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Melissa Heikkilä

@melissahei.bsky.social
3.7K followers 627 following 26 posts

AI Correspondent at the Financial Times. Formerly senior reporter for AI at MIT Technology Review

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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 28/01/2026
It’s the AI start-up dream. After years of slog, Nvidia offers a $500mn investment. No-brainer? Not if you’re Hugging Face. The FT reveals today the group rejected the offer in a sign of the growing divide over what, exactly, AI should be. An #FTEdit 🧵 on the “anti Silicon Valley” AI company 👇
A quote on a beige background reads: “Everybody’s running manically towards… this extreme version of AI superintelligence. The Hugging Face guys … have a much, much more pragmatic view of this technology.” — John Borthwick, Hugging Face’s first investor.A quote on a beige background reads: “[Open models] contribute to democratising AI, to fighting concentration of power which is, in my opinion, the biggest risk in AI.” — Clem Delangue, Hugging Face co-founder and chief executive.
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Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 23/09/2025
A cool use of AI in newsgathering, this. US companies are talking more and more about the risks rather than the benefits of AI in their SEC filings (while still being super-optimistic in earnings calls). By @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news & @claradoodle.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e93e...
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John Thornhill @johnthornhill.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Is AI revolutionising the workplace? Maybe not (yet). “When we spoke to executives, they would often say the internal tool was very successful... But when we spoke to employees, we found zero usage.” @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news @claradoodle.bsky.social on.ft.com/4pBm97R
on.ft.com
America’s top companies keep talking about AI — but can’t explain the upsides
[FREE TO READ] FT analysis of hundreds of filings suggest the S&P 500 businesses are clearer about the risks than benefits
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Stephan Geering @stephangeering.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Good FT article (£) by @melissahei.bsky.social on bias in medical AI tools on.ft.com/3IuZ5qz
on.ft.com
AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities
Large language models reflect biases that can lead to inferior healthcare advice to female, Black and Asian patients
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Helsinki Security Forum @helsinkisecurityforum.fi · 19/09/2025
At #HSF2025 opening session, President Alexander Stubb emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in an interview with @melissahei.bsky.social. First should come a ceasefire—then a lasting peace, built with global support.
President Alexander Stubb on stage with Melissa Heikkilä.President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki Security Forum 2025.
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Rob Winder @robwinder.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Biology is not easy, by @hannahkuchler.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social
ft.com
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
A generation of start-ups have failed to live up to the hype. Executives are now betting that more powerful tools will crack the complexities of human biology
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Rob Blackie @robblackie.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs? "We know surprisingly little about our own biology" and so there isn't really enough data to train models. Insightful from @melissahei.bsky.social & @hannahkuchler.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/9a8a...
ft.com
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs?
A generation of start-ups have failed to live up to the hype. Executives are now betting that more powerful tools will crack the complexities of human biology
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 04/09/2025
Why AI labs struggle to stop chatbots talking to teenagers about suicide on.ft.com/46kogVY 📊 Tell us what you think in today's FT Edit poll: on.ft.com/41Yrg87
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Margaret Mitchell @mmitchell.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
🙀Have we reached AGI?? 🙀 💛 Really grateful to @financialtimes.com and the incredible journalist @melissahei.bsky.social, who gave me space to talk about “AGI” (vs AI, vs ML) and where we’re headed. Link here!! www.ft.com/content/7089...
ft.com
Margaret Mitchell: artificial general intelligence is ‘just vibes and snake oil’
One of the pioneers of AI ethics explains why human needs should be the central driver in the development of the technology
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Florent Daudens @fdaudens.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Fascinating discussion in the FT btw @mmitchell.bsky.social and @melissahei.bsky.social about AGI: "AGI as a whole is just a super problematic concept that provides an air of objectivity and positivity, when, in fact, it’s opening the door for technologists to just do whatever they want."
