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Alexandra Olteanu

@aolteanu.bsky.social
1.8K followers 498 following 88 posts

Ethical/Responsible AI. Rigor in AI. Grumpy eastern european in north america. Lovingly nitpicky. www.aolteanu.com

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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
As we have discussions about e.g., “authorship quotas” for conferences and “authorship when using LLMs” it may also be worth thinking about how each of us approaches what authorship should entail. A few thoughts about how I think about this:
scholarly-things.leaflet.pub
On (co-)authorship
TL;DR — Authorship requires both earning it and being able to defend the work.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Congratulations Emma!!! you look wonderful and very happy!
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
So what do AI evaluations do or should do? Wrote a brief reflection about prototypical questions evaluations often try to answer and why it is useful to have clarity about what exactly one is trying to learn about some phenomenon of interest. rigor-in-ai.leaflet.pub/3ms4ax4sojs2j
rigor-in-ai.leaflet.pub
Back-to-basics: so what do evaluations do
TL;DR — Developing useful evaluations requires clarity about what exactly one is trying to learn about a phenomenon of interest.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Thank you! I haven't read it either, but I will!
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Wrote another brief post motivated by a reflection on how in AI research folks might not fully appreciate the care that working with unobservable constructs requires. TL;DR -- Because unobservable constructs hold ‘surplus meaning,’ your metric is not your construct.
rigor-in-ai.leaflet.pub
Back-to-basics: unobservable constructs and their ‘surplus meaning’
TL;DR — Because unobservable constructs hold ‘surplus meaning,’ your metric is not your construct.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Ohh, by format I was mostly thinking of this sort of brief blog/newsletter like posts on specific concerns/concepts that are top of mind for me. I like leaflet and it is easy to use. I am however kind of sadden by the lack of platforms that can serve as good 3rd palaces. I miss academic twitter :(
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I'm experimenting with this format, but I'll see if I stick with it
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Wrote a brief reflection on poor conceptualizations in AI work and why they matter, something I believe is so startlingly neglected. TL;DR - Poor conceptual foundations can severely undermine the credibility and reliability of knowledge claims.
rigor-in-ai.leaflet.pub
Back-to-basics: on poor conceptualizations in AI work
TL;DR — Poor conceptual foundations can severely undermine the credibility and reliability of knowledge claims. (And, no, your metric is not your construct.)
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
thank you @mariaa.bsky.social and @leaflet.pub -- I am going to try it out!
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Thank you, this makes sense! I think for now I am looking for the easiest thing to set up. I also just learned about substack's links to some problematic groups. So that alone makes me look elsewhere. Some folks suggested ghost and buttondown as possibly better alternatives.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I'm thinking about writing brief reflections on a few topics (mainly from my own attempts to gain clarity about research practices I find concerning). I'm thinking about using medium, but I see many folks use substack. Are there other platforms? What's your reasoning for using a certain platform?
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I have a foolproof way to make sure that your papers contain absolutely no fake references . . . . . read the papers you cite.
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minaremeli.bsky.social @minaremeli.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Come meet me at the last poster session at ICML if you are interested in chatting about LLM evaluation and pairwise comparisons! I will be presenting joint work with my advisor (Moritz Hardt). Thu Jul 9, 5:00 PM – 6:45 PM KST, Hall A (#4411) arxiv.org/abs/2606.09409
arxiv.org
Correct Looks Better: Pairwise Comparisons Reveal Accuracy Rankings
Pairwise comparisons combined with aggregation methods like Elo have become central to evaluating generative models, yet concerns remain that they reward superficial stylistic cues or display judge bi...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
So often folks conflate outputs with outcomes; in most settings, the system outputs are different than the outcomes of interest.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Those are not the same. Optimizing for publishing papers does not necessarily correlate with either more science or a clear understanding of what the science means. At least IMHO. <end of rant>
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Sometimes it feels like some folks are losing the plot about what the goal of publishing research actually is. The goal is certainly not meant to be the productions of papers, but rather the production and communication of science.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
thank you for this Alexander ♥️ I am happy we got to work together!
