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melaniemitchell.bsky.social
Professor, Santa Fe Institute. Research on AI, cognitive science, and complex systems. Website: https://melaniemitchell.me Substack: https://aiguide.substack.com/
237 posts 20,730 followers 361 following
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Posts 34 Comments 16

LOL, The Onion has outdone itself! Oh, wait... www.nydailynews.com/2025/02/20/t...

submitted 15 hours ago • 1 comment

The big AI story of the past 6 months is: Companies now claim that their AI models are capable of genuine reasoning. And the big question is: Is that true? I found that the best answer lies in between hype and skepticism. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

X-tortion.

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

I rarely dunk, but this is exactly why @mjcrockett.bsky.social and I write about /illusions/ of understanding in our paper about AI and knowledge production.

submitted 2 days ago • 4 comments

Join us! Science Homecoming helps scientists reconnect with communities by writing about the importance of science funding in their hometown newspapers. We’ve mapped every small newspaper in the U.S. and provide resources to get you started. Help science get back home 🧪🔬🧬 🏠 sciencehomecoming.com

submitted 5 days ago • 32 comments

Appreciating this clue in today's WaPo crossword. Crossword creators, welcome to the resistance.

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

Much appreciation for Kai Ryssdal here 🔥

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Do large language models develop "emergent" models of the world? My latest Substack posts explore this claim and more generally the nature of "world models": LLMs and World Models, Part 1: aiguide.substack.com/p/llms-and-w... LLMs and World Models, Part 2: aiguide.substack.com/p/llms-and-w...

submitted 9 days ago • 15 comments

Re-upping: Please share with anyone who might be interested!

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

I have work to do but I'm distracted by watching US scientific progress & leadership being irreversibly undermined because a few unelected malcontents are penalizing researchers for following legal requirements set out by congressional orders to augment basic research with benefits to society.

submitted 11 days ago • 95 comments

Very much looking forward to this symposium with an amazing line-up www.naturalphilosophyhopkins.org/natural-phil...

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

👏

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

My new one is up. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

submitted 13 days ago • 49 comments

Dispatch from Silicon Valley: the narrative of "AI as Oracle" is everywhere. Writing in Nature Machine Intelligence, I updated the Delphic maxims to help us cut through the hype: 1. Know thy training data 2. Nothing in excess 3. Certainty brings ruin www.crockettlab.org/s/s42256-024...

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments

My wish: That every scientist who is passionately advocating for science here will take their same message and also broadcast it in some other venue. We need to get the message out to those who haven’t yet heard it (and are not yet convinced). Please consider it 🙏

submitted 13 days ago • 5 comments

Important thread. Read to the end. “The goal is to destroy US universities. ⬇️

submitted 15 days ago • 3 comments

caveat eggtor 👀 www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

Does anyone know of a petition or open letter being organized for scientists to protest against the Trump wrecking ball being aimed at our funding agencies? We need something signed by massive numbers of researchers.

submitted 16 days ago • 5 comments

Back in July when I said "I fear Elon Musk more than Skynet", I didn't realize how soon he would try to become Skynet himself. From www.elmundo.es/la-lectura/2...

submitted 16 days ago • 2 comments

Since yesterday, this site seems to have been....modified

submitted 17 days ago • 2 comments

The 50501 Movement—or 50 states, 50 protests, one day—is garnering support throughout social media over its plan to stage demonstrations across the nation to "fight Fascism" on February 5. You can find your state location for protesting tomorrow here: www.newsweek.com/50-states-an...

submitted 19 days ago • 15 comments

TODAY: Meet @moveon.org and us at the Treasury building to rally against Elon Musk’s hostile takeover. It’s time to tell this unelected billionaire to get his hands off our money. 👇

submitted 19 days ago • 59 comments

How much longer will this be up? new.nsf.gov/funding/init...

submitted 19 days ago • 3 comments

NEW: We obtained the directions NSF program officers are following to review all grants for compliance with the Trump EOs and the turmoil it has created in an agency mandated to broaden STEM participation. Our story: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

submitted 19 days ago • 14 comments

“Is it rude to keep asking why you are a kid?” Severance, Season 2

submitted 19 days ago • 3 comments

Just called my senators' and congressional rep.'s offices in DC, & read this message to polite staffers: "I urge you to do everything in your power to stop the illegal attempts of Trump and Elon Musk to shut down USAID." It's worth keeping their numbers handy. Going to be a long 4 years.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Sen. Raskin: We need people all over the US to be calling their representatives demanding that this illegal closure (or USAID) be overturned.

submitted 19 days ago • 9 comments

They are now trying to enter the building. Cameras are following them.

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

They're now trying to go into the building.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Live coverage of Senators and House Reps speaking outside USAID: www.youtube.com/watch?v=stI7...

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

So many protest/senate office visit events registered here. You can find one and jump in! www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Indivisible is urging people to visit their senators' local offices between now and Thursday to demand that they use every tool—including denying a quorum and blocking unanimous consent—to fight the confirmation of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought for head of OMB docs.google.com/document/d/1...

submitted 20 days ago • 539 comments

"Computers seem to be getting smarter at an alarming rate, but one thing they still can’t do is appreciate irony." From "Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans", 2019. Still true?

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

if a major politician held an emergency rally about the current ongoing coup by the richest man in the world, I think people would go to it. Shit is well and truly fucked. I can think of a couple of people who should do that right now.

submitted 22 days ago • 659 comments