Sally Dixon
@sallybgally.bsky.social
Variationist Linguist interested in minoritised varieties, language repertoires, education & language change. Living on Anaiwan lands.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
As scholars, we know a bit about how to learn. We need to build relationships of trust, so that in the snatched moments after a lecture, during feedback, in an office hour, after a public event students hear:
Don't take the shortcut. The long way around is so much richer in the end.
Don't take the shortcut. The long way around is so much richer in the end.
May 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
As scholars, we know a bit about how to learn. We need to build relationships of trust, so that in the snatched moments after a lecture, during feedback, in an office hour, after a public event students hear:
Don't take the shortcut. The long way around is so much richer in the end.
Don't take the shortcut. The long way around is so much richer in the end.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
There's always this insistence that people need to "learn how to use AI so they aren't left behind" and as an artist and an author, I don't know what there is to *learn* from models that were.... trained on my work.
a non-zero number of people have told me with confidence that i'll definitely be incorporating gen ai into my workflow in the future and im losing my mcfreaking patience. "it's here to stay" not in my fucking house. "but you need to keep up with the times" then leave me behind.
April 25, 2025 at 4:19 AM
There's always this insistence that people need to "learn how to use AI so they aren't left behind" and as an artist and an author, I don't know what there is to *learn* from models that were.... trained on my work.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Reposted by Sally Dixon
never thought i’d say this but please come work for me! the abc is hiring a researcher to assist in the task of providing timely and accurate language guidance to staff careers.abc.net.au/en/job/504660/…
ABC Careers - Job Details - Researcher, Editorial Policies (Part-time)
https://careers.abc.net.au/en/job/504660/…
March 27, 2025 at 7:27 AM
never thought i’d say this but please come work for me! the abc is hiring a researcher to assist in the task of providing timely and accurate language guidance to staff careers.abc.net.au/en/job/504660/…
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Easily the best thing I've read about A.I. in higher ed, by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social (thanks @bicycleuser.bsky.social): www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/o...
Opinion | The Tech Fantasy That Powers A.I. Is Running on Fumes
A.I. is just what we need in the post-fact era: less research and more predicting what we want to hear.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Easily the best thing I've read about A.I. in higher ed, by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social (thanks @bicycleuser.bsky.social): www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/o...
Reposted by Sally Dixon
I'm not going to use generative AI. I don't see any legitimate role for it in unis.
It's OK if you like it! I won't let students use it, and I won't read synthetic text if I can knowingly avoid it.
Here's my personal policy, drafted with help from colleagues.
bravenewwords.info/my-policy-on...
It's OK if you like it! I won't let students use it, and I won't read synthetic text if I can knowingly avoid it.
Here's my personal policy, drafted with help from colleagues.
bravenewwords.info/my-policy-on...
My policy on AI
What I will not do In the interests of transparency about my methods, it is important for you to know that I will never publish any text that was generated by AI, nor any text produced with assista…
bravenewwords.info
March 28, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I'm not going to use generative AI. I don't see any legitimate role for it in unis.
It's OK if you like it! I won't let students use it, and I won't read synthetic text if I can knowingly avoid it.
Here's my personal policy, drafted with help from colleagues.
bravenewwords.info/my-policy-on...
It's OK if you like it! I won't let students use it, and I won't read synthetic text if I can knowingly avoid it.
Here's my personal policy, drafted with help from colleagues.
bravenewwords.info/my-policy-on...
Reposted by Sally Dixon
March 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Let's talk about this Nature piece in more detail.
I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Three AI-powered steps to faster, smarter peer review
Tired of spending countless hours on peer reviews? An AI-assisted workflow could help.
www.nature.com
March 6, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Let's talk about this Nature piece in more detail.
I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Reposted by Sally Dixon
for every 100 words of text generated by ChatGPT, 3 l of water are consumed. The data centres that facilitate this technology are extraordinarily energy-intensive. The demands on the electrical grid, & the impact on the environment and the climate, are immense.
