Blake Richards
@tyrellturing.bsky.social
Researcher at Google and CIFAR Fellow, working on the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience in Montréal (academic affiliations: @mcgill.ca and @mila-quebec.bsky.social).
I saw this post yesterday, and I was so impressed by the unhinged moral outrage aimed at such benign uses of AI I had to save it. 😂
August 12, 2025 at 9:17 PM
I saw this post yesterday, and I was so impressed by the unhinged moral outrage aimed at such benign uses of AI I had to save it. 😂
Back in Canada after two weeks in East Asia. Thanks to my friends and colleagues Jee Kwag and Jiook Cha for hosting me in Seoul, and @hiallen72.bsky.social for hosting me in Taipei! I had a wonderful time, and some fantastic, fascinating conversations.
🧠❤️
🧠❤️
July 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Back in Canada after two weeks in East Asia. Thanks to my friends and colleagues Jee Kwag and Jiook Cha for hosting me in Seoul, and @hiallen72.bsky.social for hosting me in Taipei! I had a wonderful time, and some fantastic, fascinating conversations.
🧠❤️
🧠❤️
Thanks for response. 🙂
a) Hallucinations in certain contexts != poorer reasoning. Reasoning benchmarks show clear improvements (see below).
b) Prediction different than factual Q&A, hallucinations meaningless concept for prediction.
c) Again, paradigm shift is in data analysis, not modelling.
a) Hallucinations in certain contexts != poorer reasoning. Reasoning benchmarks show clear improvements (see below).
b) Prediction different than factual Q&A, hallucinations meaningless concept for prediction.
c) Again, paradigm shift is in data analysis, not modelling.
May 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Thanks for response. 🙂
a) Hallucinations in certain contexts != poorer reasoning. Reasoning benchmarks show clear improvements (see below).
b) Prediction different than factual Q&A, hallucinations meaningless concept for prediction.
c) Again, paradigm shift is in data analysis, not modelling.
a) Hallucinations in certain contexts != poorer reasoning. Reasoning benchmarks show clear improvements (see below).
b) Prediction different than factual Q&A, hallucinations meaningless concept for prediction.
c) Again, paradigm shift is in data analysis, not modelling.
Coming to the #Cosyne2025 workshops? Wanna dance on the final night? We got you covered.
@glajoie.bsky.social and I have organized a party in Tremblant. Come and get on the dance floor y'all. 🕺
April 1st
10PM-3AM
Location: Le P'tit Caribou
DJs Mat Moebius, Xanarelle, and Prosocial
Please share!
@glajoie.bsky.social and I have organized a party in Tremblant. Come and get on the dance floor y'all. 🕺
April 1st
10PM-3AM
Location: Le P'tit Caribou
DJs Mat Moebius, Xanarelle, and Prosocial
Please share!
March 24, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Coming to the #Cosyne2025 workshops? Wanna dance on the final night? We got you covered.
@glajoie.bsky.social and I have organized a party in Tremblant. Come and get on the dance floor y'all. 🕺
April 1st
10PM-3AM
Location: Le P'tit Caribou
DJs Mat Moebius, Xanarelle, and Prosocial
Please share!
@glajoie.bsky.social and I have organized a party in Tremblant. Come and get on the dance floor y'all. 🕺
April 1st
10PM-3AM
Location: Le P'tit Caribou
DJs Mat Moebius, Xanarelle, and Prosocial
Please share!
"Through the roof"?
If I'm reading this correctly, the number of cases of schizophrenia has been stable, but psychosis NOS is ~30% higher since 2016.
However, the rate of "CUD" is about 2.5x since 2016, so 30% seems like a pretty modest increase given the level of use, no?
If I'm reading this correctly, the number of cases of schizophrenia has been stable, but psychosis NOS is ~30% higher since 2016.
However, the rate of "CUD" is about 2.5x since 2016, so 30% seems like a pretty modest increase given the level of use, no?
February 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
"Through the roof"?
If I'm reading this correctly, the number of cases of schizophrenia has been stable, but psychosis NOS is ~30% higher since 2016.
However, the rate of "CUD" is about 2.5x since 2016, so 30% seems like a pretty modest increase given the level of use, no?
If I'm reading this correctly, the number of cases of schizophrenia has been stable, but psychosis NOS is ~30% higher since 2016.
However, the rate of "CUD" is about 2.5x since 2016, so 30% seems like a pretty modest increase given the level of use, no?
DeepSeek is an AI company, and their latest model is both basically as good as Gemini and o1, but open and trained at a fraction of the price (apparently):
January 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
DeepSeek is an AI company, and their latest model is both basically as good as Gemini and o1, but open and trained at a fraction of the price (apparently):
No, not that one. This one:
January 6, 2025 at 10:00 PM
No, not that one. This one:
It's an equivalent circuit, of course. (Didn't think I had to explain that.) This is one of the most well-established results in neuroscience:
neurotext.library.stonybrook.edu/C3/C3_3/C3_3....
