iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity. TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation
First, clarity on distinguishing AIs:
Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem
As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use).
Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work
Generative: ChatGPT & Co.
You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content.
Why is this delegation of work problematic?
3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement.

(Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.)

1) AI and ethics
Mass theft of all and everything
«learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators.
Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …):
«correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted).
In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes.

2) AI and (un)sustainability

Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI.
Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs.
Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry.
Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development.

3) AI and intellectual engagement

First, what learning is (or should be) about:
The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge,
But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain.
The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations
This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI.
Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all.
They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS.
If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.

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NguyenKhang @johnnykcage.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

🦕 COMMISSIONS OPEN 🦖 Hi, I’m Khang, a freelance illustrator and paleoartist who enjoys creating art of the extinct world. I’d love to help you bring your projects to life! Feel free to ask me questions in DM or contact @hongducnguyen.bsky.social (My English isn’t the best sorry!) #commissionopen

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NguyenKhang @johnnykcage.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Quetzalcoatlus in traditional Vietnamese art style #paleoart #quetzalcoatlus

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Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

My poster on the life appearance of Megalosaurus, as presented at SVPCA 2024. A paper on this, and the history of M. reconstructions, is currently in the system and should (hopefully!) be published later this year. Posting this in the interim as a poss. useful #paleoart reference. #Sciart #dinosaur

A text-heavy poster detailing what we might predict about the life appearance of the medium-large predatory dinosaur Megalosaurus. Various reconstructions abound, with a timeline of historic interpretations on the left, the oldest known life reconstruction of Megalosaurus in the top right, and my own reconstructions in the middle and bottom.

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Raph @raphodraws.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

ask and you shall receive I guess 🫡

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Wilbur @hongducnguyen.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

“I dreamt I was a butterfly. I couldn’t tell I was dreaming. But when I woke, I was I and not a butterfly. Was I dreaming that I was the butterfly, or was the butterfly dreaming that it was me?” #books #booksky #bookworm

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Natalia (娜塔莉) @wrycritic.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

A pop-science article I wrote for The Conversation, finally a news source that listens to the sources (scientists) and allows citations to claims! We need more of this!

theconversation.com

How ancient flying reptiles ruled the skies – new research

Pterosaurs may help inspire future technology.

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Maija Karala @maijakarala.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

In the early Permian, a little less than 300 million years ago, life on land was rich and diverse, but most of the animals were still a bit... goofy. A scene from Texas Red Beds, with Eryops chasing after a Platyhystrix, with various flora and invertebates from the formation.

An illustration of a large, salamander-like Eryops comically running after a sail-backed amphibian Platyhystrix in a forest landscape with ferns, mosses and fungi. There are large flying insects in the air and cockroaches and millipedes in the foreground.

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Ian Rennie @theangelremiel.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

just from a folklore point of view, "attractive hooded man kills billionaire head of hated business with bullets inscribed with political slogans and then vanishes" is narratively breathtaking

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Pablo Rivera @pablonotpicasso.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

A Pteranodon makes a miscalculation in the ocean over Kansas 85 million years ago. Some process images in the thread below! #paleoart #paleoaky #pteranodon #tylosaurus

A painting showing an underwater view of a Pteranodon diving underwater in pursuit of fish, only to come face to face with the marine reptile, Tylosaurus.

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Ochi of Brocktoon @anatotitan.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Day 4 of #ArtAdventCalendar: Centrosaurus Canyon, from a few years ago. Adobe Illustrator. 🐡🎨🦖

A scene of a horned Centrosaurus dinosaur browsing vegetation beside a mountain stream

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N D Hill @ndhill.bsky.social · 31/12/2023

My first post on BlueSky. This is an illustration I painted in #procreate on my #IpadPro . Depicted are a few #dinosaur from the Morison formation. #stegosaurus and #allosaurus .

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Wilbur @hongducnguyen.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

It’s not a turkey, but close enough

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Amber Bellomio @digitalduck.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

T.rex enjoying a patch of sunlight. From 2019, I want to make an updated version someday

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Wilbur @hongducnguyen.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

I don’t care how good Arcane is I will NOT be seduced into watching a show based on freaking league of legends

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Wilbur @hongducnguyen.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Quote this with your most kudos’d #AO3 fic ✨ My very first contribution to #Benrius nation 🦕. To think it's already been 3 years! archiveofourown.org/works/33327295

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Brennan Stokkermans @brennanstokkermans.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

An old poster design I never ended up using for anything

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Xerea 💙☕ VTuber @xerea.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Remember those who have been killed, injured, abused, tortured for being who they are. Remember those who have taken their own lives because they could not live in a world where they could not be themselves. Remember them. And make the world remember them.

Light blue, pink, and white candles on a black background, arranged in the order of the Transgender Pride flag. Beneath, the text "TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE NOVEMBER 20" is displayed.

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Wilbur @hongducnguyen.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

One piece fans defending the misogynistic porny artstyle with their lives then turning around to shame cosplayers emulating that same style with never not be hilarious

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SuzyQ @suzyqfit4u.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Family includes everyone! ❤️

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