @politicshome.bsky.social analysis reveals
The number of allegations relating to sexual conduct –including assault & harassment – against police officers rose to 819 in 2024
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
The number of allegations relating to sexual conduct –including assault & harassment – against police officers rose to 819 in 2024
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
I have passed my PhD Upgrade and now head into the second year of my PhD!
We have covered passive touch and behavioural measures of reality, going on to investigate active touch, utilising EEG to determine whether neural signatures signal a person's surety that objects independently exist
We have covered passive touch and behavioural measures of reality, going on to investigate active touch, utilising EEG to determine whether neural signatures signal a person's surety that objects independently exist
December 13, 2024 at 1:58 PM
I have passed my PhD Upgrade and now head into the second year of my PhD!
We have covered passive touch and behavioural measures of reality, going on to investigate active touch, utilising EEG to determine whether neural signatures signal a person's surety that objects independently exist
We have covered passive touch and behavioural measures of reality, going on to investigate active touch, utilising EEG to determine whether neural signatures signal a person's surety that objects independently exist
Reposted by Olly Singleton
What are the prospects for AI that is, or irresistibly appears to be, conscious? Here’s a substantially revised version of my paper “Conscious artificial intelligence and biological naturalism” - many thanks to many folks for super-helpful comments osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
December 10, 2024 at 7:10 PM
What are the prospects for AI that is, or irresistibly appears to be, conscious? Here’s a substantially revised version of my paper “Conscious artificial intelligence and biological naturalism” - many thanks to many folks for super-helpful comments osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Wow it's becoming more and more human-like by the day!
November 24, 2023 at 1:57 PM
Wow it's becoming more and more human-like by the day!
Reposted by Olly Singleton
(1/5) Very excited to announce the publication of Bayesian Models of Cognition: Reverse Engineering the Mind. More than a decade in the making, it's a big (600+ pages) beautiful book covering both the basics and recent work: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204941...
November 19, 2024 at 9:33 PM
(1/5) Very excited to announce the publication of Bayesian Models of Cognition: Reverse Engineering the Mind. More than a decade in the making, it's a big (600+ pages) beautiful book covering both the basics and recent work: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204941...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
➡️Parent-child half-term activity alert!
This is an opportunity for children to be engaged in a science experiment AND learn about their body signals. Parents will complete a novel computer task about their own child's body signals! 🫀
Sign up here:
qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...
This is an opportunity for children to be engaged in a science experiment AND learn about their body signals. Parents will complete a novel computer task about their own child's body signals! 🫀
Sign up here:
qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...
February 2, 2024 at 8:56 AM
➡️Parent-child half-term activity alert!
This is an opportunity for children to be engaged in a science experiment AND learn about their body signals. Parents will complete a novel computer task about their own child's body signals! 🫀
Sign up here:
qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...
This is an opportunity for children to be engaged in a science experiment AND learn about their body signals. Parents will complete a novel computer task about their own child's body signals! 🫀
Sign up here:
qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Imagine our profession was built so that you could advance your career without moving all the time. Isn't this a huge piece of the equity and access problem? Yes, it is.
Needing to move is a huge barrier to broadening representation in the sciences
Science will be more inclusive and equitable when we stop expecting people to uproot their lives every few years
open.substack.com
December 12, 2023 at 1:10 AM
Imagine our profession was built so that you could advance your career without moving all the time. Isn't this a huge piece of the equity and access problem? Yes, it is.
Reposted by Olly Singleton
it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
December 14, 2023 at 10:35 AM
it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
Reposted by Olly Singleton
Aaron Kaltenmaier (also @jhaarsma.bsky.social @smfleming.bsky.social , @peterkok.bsky.social, Fri 2-3:45 pm) asks how expectations about stimulus presence and content differently affect perceptual inference [7/9]
December 13, 2023 at 1:58 PM
Aaron Kaltenmaier (also @jhaarsma.bsky.social @smfleming.bsky.social , @peterkok.bsky.social, Fri 2-3:45 pm) asks how expectations about stimulus presence and content differently affect perceptual inference [7/9]
Reposted by Olly Singleton
You would never do this.
Warn your friends to never do this. Never ever.
The best ppl warn everybody.
Warn your friends to never do this. Never ever.
The best ppl warn everybody.
August 21, 2023 at 1:53 PM
You would never do this.
Warn your friends to never do this. Never ever.
The best ppl warn everybody.
Warn your friends to never do this. Never ever.
The best ppl warn everybody.
From now on if I ever feel bad or down about my work, I'll take comfort in the fact that at least I wasn't the utter moron who let the UAE chair a climate summit
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Cop28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels
Exclusive: UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and gas would take world ‘back into caves’
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2023 at 2:22 PM
From now on if I ever feel bad or down about my work, I'll take comfort in the fact that at least I wasn't the utter moron who let the UAE chair a climate summit
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
How do you know what's real?
How do you know that the screen you're reading this from is real, and not some advanced hallucination?
Object existence is a field full of contradictions and pitfalls, but we're trying to find a way to untangle the thread.
cogscicounter.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How do you know that the screen you're reading this from is real, and not some advanced hallucination?
Object existence is a field full of contradictions and pitfalls, but we're trying to find a way to untangle the thread.
cogscicounter.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How Do You Know What's Real?
What is the difference between an object that exists and an object which doesn't?
cogscicounter.substack.com
December 2, 2023 at 7:49 PM
How do you know what's real?
How do you know that the screen you're reading this from is real, and not some advanced hallucination?
Object existence is a field full of contradictions and pitfalls, but we're trying to find a way to untangle the thread.
cogscicounter.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How do you know that the screen you're reading this from is real, and not some advanced hallucination?
Object existence is a field full of contradictions and pitfalls, but we're trying to find a way to untangle the thread.
cogscicounter.substack.com/p/how-do-you...