Thomas Streinz
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streinz.bsky.social
Thomas Streinz
@streinz.bsky.social
3.5K followers 2.8K following 22 posts
Prof of Law & Regulatory Theory
@eui-law.bsky.social
@eui-schuman.bsky.social
@eui-eu.bsky.social

📚 Researching European/global data/tech law & governance
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Reposted by Thomas Streinz
avastmachine.bsky.social
STS. You’re talking about STS. Small but mighty. Also, a lot of modern media studies.
August 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Thomas Streinz
carlbergstrom.com
5. Today I read a paper by @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social and Alexander Mussgnug that I think illustrates this point perfectly.

philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24891/1/Phil...
Convenience AI Sabina Leonelli & Alexander Martin Mussgnug12 Abstract: This paper considers the mundane ways in which AI is being incorporated into scientific practice today, and particularly the extent to which AI is used to automate tasks perceived to be boring, “mere routine” and inconvenient to researchers. We label such uses as instances of “Convenience AI” — that is situations where AI is applied with the primary intention to increase speed and minimize human effort. We outline how attributions of convenience to AI applications involve three key characteristics: (i) an emphasis on speed and ease of action, (ii) a comparative element, as well as (iii) a subject-dependent and subjective quality. Using examples from medical science and development economics, we highlight epistemic benefits, complications, and drawbacks of Convenience AI along these three dimensions. While the pursuit of convenience through AI can save precious time and resources as well as give rise to novel forms of inquiry, our analysis underscores how the uncritical adoption of Convenience AI for the sake of shortcutting human labour may also weaken the evidential foundations of science and generate inertia in how research is planned, set-up and conducted, with potentially damaging implications for the knowledge being produced. Critically, we argue that the consistent association of Convenience AI with the goals of productivity, efficiency, and ease, as often promoted also by companies targeting the research market for AI applications, can lower critical scrutiny of research processes and shift focus away from appreciating their broader epistemic and social implications.
August 19, 2025 at 5:11 AM