And the derivative of the membrane potential is a linear function of the current at *every* time-step.
neurotext.library.stonybrook.edu/C3/C3_3/C3_3....
And the derivative of the membrane potential is a linear function of the current at *every* time-step.
December 17, 2024 at 10:55 PM
It's an equivalent circuit, of course. (Didn't think I had to explain that.) This is one of the most well-established results in neuroscience:
neurotext.library.stonybrook.edu/C3/C3_3/C3_3....
And the derivative of the membrane potential is a linear function of the current at *every* time-step.
neurotext.library.stonybrook.edu/C3/C3_3/C3_3....
And the derivative of the membrane potential is a linear function of the current at *every* time-step.
8/ But, if you look at the simple linear-non-linear rate-based model in papers like this, it's still not doing *that bad*.
We're talking ~70% of variance in spike rate explained.
Not nearly as good as the more complex models, but hardly an "unrelated" gross abstraction, I'd say.
We're talking ~70% of variance in spike rate explained.
Not nearly as good as the more complex models, but hardly an "unrelated" gross abstraction, I'd say.
December 16, 2024 at 8:03 PM
8/ But, if you look at the simple linear-non-linear rate-based model in papers like this, it's still not doing *that bad*.
We're talking ~70% of variance in spike rate explained.
Not nearly as good as the more complex models, but hardly an "unrelated" gross abstraction, I'd say.
We're talking ~70% of variance in spike rate explained.
Not nearly as good as the more complex models, but hardly an "unrelated" gross abstraction, I'd say.
2/ First, let's start with the obvious: real neurons integrate their inputs. If you start from the basic principles of the relationship between voltage and current, and you know synapses induce currents when they receive neurotransmitter, then this is obvious.
December 16, 2024 at 8:03 PM
2/ First, let's start with the obvious: real neurons integrate their inputs. If you start from the basic principles of the relationship between voltage and current, and you know synapses induce currents when they receive neurotransmitter, then this is obvious.
You mean the small text on the page after you've already put in your input?
Yeah, that's not nearly sufficient. It should be upfront, and very clear.
Yeah, that's not nearly sufficient. It should be upfront, and very clear.
December 11, 2024 at 9:19 PM
You mean the small text on the page after you've already put in your input?
Yeah, that's not nearly sufficient. It should be upfront, and very clear.
Yeah, that's not nearly sufficient. It should be upfront, and very clear.
Montreal, where I now live, has undergone a similar transition as Paris, and it's so wonderful (see picture of the pedestrianized zone near me).
Meanwhile, in the city I grew up in (Toronto), car culture continues and the province has announced they're going to spend $50M to *remove* bike lanes. 🤦♂️
Meanwhile, in the city I grew up in (Toronto), car culture continues and the province has announced they're going to spend $50M to *remove* bike lanes. 🤦♂️
December 9, 2024 at 9:16 PM
Montreal, where I now live, has undergone a similar transition as Paris, and it's so wonderful (see picture of the pedestrianized zone near me).
Meanwhile, in the city I grew up in (Toronto), car culture continues and the province has announced they're going to spend $50M to *remove* bike lanes. 🤦♂️
Meanwhile, in the city I grew up in (Toronto), car culture continues and the province has announced they're going to spend $50M to *remove* bike lanes. 🤦♂️
This is a fun little app, but it gets some things very wrong, e.g. @andpru.bsky.social hates mice, and me, I hate puns. 🫠
Still, not too far off the mark... 😅
Full roast here: blueskyroast.com/roast/tyrell...
Still, not too far off the mark... 😅
Full roast here: blueskyroast.com/roast/tyrell...
December 5, 2024 at 6:58 PM
This is a fun little app, but it gets some things very wrong, e.g. @andpru.bsky.social hates mice, and me, I hate puns. 🫠
Still, not too far off the mark... 😅
Full roast here: blueskyroast.com/roast/tyrell...
Still, not too far off the mark... 😅
Full roast here: blueskyroast.com/roast/tyrell...
Indeed, that's not what I mean... Specifically, I'm referring to short-term facilitating synapses, which, due to their vesicle release mechanisms, barely respond to an individual spike, and ramp up their response to each subsequent spike if the rate is high-enough.
November 29, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Indeed, that's not what I mean... Specifically, I'm referring to short-term facilitating synapses, which, due to their vesicle release mechanisms, barely respond to an individual spike, and ramp up their response to each subsequent spike if the rate is high-enough.
Sadly, the migration was absolutely necessary.
Even putting aside a desire not to enrich Musk further, Twitter/X has way too many bots and trolls now.
See below the moment when I decided to stop using Twitter/X (this was when we were promoting @dlevenstein.bsky.social's paper).
Even putting aside a desire not to enrich Musk further, Twitter/X has way too many bots and trolls now.
