Andrew Perfors
@perfors.net
Prof at UniMelb. I'm a computational cognitive scientist studying human inference, learning, information systems, culture, and (mis/dis)info. Nerd & opinionated loudmouth in Oz, originally from America, citizen of both. Parent of two. 🏳️⚧️ perfors.net
So true. So very very true.
November 10, 2025 at 2:40 AM
So true. So very very true.
I'm guessing that the ~20km blip is the Salisbury/Craigmore area which is also fairly dense
November 9, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I'm guessing that the ~20km blip is the Salisbury/Craigmore area which is also fairly dense
Glad you like it, that means a lot! 😊
The experience has motivated me to make a short video series about AI in science and education along similar lines, meant for laypeople -- hopefully I can squeeze it in amongst all my other things to do 🤞
The experience has motivated me to make a short video series about AI in science and education along similar lines, meant for laypeople -- hopefully I can squeeze it in amongst all my other things to do 🤞
November 9, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Glad you like it, that means a lot! 😊
The experience has motivated me to make a short video series about AI in science and education along similar lines, meant for laypeople -- hopefully I can squeeze it in amongst all my other things to do 🤞
The experience has motivated me to make a short video series about AI in science and education along similar lines, meant for laypeople -- hopefully I can squeeze it in amongst all my other things to do 🤞
I got a zero too. (We found an entire set of encyclopedias dumpster diving, lol)
November 8, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I got a zero too. (We found an entire set of encyclopedias dumpster diving, lol)
God I hope there is no bailout
November 8, 2025 at 10:46 PM
God I hope there is no bailout
I'd never heard of it, but I am taking my own advice and I very rarely use any LLM at all and have no desire to change that
November 8, 2025 at 2:35 AM
I'd never heard of it, but I am taking my own advice and I very rarely use any LLM at all and have no desire to change that
Anyway, I promised some of the folks at the workshop a reading list so I'll add your post to it.
I think the more ways we can say this, the better, and videos will reach a different audience -- plus my blog posts tend to be manifestos and I think I can rein myself in better in short videos 😊
I think the more ways we can say this, the better, and videos will reach a different audience -- plus my blog posts tend to be manifestos and I think I can rein myself in better in short videos 😊
November 7, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Anyway, I promised some of the folks at the workshop a reading list so I'll add your post to it.
I think the more ways we can say this, the better, and videos will reach a different audience -- plus my blog posts tend to be manifestos and I think I can rein myself in better in short videos 😊
I think the more ways we can say this, the better, and videos will reach a different audience -- plus my blog posts tend to be manifestos and I think I can rein myself in better in short videos 😊
Great post! It captures part of what maddens me so much about the situation we're in right now: AI would have been so awesome if it had been rolled out without the hype, with proper safeguards, with care to societal impacts.
As it is, the AI proponents are salting the earth against that future.
As it is, the AI proponents are salting the earth against that future.
November 7, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Great post! It captures part of what maddens me so much about the situation we're in right now: AI would have been so awesome if it had been rolled out without the hype, with proper safeguards, with care to societal impacts.
As it is, the AI proponents are salting the earth against that future.
As it is, the AI proponents are salting the earth against that future.
Good luck! I think often the point of debates like this is less about changing people's mind right away than it is about giving them new things to think about and new frames for conceptualising stuff. Change of mind takes longer than an evening but doing those things well plants the seeds for it.
November 7, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Good luck! I think often the point of debates like this is less about changing people's mind right away than it is about giving them new things to think about and new frames for conceptualising stuff. Change of mind takes longer than an evening but doing those things well plants the seeds for it.
It makes me wonder if there's an Emperor's New Clothes thing going on: like, many laypeople are worried and have misgivings but don't feel they have the expertise to justify them so they second-guess.
For whatever reason, the *relief* that some people showed to what I had to say was striking
For whatever reason, the *relief* that some people showed to what I had to say was striking
November 7, 2025 at 10:47 AM
It makes me wonder if there's an Emperor's New Clothes thing going on: like, many laypeople are worried and have misgivings but don't feel they have the expertise to justify them so they second-guess.
For whatever reason, the *relief* that some people showed to what I had to say was striking
For whatever reason, the *relief* that some people showed to what I had to say was striking
Nice! You might like this post I wrote (almost two years ago!), which is more about authenticity than agency (and a lot longer than yours so ymmv) but some of the themes are similar.
The work of creation in the age of AI | Andrew Perfors
In which I become an old man yelling futilely at the clouds
perfors.net
November 7, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Nice! You might like this post I wrote (almost two years ago!), which is more about authenticity than agency (and a lot longer than yours so ymmv) but some of the themes are similar.
It is so nice to see the reaction here! (and at the talk, to be honest)
I think there is a big appetite out there for pushback on the "AI is great and inevitable" narrative, especially when the pushback comes from people who can't easily be painted as Luddites who just don't understand the tech.
I think there is a big appetite out there for pushback on the "AI is great and inevitable" narrative, especially when the pushback comes from people who can't easily be painted as Luddites who just don't understand the tech.
November 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM
It is so nice to see the reaction here! (and at the talk, to be honest)
I think there is a big appetite out there for pushback on the "AI is great and inevitable" narrative, especially when the pushback comes from people who can't easily be painted as Luddites who just don't understand the tech.
I think there is a big appetite out there for pushback on the "AI is great and inevitable" narrative, especially when the pushback comes from people who can't easily be painted as Luddites who just don't understand the tech.