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
Mark O'Connell: There is, in the end, nothing magical, nothing airy, about AI. It’s a machine of exploitation
Within this system, our country plays a crucial and disproportionate role: a dense network of data centres and server farms has been built around Dublin
www.irishtimes.com
January 8, 2025 at 10:21 PM
for every 100 words of text generated by ChatGPT, 3 l of water are consumed. The data centres that facilitate this technology are extraordinarily energy-intensive. The demands on the electrical grid, & the impact on the environment and the climate, are immense.
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
Reposted by Sally Dixon
A must-read for anyone thinking about using LLMs in social science research.
LLM annotations (especially from closed, proprietary models) change unpredictably over time. And we don't know why. This is a huge problem for scientific reproducibility.
LLM annotations (especially from closed, proprietary models) change unpredictably over time. And we don't know why. This is a huge problem for scientific reproducibility.
Pleased to share the latest version of my paper with Arthur Spirling and @lexipalmer.bsky.social on replication using LMs
We show:
1. current applications of LMs in political science research *don't* meet basic standards of reproducibility...
We show:
1. current applications of LMs in political science research *don't* meet basic standards of reproducibility...
December 18, 2024 at 5:43 PM
A must-read for anyone thinking about using LLMs in social science research.
LLM annotations (especially from closed, proprietary models) change unpredictably over time. And we don't know why. This is a huge problem for scientific reproducibility.
LLM annotations (especially from closed, proprietary models) change unpredictably over time. And we don't know why. This is a huge problem for scientific reproducibility.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
20 years ago we were suing teenagers for millions of dollars because they were torrenting a single Metallica album and now billionaires are demanding the free right to every work in history, so that they can re-sell it.
The law only ever serves capital.
The law only ever serves capital.
‘Impossible’ to create AI tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material, OpenAI says
‘Impossible’ to create AI tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material, OpenAI says
Pressure grows on artificial intelligence firms over the content used to train their productsBusiness live – latest updatesThe developer OpenAI has said it would be impossible to create tools like its groundbreaking chatbot ChatGPT without access to copyrighted material, as pressure grows on artificial intelligence firms over the content used to train their products.Chatbots such as ChatGPT and image generators like Stable Diffusion are “trained” on a vast trove of data taken from the internet, with much of it covered by copyright – a legal protection against someone’s work being used without permission. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2024 at 4:34 PM
20 years ago we were suing teenagers for millions of dollars because they were torrenting a single Metallica album and now billionaires are demanding the free right to every work in history, so that they can re-sell it.
The law only ever serves capital.
The law only ever serves capital.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Bill Labov made it possible for John Rickford and therefore Renee Blake and therefore me, to have a rich life in linguistics. He knew that Black students and speakers had so much to contribute. We will forever owe him a debt of gratitude for his contributions to the field, but also to all of us ❤️
December 18, 2024 at 12:58 AM
Bill Labov made it possible for John Rickford and therefore Renee Blake and therefore me, to have a rich life in linguistics. He knew that Black students and speakers had so much to contribute. We will forever owe him a debt of gratitude for his contributions to the field, but also to all of us ❤️
Vale William Labov. Thank you for teaching me to see language and language users in all their creative complexity. And for your stewardship for a social-justice oriented linguistics.
December 18, 2024 at 1:11 AM
Vale William Labov. Thank you for teaching me to see language and language users in all their creative complexity. And for your stewardship for a social-justice oriented linguistics.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
There are quite a few posts on @therealrw.bsky.social that I've written in a rage. Thought I'd share them for the holiday season because why not?
Every eggnog deserves some bile. 😄
Every eggnog deserves some bile. 😄
Our blog has been running for 13.5 years now and some of @tseenster.bsky.social's favourite posts were written in a fury. Here's an example - more to come! Think of it as an #AdventCalendarOfRage.
Beware excellence
researchwhisperer.org/2016/11/29/b...
#AcademicSky #PhDsky #HigherEd
Beware excellence
researchwhisperer.org/2016/11/29/b...
#AcademicSky #PhDsky #HigherEd
Beware excellence
At a recent international conference focused on research administration, there was the usual palaver about every researcher, their institution, and their dog achieving excellence. It’s presen…
researchwhisperer.org
December 11, 2024 at 12:11 AM
There are quite a few posts on @therealrw.bsky.social that I've written in a rage. Thought I'd share them for the holiday season because why not?