See below the moment when I decided to stop using Twitter/X (this was when we were promoting @dlevenstein.bsky.social's paper).
November 25, 2024 at 3:47 PM
Sadly, the migration was absolutely necessary.
Even putting aside a desire not to enrich Musk further, Twitter/X has way too many bots and trolls now.
See below the moment when I decided to stop using Twitter/X (this was when we were promoting @dlevenstein.bsky.social's paper).
Even putting aside a desire not to enrich Musk further, Twitter/X has way too many bots and trolls now.
See below the moment when I decided to stop using Twitter/X (this was when we were promoting @dlevenstein.bsky.social's paper).
No, I don't think so. A lot of computational neuroscience, historically, was concerned with biophysical models, which I would not call ANNs, even in the more general sense.
So, really, it's about the level of abstraction (see this figure from our neuroconnectionism paper):
So, really, it's about the level of abstraction (see this figure from our neuroconnectionism paper):
November 21, 2024 at 6:28 PM
No, I don't think so. A lot of computational neuroscience, historically, was concerned with biophysical models, which I would not call ANNs, even in the more general sense.
So, really, it's about the level of abstraction (see this figure from our neuroconnectionism paper):
So, really, it's about the level of abstraction (see this figure from our neuroconnectionism paper):
Fin/ Obviously, disciplinary boundaries are blurry, and I don't want to gate-keep anyone (e.g. telling people they're not allowed to call their research NeuroAI). But, I personally like this definition, and I think it provides the appropriate links to the lineage and philosophy of this new field.
November 21, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Fin/ Obviously, disciplinary boundaries are blurry, and I don't want to gate-keep anyone (e.g. telling people they're not allowed to call their research NeuroAI). But, I personally like this definition, and I think it provides the appropriate links to the lineage and philosophy of this new field.
4/ I think the proper definition is that #NeuroAI is the realization of the original promise of cybernetics and connectionism!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberne...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...
It is a general science of intelligence focussed on parallel distributed systems, control, and learning.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberne...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...
It is a general science of intelligence focussed on parallel distributed systems, control, and learning.
November 21, 2024 at 4:20 PM
4/ I think the proper definition is that #NeuroAI is the realization of the original promise of cybernetics and connectionism!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberne...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...
It is a general science of intelligence focussed on parallel distributed systems, control, and learning.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberne...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...
It is a general science of intelligence focussed on parallel distributed systems, control, and learning.
3/ The more practical answer is that it is research that either (1) uses ANNs and models at similar levels of abstraction to understand the brain, or (2) uses neuroscience ideas to try and improve the ANNs used in AI. But, I think this definition, though more concrete, hides the real philosophy.
November 21, 2024 at 4:20 PM
3/ The more practical answer is that it is research that either (1) uses ANNs and models at similar levels of abstraction to understand the brain, or (2) uses neuroscience ideas to try and improve the ANNs used in AI. But, I think this definition, though more concrete, hides the real philosophy.
2/ The usual answer that people give is that it's "research that creates a virtuous cycle between neuroscience and AI". I've given this definition as well, in the past, but if forced, I would admit that it's fairly vacuous as a definition.
November 21, 2024 at 4:20 PM
2/ The usual answer that people give is that it's "research that creates a virtuous cycle between neuroscience and AI". I've given this definition as well, in the past, but if forced, I would admit that it's fairly vacuous as a definition.
Also we covered this in the paper, in another figure (below). Note that we specifically identify the level of abstraction of the model as being the central concern for the research program.
November 20, 2024 at 7:55 PM
Also we covered this in the paper, in another figure (below). Note that we specifically identify the level of abstraction of the model as being the central concern for the research program.
Post you from a different era.
Dressed the same, but no beard, and still a reasonable amount of hair on my head. 🥲
Dressed the same, but no beard, and still a reasonable amount of hair on my head. 🥲
November 20, 2024 at 7:05 PM
Post you from a different era.
Dressed the same, but no beard, and still a reasonable amount of hair on my head. 🥲
Dressed the same, but no beard, and still a reasonable amount of hair on my head. 🥲
For the record, this figure is more complete:
November 19, 2024 at 4:37 PM
For the record, this figure is more complete:
Quote with your Kids in the Hall role model:
My life growing in the 90's up was basically Bower's... right down to my mom and I commiserating whenever the usual late-August weed drought emerged in Toronto.
My life growing in the 90's up was basically Bower's... right down to my mom and I commiserating whenever the usual late-August weed drought emerged in Toronto.
October 29, 2024 at 7:59 PM
Quote with your Kids in the Hall role model:
My life growing in the 90's up was basically Bower's... right down to my mom and I commiserating whenever the usual late-August weed drought emerged in Toronto.
My life growing in the 90's up was basically Bower's... right down to my mom and I commiserating whenever the usual late-August weed drought emerged in Toronto.
September 6, 2024 at 7:38 PM