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Charlie Beckett @charliebeckett.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
This is a very clear, balanced article on the future of so-called AGI by @melissahei.bsky.social‬ - marketing trick or scientific goal? www.ft.com/content/d20e...
ft.com
Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence
It has been tipped as the next big breakthrough out of Silicon Valley, but is it a scientific goal — or a marketing buzzword?
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Silicon Valley is obsessed with AGI. But depending on who you ask, AGI is either a scientific goal, a religion or "vibes and snake oil." So I wanted to know—what exactly is AGI? And why we're unlikely to see it anytime soon. on.ft.com/3TwogLi
on.ft.com
Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence
It has been tipped as the next big breakthrough out of Silicon Valley, but is it a scientific goal — or a marketing buzzword?
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Florent Daudens @fdaudens.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
The sycophancy problem in one line, courtesy of @giadapistilli.com Really interesting piece by @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/72aa...
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
“What futures are being created through these technologies—and are these the futures you want?” Such a pleasure to speak with @financialtimes.com @melissahei.bsky.social about AI, power, and keeping grounded and evidence based amongst hype, hope and fear. www.ft.com/content/c572... 🧵
ft.com
Ada Lovelace Institute’s Gaia Marcus: regulation would increase people’s comfort with AI
The head of the UK-based think-tank talks about her hopes and fears for future oversight of AI
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Scoop: In the race to dominate the burgeoning AI industry, DeepMind has made publishing papers on generative AI "almost impossible" and "cares more about product and less about getting research results out for the general public good,” according to current and former employees. on.ft.com/4l8Tepk
on.ft.com
DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race
[FREE TO READ] Google’s AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Janosch Delcker @janoschdelcker.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
“I cannot imagine us putting out the transformer papers for general use now,” said one current researcher. Great reporting by @melissahei.bsky.social & Stephen Morris
ft.com
DeepMind slows down research releases to keep competitive edge in AI race
[FREE TO READ] Google’s AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach
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Barbara Moens @bmoens.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Architects of the EU’s landmark artificial intelligence act have urged Brussels in a letter to halt “dangerous” moves to water down the upcoming AI code of practice. With @melissahei.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/9051...
ft.com
EU lawmakers warn against ‘dangerous’ moves to water down AI rules
European Commission considers softening parts of law that could spare Big Tech from key elements
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
On my first day as the @financialtimes.com new AI reporter, the stock market crashed and Silicon Valley freaked out about DeepSeek's AI model. 😅 But what exactly was DeepSeek's breakthrough? I read their research paper. Here's why it's a big deal: enterprise-sharing.ft.com/redeem/94db9...
enterprise-sharing.ft.com
DeepSeek’s ‘aha moment’ creates new way to build powerful AI with less money
[FREE TO READ] Chinese artificial intelligence group’s use of ‘reinforcement learning’ and ‘small language models’ leads to breakthroughs
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Got some personal news! Last week was my last one at @technologyreview.com. I've adored the team and my nearly three years there, but it's time for a new adventure.  I'm very excited to announce that on January 27, I’ll be joining the @financialtimes.com as their new AI Correspondent. Can't wait!
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Dorothea Baur - the ethics crusader @dorotheabaur.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Data is not a "naturally occurring resource", but "something that is created through particular processes” S. Myers West. These processes are dominated by Big Tech -> AI models are very asymmetrical in terms of access & representation. @melissahei.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
technologyreview.com
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Stories like this make me love science even more. Fascinating story by @jesshamzelou.bsky.social about how digital twins of our bodies could be our own personal guinea pigs for testing out medicines before we subject our real bodies to them. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/19/1...
technologyreview.com
Digital twins of human organs are here. They’re set to transform medical treatment.
The models can be used to plan surgeries and in the future could be used to help trial new drugs.
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Giada Pistilli @giadapistilli.com · 19/12/2024
Just shared my thoughts with @technologyreview.com on AI's data problem. With most training data coming from English-language sources, we're building AI systems that perpetuate a Western-centric worldview. Data diversity isn't a checkbox: it determines how AI systems represent daily life globally.