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
thank you for the kind words Angela!
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
If you want to chat about anything from research, impact, etc please do reach out! I will also soon likely start looking for short term sabbatical/visiting-like opportunities; so if you know of any such opportunities please do reach out as well.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
It will take a minute for me to grieve and rest. I think it might also be the time for me to update my personal website, which has remained frozen in the summer of 2018. In the next period I am also hoping to gain some perspective, and have chats with folks.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
... early work on foreseeing adverse impacts and performing impact assessments, and so much more. If you work on anything related to these topics you have likely read some of our work. This short video offers an overview of our more recent work on anthropomorphic AI systems: youtu.be/ZnLFDKX0KME?...
youtu.be
Dehumanizing machines: Making sense of AI systems that seem human
YouTube video by Microsoft Research
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
... early work on evaluating text generation systems (e.g., autocomplete, smartreply) and understanding the ways in which such systems can fail (aka red teaming), early work on evaluating the quality of benchmarks and foregrounding critical construct validity issues, ...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
This includes some of the earliest work showcasing how a lack of conceptual clarity about the constructs under use when evaluating, building, or deploying AI systems hinders our ability to reliably operationalize or measure those constructs, ...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I also had the fortune to work with some of the most wonderful students and colleagues, and our little team has done so much rigorous, foundational work over the last 7+ years.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I joined as one of the first hires on the FATE Montreal team. When I found myself in the position of rebuilding the team a few years later, I poured my soul into doing so; this team has meant enormously to me.I am immensely proud of the work we've done over the years & of the impact our work has had
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Yesterday was my last day at MSR. We recently learned that our roles were eliminated, and with them our little FATE Montreal team. I joined MSR a bit over 7.5 years ago while on active chemotherapy, and being at MSR has overlapped with so much change in my life.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
The deadline for the 2026 FAccT DC is next Tuesday, February 24! If you are a student working on topics relevant to the FAccT's scope, this is an opportunity to interact with a diverse set of peers and mentors! #facct2026 #facct26 #facct Details here: facctconference.org/2026/callfor...
facctconference.org
ACM FAccT 2026 Doctoral Colloquium Call for Applications
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
The deadline for the 2026 FAccT DC is next Tuesday, February 24! If you are a student working on topics relevant to the FAccT's scope, this is an opportunity to interact with a diverse set of peers and mentors! #facct2026 #facct26 #facct Details here: facctconference.org/2026/callfor...
facctconference.org
ACM FAccT 2026 Doctoral Colloquium Call for Applications
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
We are hoping to see applications from and bring together a diverse group of students across multiple disciplinary areas! If you are a graduate student and interested in FAccT’s scope, the Doctoral Colloquium is for you! #facct2026 #facct26
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
📣 It's again that time of the year 🤩 - our internship call for the FATE team @ MSR Montreal and our collaborators is now up! 🎉🎉 We are broadly looking for candidates interested in perceptions, evaluation, uses, and impacts of AI! #FAccT #FAccT2025 #CHI2025 #NeurIPS2025 #ACL2025
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Interested in any of these areas? Apply here: apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
If you are interested in conceptual clarity, construct validity, benchmarks, and/or anthropomorphic AI behavior, design, or impacts you should consider applying! 🤩 If you are interested in consent and ownership frameworks for AI artifacts, I would really love to talk to you! 😍
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
📣 It's again that time of the year 🤩 - our internship call for the FATE team @ MSR Montreal and our collaborators is now up! 🎉🎉 We are broadly looking for candidates interested in perceptions, evaluation, uses, and impacts of AI! #FAccT #FAccT2025 #CHI2025 #NeurIPS2025 #ACL2025
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
@zey.bsky.social's paper and talk at ICWSM'14 (my first ICWSM!) shaped my thinking on issues around data/technology and the type of problems I still spend my time working on/thinking about. Can't think of a better keynote speaker for my first NeurIPS.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
On my way to @neuripsconf.bsky.social -- this is my first time at #NeurIPS and looking forward to seeing folks and presenting our paper on Rigor in AI. Do find me if you want to chat about rigor in AI, anthropomorphic AI, or evaluations #NeurIPS2025
Screenshot of the first page of the paper titled "rigor in ai: doing rigorous AI work requires a broader, responsible AI-informed conception of rigor"
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Lucy Li @lucy3.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
It's the season for PhD apps!! 🥧 🦃 ☃️ ❄️ Apply to Wisconsin CS to research - Societal impact of AI - NLP ←→ CSS and cultural analytics - Computational sociolinguistics - Human-AI interaction - Culturally competent and inclusive NLP with me! lucy3.github.io/prospective-...
