Notices by Prof. Emily M. Bender(she/her) (emilymbender@dair-community.social), page 5

Each time we refuse, we make it easier for others (and ourselves) to refuse again. We can also make positive statements about what we value: authenticity, accountability, human connection, and credit where credit is due (e.g. to artists for their work).

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AI is good for … democracy?

@alex and I think not. But of course the hypemongers would try this angle too giving us great fodder for the next Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 livestream:

Monday, December 1, noon Pacific
https://twitch.tv/dair_institute

Join us tomorrow!

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When self-professed defenders of workers’ rights are turning to chatbots for “research”, we’ve got a problem.

Join us for the next Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 live stream, in which @alex and I will investigate some recent disappointments in labor research together with Sophie Song:

Monday, Nov 17, noon PT,
https://twitch.tv/dair_institute

I appreciate the work of these authors to show that this problem not only is still here but has grown:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ai-chatgpt-test-smart-capabilities-may-exaggerated-flawed-study-rcna241969

But it is also quite frustrating.

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Coming up in Seattle (and live streaming). Registration:

https://www.washington.edu/lectures/events/the-ai-con-book-talk-presented-by-the-office-of-public-lectures/

w/@alex

Ever get the sense that AI boosters seem to take all the wrong lessons from speculative fiction?

Join us for the next Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 live stream, in which @alex and I get to dig into all of that with @roseveleth !

Monday, September 29, noon Pacific
https://twitch.tv/dair_institute

This is long, but worth it. Some choice quotes:
https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-51/the-intellectual-situation/large-language-muddle/

"Not only is the ratio of AI’s resource rapacity to its productive utility indefensibly and irremediably skewed, AI-made material is itself a waste product: flimsy, shoddy, disposable, a single-use plastic of the mind."

Two more >>

"The way out of AI hell is not to regroup around our treasured flaws and beautiful frailties, but to launch a frontal assault. AI, not the human mind, is the weak, narrow, crude machine."

"[R]esisting AI’s further creep into intellectual labor will also require blunt-force militancy. The steps are simple. Don’t publish AI bullshit. Don’t even publish mealymouthed essays about the temptation to produce AI bullshit."

I appreciated the chance to talk with Kathryn Jezer-Morton for this article. It's unfortunate that we have to deal with Big Tech's messes everywhere, including in our own families, but given that, I'm glad for a chance to help people think this through.

https://www.thecut.com/article/brooding-how-to-talk-to-kids-about-ai-advice.html

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That said, I wanted to provide a couple of corrections. When I problematize the term "AI", the goal is to get people to stop using it. "Many tools that use AI" doesn't mean anything. "Many tools that are sold as 'AI'" is okay. But more importantly: those study-aid podcasts systems are TRASH and nothing like automatic transcription tools.

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Automatic transcription takes an audio signal and produces text. It's reasonably clear how to evaluate how well those systems work, both systematically (should we use this system for our purposes?) and in a particular use (is that really what was in the audio?).

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The same is absolutely not true for Google's NotebookLM which takes in academic articles and outputs something that sounds like a podcast. It is much harder to evaluate that in general, and especially difficult in the particular case. Having listened to a fake podcast about a paper will undoubtedly shape how you perceive the paper, if you even take the time to go read the paper itself.

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In early July, I had the opporunity to discuss The AI Con with @Kobotic at RMIT. ABC is presenting part of that conversation in their programme "Big Ideas" on Tuesday Sept 2:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/bigideas/the-ai-con-hype-machine-emily-m-bender/105669726

Some reflections from #WorldCon on how to talk to friends about "AI"

https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/how-to-keep-friends-and-influence-people-away/

<3 this review of The AI Con, not least for the phrase "Slopholm Syndrome"

https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/opinion/2025-08-17-never-mind-the-botlickers-ai-is-just-normal-technology/

We're going to need journalists to stop talking about synthetic text extruding machines as if they have *thoughts* or *stances* that they are *trying* to *communicate*. ChatGPT can't *admit* anything, nor *self-report*. Gah.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-chatbot-psychology-manic-episodes-57452d14

Fantastic news out of Tucson!

None of this is inevitable. Not "AI", not data centers, not the surrendering of public water resources, not the handing over of electrical grid priorities to big tech

https://azluminaria.org/2025/08/06/tucson-city-council-rejects-project-blue-amid-intense-community-pressure/

Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, Episode 59: "Et Tu, American Federation of Teachers?"

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/episodes/17583296-et-tu-american-federation-of-teachers-with-charles-logan-2025-07-14

In which Charles Logan joins me and @alex to wade through the neverending sludge of hype around "AI" in education --- and to discuss what we can do about it.

Thx to Christie Taylor for production!

Also available on PeerTube!

https://peertube.dair-institute.org/w/rawMsrLdNTVhpC5BNRfDBc

A strong statement of resistance to the relentless marketing of "AI" in education spaces. I encourage all educators to have a look and consider signing on:

https://openletter.earth/an-open-letter-from-educators-who-refuse-the-call-to-adopt-genai-in-education-cb4aee75