Every eggnog deserves some bile. 😄
Every eggnog deserves some bile. 😄
Reposted by Sally Dixon
I just think the next step is for some linguists at another university to do their own lip synch or cover of this song, any takers?
Christian Uffmann wins linguist prof of 2024. This video is iconic. Definitely worth watching and I say this as someone who is terminally not interested in watching video content.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSOl...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSOl...
Meet Christian Uffmann! #phonology
YouTube video by HHU
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:47 AM
I just think the next step is for some linguists at another university to do their own lip synch or cover of this song, any takers?
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Australian academics: does anyone know *why* universities are pushing back on Honorary/Visiting Fellowships? You know, the type where friends of the department get an email address and library access, and their publications get credited to the university? It makes no sense to me - it costs nothing.
December 3, 2024 at 11:12 PM
Australian academics: does anyone know *why* universities are pushing back on Honorary/Visiting Fellowships? You know, the type where friends of the department get an email address and library access, and their publications get credited to the university? It makes no sense to me - it costs nothing.
Reposted by Sally Dixon
Winner, Macquarie Dictionary (Australia) Word of the year 2024
November 25, 2024 at 11:11 PM
Winner, Macquarie Dictionary (Australia) Word of the year 2024
Encouraging my fellow Aussies who support fully funding public schools to lend their name to this campaign!
For Every Child
For Every Child is a community of parents, carers, teachers, principals, school support staff, librarians and citizens, working together to speak up and demand proper and fair funding for public schoo...
www.foreverychild.au
November 22, 2024 at 4:11 AM
Encouraging my fellow Aussies who support fully funding public schools to lend their name to this campaign!
Reposted by Sally Dixon
No accountability, no experience or understanding of teaching and research, and absolutely no care for the staff and students forced to live with their decisions 😡
All power to the NTEU, Alison Barnes, and @caitlinecassidy.bsky.social for shining a light on this mess ✊🏽
All power to the NTEU, Alison Barnes, and @caitlinecassidy.bsky.social for shining a light on this mess ✊🏽
“> 300 Australian
university executives make more money than state premiers.” So Uni boards filled with corporate heavys, pay Uni execs corporate rates & get corporate groupthink at top. 🤔 Maybe start with greater diversity in Uni boards to reflect society?
university executives make more money than state premiers.” So Uni boards filled with corporate heavys, pay Uni execs corporate rates & get corporate groupthink at top. 🤔 Maybe start with greater diversity in Uni boards to reflect society?
More than 300 Australian university executives make more money than state premiers, report reveals
Union says the average vice-chancellor gets paid almost double the prime minister, with salaries seemingly ‘plucked from thin air’
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2024 at 10:40 PM
No accountability, no experience or understanding of teaching and research, and absolutely no care for the staff and students forced to live with their decisions 😡
All power to the NTEU, Alison Barnes, and @caitlinecassidy.bsky.social for shining a light on this mess ✊🏽
All power to the NTEU, Alison Barnes, and @caitlinecassidy.bsky.social for shining a light on this mess ✊🏽
Reposted by Sally Dixon
“Writing faculty have both the agency and the academic freedom to examine generative AI’s dishonest training origins and conclude: There is no path to ethically teach AI skills. Not only are we allowed to say no, we ought to think deeply about the why of that no.”
Burn it down: a license for AI resistance (opinion)
Resistance is not futile, Melanie Dusseau writes.
www.insidehighered.com
November 12, 2024 at 2:06 PM
“Writing faculty have both the agency and the academic freedom to examine generative AI’s dishonest training origins and conclude: There is no path to ethically teach AI skills. Not only are we allowed to say no, we ought to think deeply about the why of that no.”
Just discovered that René Magritte had some pretty interesting takes on lexical semantics.
November 14, 2024 at 4:29 AM
Just discovered that René Magritte had some pretty interesting takes on lexical semantics.
Oh, so this is where you all are @lauraskh.bsky.social, @superlinguo.bsky.social, @auslingsoc.bsky.social, @simongreenhill.bsky.social, @geraldroche.bsky.social, @dalaigrama.bsky.social, @languageonthemove.bsky.social, @bulletproofling.bsky.social, @laserhedvig.bsky.social
November 14, 2024 at 4:23 AM