A staircase in the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences building at Wisconsin Madison. Tan wood structures surround tapestry art and a small indoor garden.A view from above of the staircases in the Wisconsin CDIS building An shot from below of winding wooden staircases and a glass atrium rooftop. The new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences building at Wisconsin Madison. A bicolor white cat with seal-colored markings, looking upwards with big wide dark eyes.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Unexpected (amount of) snow day
Snow on the balcony
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Michael Ekstrand @md.ekstrandom.net · 07/11/2025
Our forthcoming NeurIPS position paper, led by @aolteanu.bsky.social, makes this argument (along with several related ones) in more depth. Rigorous AI/ML work should flow from explicit and rigorous premises, not just have a final evaluation that checks some rigor boxes. arxiv.org/abs/2506.14652
arxiv.org
Rigor in AI: Doing Rigorous AI Work Requires a Broader, Responsible AI-Informed Conception of Rigor
In AI research and practice, rigor remains largely understood in terms of methodological rigor -- such as whether mathematical, statistical, or computational methods are correctly applied. We argue th...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I wish folks would use more precise terminology than "AI sycophancy." Not all validating behaviours/interactions are sycophantic. By definition, for them to be sycophantic there needs to be an underlying intention to e.g., gain advantage or favour. Intention is something AI systems do not have.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Love this analogy
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Perhaps not as much about how real is or is not, but this is a paper that substantially shaped my views on this topic (I have also been surprised at times about how different folks' conceptualizations of reproducibility can be) cs.uwaterloo.ca/~brecht/cour...
cs.uwaterloo.ca
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
As we prepare the camera-ready version of this paper, I am also reflecting on how to make this work handier and more useful: rigor cards to make the different facets of rigor easier to grasp? workshops to provide a forum for discussion and debates? something else that would be helpful to you?
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
This was accepted to #NeurIPS 🎉🎊 TL;DR Impoverished notions of rigor can have a formative impact on AI work. We argue for a broader conception of what rigorous work should entail & go beyond methodological issues to include epistemic, normative, conceptual, reporting & interpretative considerations
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Dr. Chinasa T. Okolo @chinasa.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
"Epistemic rigor, however, does not necessarily require specific epistemological commitments or choices but rather that those commitments and choices be made explicit." www.arxiv.org/abs/2506.14652
arxiv.org
Rigor in AI: Doing Rigorous AI Work Requires a Broader, Responsible AI-Informed Conception of Rigor
In AI research and practice, rigor remains largely understood in terms of methodological rigor -- such as whether mathematical, statistical, or computational methods are correctly applied. We argue th...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Not sure if it has what you need or if they are still collecting but this might be worth checking out archive.org/details/twit...
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Listening to a workshop panel at #acl2025 I am realizing that we are saying more or less the same things and having more or less the same conversations for so many years
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
#acl2025 I think there is plenty of evidence for the risks of anthropomorphic AI behavior and design (re: keynote) -- find @myra.bsky.social and I if you want to chat more about this or our "Dehumanizing Machines" ACL 2025 paper
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Melanie Mitchell @melaniemitchell.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
In a stunning moment of self-delusion, the Wall Street Journal headline writers admitted that they don't know how LLM chatbots work.
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Alexandra Olteanu @aolteanu.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Who is attending @aclmeeting.bsky.social in Vienna? Reach out or find me there if you want to chat! #acl2025nlp
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Luke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
My university has announced a fund to essentially poach doctoral students from US institutions. DM me if you do work on the history/social impacts of AI and are interested in being poached 😂
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