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Shayne Longpre @shaynelongpre.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Thank you @melissahei.bsky.social for covering the Data Provenance Initiative's new study on 🌟 Multimodal data 🌟. Our study finds: - A concentration of data power - Western-centricity isn't improving for 10+ years Read more! www.dataprovenance.org/Multimodal_D...
dataprovenance.org
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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Data isn’t a naturally occurring resource; it’s shaped by the intentions and design of those collecting it - this means that tech firms’ advantage in data collection reshapes infrastructures in their own interests. Read more in this really critical piece by @melissahei.bsky.social:
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Yacine Jernite @yjernite.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Hehe been shouting this from the rooftops for a while now 🙃 Concentration of data deals and unaccountable uses of interaction and uploaded data by AI providers (incl. through their other services) are as much a threat to AI governance as compute concentration, and they're a lot more insidious...
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Felix M. Simon @felixsimon.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Great story by @melissahei.bsky.social et al on data use in AI training — with this graphic of particular interest to news publishers (because it shows an estimated proportion of news content vs other content)
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
New research reveals a worrying trend: AI's data practices risk concentrating power overwhelmingly in the hands of dominant technology companies. With analysis from @shaynelongpre.bsky.social @sarahooker.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @giadapistilli.com www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
technologyreview.com
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Niall Firth @niallfirth.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies - new today from @melissahei.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/18/1...
technologyreview.com
This is where the data to build AI comes from
New findings show how the sources of data are concentrating power in the hands of the most powerful tech companies.
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Reposted by Melissa Heikkilä
Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 16/12/2024
Dear computer vision researchers, students & practitioners🔇🔇🔇 Remi Denton & I have written what I consider to be a comprehensive paper on the harms of computer vision systems reported to date & how people have proposed addressing them, from different angles. PDF: cdn.sanity.io/files/wc2kmx...
Screenshot of Table of Contents (Part 1)

Contents
1 Introduction 217
2 Positionality 221
3 Overview of Risks and Harms Associated with Computer
Vision Systems and Proposed Mitigation Strategies 223
3.1 Representational Harms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
3.2 Quality-of-Service and Allocative Harms . . . . . . . . . . 229
3.3 Interpersonal Harms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
3.4 Societal Harms: System Destabilization and Exacerbating
Inequalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
4 Frameworks and Principles for Computer Vision
Researchers 266
4.1 Guidelines for Responsible Data and Model Development . 267
4.2 Measurement Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
4.3 Reflexivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
5 Reorientations of Computer Vision Research 276
5.1 Grounded in Historical Context and Considering
Power Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
5.2 Small, Task Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
5.3 Community-Rooted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280Screenshot of Table of Contents (Part 2)

6 Systemic Change 285
6.1 Collective Action and Whistleblowing . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
6.2 Refusal/The Right not to Build Something . . . . . . . . . 287
6.3 Independent Funding Outside of Military and Multinational
Corporations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
7 Conclusion 291
References 293
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Margaret Mitchell @mmitchell.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Inspired by @wimlds.bsky.social , I looked for a "Women in Machine Learning" starter pack and couldn't find one. So I created one! May have some mistakes. I'll try to do an AI ethics one next. 🤗 go.bsky.app/LT6CwNN
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Anna Mills @annamillsoer.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
"[G]enerating an image using a powerful AI model takes as much energy as fully charging your smartphone..." And video? OpenAI's Sora? Must be so much more... But as @melissahei.bsky.social reports, generating text "is significantly less energy-intensive." www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/01/1...
technologyreview.com
Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phone
This is the first time the carbon emissions caused by using an AI model for different tasks have been calculated.
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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 11/12/2024
“I just hope that no one truly falls for it and gets tricked into crypto scams.” I spoke to @melissahei.bsky.social about the issues I’ve faced with impersonators on Bluesky. I hope the devs can address this soon.
technologyreview.com
Bluesky has an impersonator problem
Cryptoscammers tried to trick me using fake profiles of tech personalities. I am not alone.
