Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 13/09/2026www.wired.com/story/one-of...wired.comOne of AI’s Fiercest Critics Says All the Doom Talk Is ‘Meant to Distract Us’Timnit Gebru argues that AI companies are stoking fears of extinction to avoid discussing actual harms, like autonomous weapons. 001
Reposted by Nicole KobieTimnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 31/07/2026We're in the era of incompetence & cybercrimes headlined as "unprecedented model capabilities gone rogue." So OpenAI & Anthropic are trying to one up each other with such incompetence because the "press release as a service" performing media & clueless politicians parrot pre IPO CEO talking points. 6602233
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 26/03/2026But yeah let's rollout Palantir everywhere across government. Fascinating, terrifying reading: www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ma...theguardian.comAI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is far more worryingLLMs-gone-rogue dominated coverage, but had nothing to do with the targeting. Instead, it was choices made by human beings, over many years, that gave us this atrocity 000
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 29/01/2026Bewildering story from the Guardian about Waymo having to learn "quirks" of London roads like zebra crossings www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...theguardian.comUS robotaxis undergo training for London’s quirks before planned rollout this yearWaymo cars have been earning their stripes by getting used to zebra crossings while awaiting a government green light 100
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 12/01/2026Excellent reporting on AI-generated spokespeople from @pressgazette.co.uk pressgazette.co.uk/news/named-5...pressgazette.co.ukNamed: 50 'experts' and linked brands publishers should treat with cautionExperts and brands associated with more than 1,000 likely faked stories. 000
Reposted by Nicole KobieDonna Ferguson @donnalferguson.bsky.social · 09/09/2025As the head of the Freelance Chapter for Women in Journalism, I wanted to flag up this amazing course that some brilliant journalists are running. I've already signed up. I'm so sick of hearing that AI is coming for my job - now I hope I can gain the AI skills I need to fight back. 111
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 21/08/2025Bring back fact checking! I find this so fascinating. It can’t just be someone trying to make it as a freelancer, this must be a research project or something? pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...pressgazette.co.ukWired and Business Insider remove 'AI-written' freelance articlesWired and Business Insider have removed freelance articles over concerns they were written by AI under a fake name. 010
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 03/07/2025Delighted to have had my book reviewed by @peterhemminger.com in my hometown's best magazine, the excellent @albertaviews.bsky.social Check it out here: albertaviews.ca/the-long-his... 032
Reposted by Nicole KobieJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 19/05/2025Once more I ask, if LLMs are so good, why do people have to be bribed or cajoled into using them? www.ft.com/content/f8ca... 199232
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 04/04/2025So Evri says delivery robots are good because they can wait for disabled people to come to the door -- as long as ten minutes! Imagine buying robot dogs so you don't have to pay couriers well enough to let them wait at the door. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukEvri to trial delivery robots in BarnsleyThe dog-like robots will wait with parcels at customers' homes for longer than human couriers. 120
Reposted by Nicole KobieMatthew Sparkes @sparkes.bsky.social · 24/03/2025These policies are not only a hugely effective way to cut carbon emissions, lower air pollution, improve public health and foster stronger communities, but they're also popular among voters. London needs to catch up. bsky.app/profile/reut... 021
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 22/03/2025Imagine if traffic lights didn't require pedestrians to whack a (probably pointless) beg button but could actually see people and prioritise them? Excellent AI project from @astonuniversity.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/nicole...forbes.comHow Smart AI Traffic Lights Could Prioritise People Over CarsAI traffic lights system uses deep reinforcement learning, so each decision is assessed as part of its training using pre-decided metrics such as wait times. 020
Reposted by Nicole KobieTeresa Heffernan @tjheffernan.bsky.social · 16/03/2025Unbelievable...we get chatbots that are wrong 60% of the time and some mythical AGI that promises to save the world. The real logic: the AI industry distracts from the Oil industry and needlessly drives up electricity demand to distract from renewable energy, which could soon manage current needs. 24118
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 27/02/2025Love this, hate tablets mounted in cars, not least because looking at them makes me carsick 020
Reposted by Nicole Kobieændra. @aendra.com · 14/02/2025I'm actively looking for a new role, ideally outside of journalism and fully remote. If you wouldn't mind resharing my LinkedIn post I'd be most grateful. 🙏🏼 www.linkedin.com/posts/aendra...linkedin.comÆndra Rininsland on LinkedIn: #opentoworkHi everyone! I’m seeking a new role and would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message or… 11128106
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 29/01/2025I really feel for AI makers on this one. Imagine doing so much hard work, only for someone else to use your work in an unauthorised way without payment to make their AI system better. I can't imagine what that would be like. Poor lads. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comMicrosoft Probing If DeepSeek-Linked Group Improperly Obtained OpenAI DataMicrosoft Corp. and OpenAI are investigating whether data output from OpenAI’s technology was obtained in an unauthorized manner by a group linked to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, ... 130
Reposted by Nicole KobieNesta @nestauk.bsky.social · 16/01/2025Will we ever get flying cars? 🚗 Join us online on 11 Feb with author Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social to explore why the futures of tomorrow always seem just out of reach. Register to attend: bit.ly/3WjN9fa 111
Reposted by Nicole KobieThe Pulse @thepulse.whyy.org · 10/01/2025We often see the future as a sudden breakthrough, but in reality, it unfolds gradually through incremental progress, pushed forward by innovators. On this episode, we explore what it takes to create the future and why some ideas fail. 🔗 lnk.to/whyy-thepulse 111
Reposted by Nicole KobieMark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 09/01/2025Truth from @bcmerchant.bsky.social - from "The fires are everywhere": www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-fires-... 1259
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 09/01/2025This by @davidzipper.bsky.social is great. Buses are great. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comDon’t Shrink the BusCould Tesla’s Cybercab and similar smaller vehicles replace traditional trains and buses? Unfortunately, the idea of “personal rapid transit” has some big drawbacks. 010
Reposted by Nicole KobieMark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 10/12/2024My interview with @njkobie.bsky.social about her book "The Long History of the Future: Why Tomorrow’s Tech Still Isn’t Here." Stream the show (interview starts at 3:48): wfmu.org/archiveplaye... Episode links: www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh... More Techtonic: techtonic.fm 1317
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 28/11/2024Wrote about robots for @newscientist www.newscientist.com/article/2457... TLDR: if a robot is walking and talking, odds are it's an avatar or really heavily programmed. And when super smart androids do get built, expect a better reveal than delivering canapes and chat at a party.newscientist.comDon’t be fooled by Elon Musk’s chatty Optimus robotsThe long history of robotics should teach us to be more sceptical when it comes to autonomous humanoid robots, says Nicole Kobie 020
Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social · 28/11/2024So I'm not even really on this site (I have yet to decide if I can be bothered) but I already get more interactions than in the other place and so far no one is yelling at me. 110