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
It's been a while since I've been impressed by AI. But a demo of Google's Astra made me genuinely excited. @willdouglasheaven.bsky.social got a sneak peek of Google DeepMind's new AI agent. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/11/1...
technologyreview.com
Google’s new Project Astra could be generative AI’s killer app
Google just launched a ton of new products—including Gemini 2.0, which could power a new world of agents. And we got a first look.
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Rhiannon Williams @rhiannonwilliams.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
In today's edition of the Download: @melissahei.bsky.social has been investigating impersonators/crypto scammers on Bluesky and why it's such a tough problem to tackle. Also, our latest podcast examines how ChatGPT is poised to shake up the economy. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/11/1...
technologyreview.com
The Download: Bluesky’s impersonators, and shaking up the economy with ChatGPT
Plus: Cruise is out of the robotaxi business
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Niall Firth @niallfirth.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Is it time for centralized Bluesky verification? The platform is suddenly booming - but with that comes the impersonators and the cryptoscammers, reports @melissahei.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/11/1...
technologyreview.com
Bluesky has an impersonator problem
Cryptoscammers tried to trick me using fake profiles of tech personalities. I am not alone.
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Soon after I joined Bluesky, fake profiles of @willknight.bsky.social, @parismarx.com and @molly.wiki slid into my DMs and tried to get me into crypto. So I investigated! www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/11/1...
technologyreview.com
Bluesky has an impersonator problem
Cryptoscammers tried to trick me using fake profiles of tech personalities. I am not alone.
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Rhiannon Williams @rhiannonwilliams.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Researchers! Scientists! Founders! We at @technologyreview.com are compiling our annual list of 35 young innovators under 35, & want to hear from you! Have you—or someone you know—achieved something amazing in biotech, AI, computing etc? Nominate em here: www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/03/1...
technologyreview.com
Nominate someone to our 2025 list of Innovators Under 35
Help us find talented young people from around the world who are shaping the future of technology.
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Clem Delangue 🤗 @clem.hf.co · 01/12/2024
Good list if you want to understand AI! go.bsky.app/Nik64nt
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Rhiannon Williams @rhiannonwilliams.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
If you're not already signed up to The Download, this is what you missed in today's edition: @jesshamzelou.bsky.social explains how worried you should be about bird flu, and the quest to make waterless concrete to build on the moon: www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/29/1...
technologyreview.com
The Download: bird flu, and waterless concrete for the moon
Plus: Australia has passed a law banning under-16s from using social media
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Juno says hi 🥰
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The Glaze Project (UChicago SAND Lab and ETCH) @theglazeproject.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
If anyone is looking for a grounded perspective on AI, Melissa is one of the best in the business. Informed and fair, she cuts through the hype with an unapologetically pragmatic take that covers all aspects of the story. We’re lucky to have her voice in a AI landscape dominated by hype & hyperbole.
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Will Douglas Heaven @willdouglasheaven.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
I love fun stories like this about what happens when you let bots run wild www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/27/1...
technologyreview.com
These AI Minecraft characters did weirdly human stuff all on their own
Hundreds of LLM-powered AI agents spontaneously made friends, invented jobs, and spread religion.
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Melissa Heikkilä @melissahei.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Hi BlueSky! I'm a senior reporter covering AI for MIT Technology Review. My focus is on cutting-edge AI research and how AI is changing our society. Follow me if you're interested in learning about how AI works, where it fails, and where it is going next. I'm also allergic to AI hype lol
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Niall Firth @niallfirth.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
For the latest in our How To series, @melissahei.bsky.social talks you through how to protect your art from being scraped by AI. www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/21/1...
technologyreview.com
Four ways to protect your art from AI
Fight back against tech companies that use your work to train their AI systems without your consent.
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