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Paul Goldberg

@paulwgoldberg.bsky.social
796 followers 507 following 365 posts

Professor of Computer Science, Oxford University. Research interest in Algorithmic Game Theory, also Computational Complexity. Also interested in good urbanism & cartoons www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/paul.goldber…

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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
University of Oxford @ox.ac.uk · 04/10/2026
Oxford after dark, featuring Simpkin IV 🐈‍⬛ 📷 Instagram | ObservingOxford
A black cat, Simpkin IV from Hertford College, sits in the foreground outside the Radcliffe Camera at night. The surrounding Oxford buildings are warmly lit beneath a dramatic, cloud-filled night sky.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"Success rarely teaches... Failure demands explanation, which is why aviation investigates every crash and hardly studies safe landings at all. Institutions that treat disconfirming evidence as a threat rather than a resource are the ones overtaken by assumptions that quietly stopped being true."
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Jason Hartline @jasonhartline.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Theoretical Computer Science inherited an aesthetic for open problems from mathematics. Algorithms and computers are complex, and mathematically understanding them is difficult. The tradition of open problems has both made TCSs central challenges clear, and made it easy-ish to evaluate research.
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Bantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Our AI-powered timetabling system has become self-aware and resigned from its position with immediate effect.
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The Economist @economist.com · 12/09/2026
If AI starts curing cancers or improving energy supplies, few will care how the advances came about. Yet some abstract mathematics has little practical application; its primary purpose is human understanding
bit.ly
Top mathematicians are outraged by OpenAI’s methods
24 Fields Medal winners have written a letter of objection
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
The Economist @economist.com · 11/09/2026
24 Fields Medal winners have written a letter of objection
bit.ly
Top mathematicians are outraged by OpenAI’s methods
24 Fields Medal winners have written a letter of objection
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...
mathandai.org
Declaration — Math and AI
Read the declaration and add your name.
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Oxford Mathematics @oxfordmathematics.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
AI is ravenous and is eating mathematicians' lunch. A long-standing problem is solved, others are in its sights. But is this more than just a problem about problems? Here's Fields Medallist James Maynard. Read the Math and AI Declaration by 25 Fields Medallists: mathandai.org
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Some of my colleagues are excited about this one... It's another AI-assisted solution to an open problem (in this case, one that has been vexing quite a few people in computational social choice theory)
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
As a mathematician (of a sort), I'm allowed some fleeting amusement at the title of this call for proposals, right?
ukri.org
EPSRC-Defra Reimagining Circularity: full stage
Apply for three years of NetworkPlus funding to build new capacity, strengthen community and enhance research to innovation capabilities focused on the circular economy in data and metrics, or textile...
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This article makes a nice analogy between overuse of LLMs in programming, and overuse of concrete in architecture (due to being the new and exciting thing to use). dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
dl.acm.org
KV the Apostate: Faith-Based Computing Versus the Unnatural Science | Communications of the ACM
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
'A Royal Society fellowship scheme for mid-career research leaders has been branded a “policy failure” over the seniority of its latest cohort of winners.' 1/3
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
CompSciOxford @compscioxford.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Recruiting: We're hiring two Associate Professorships or Professorships of Computer Science (with Tutorial Fellowships) to start on 1 September 2027 as part of the University of Oxford’s @ox.ac.uk expansion in Computer Science. Details & applications: my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
A salmon pink graphic with the Department of Computer Science logo at the top left and text reading 'We’re hiring: Two Associate Professorships or Professorships of Computer Science (with Tutorial Fellowships). Full time and permanent upon completion of a successful review. 30S: Combined salary £57,986 - £77,366 + substantial additional benefits. Application Deadline: 12:00 16 December 2026. @compscioxford #CompSciOxford'. There are also lines and dots pointing to the text that look like a computer board.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Reminder about this great postdoc research position at Oxford! Deadline to apply is Friday! (I'm talking about the one in CS theory. But I'm sure all the others are great also.)
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
You know you're getting old when you reread 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑦 𝐽𝑖𝑚 and find yourself thinking that Professor Welch is not completely stupid
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Bluesky lets you hide reposts by people you follow. But I'd really like to hide reposts (by person X) that consist of a quote-post by some other person Y of an earlier post by X. Reposts by X of someone else entirely (not involving X's posts) — I'd prefer not to hide them.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
stumbled across this fun example of impressive research productivity economistwritingeveryday.com/2026/08/26/n...
But I just discovered an economist that is, apparently, even more productive than Acemoglu, at least as measured by working papers. Nicholas Polson has, by my count using his SSRN page, already written 258 working papers in 2026 alone. He’s already written (or at least published to SSRN), six papers today, August 26, 2026. In the month of August 2026, he has written and posted to SSRN a total of 104 papers — and counting, since the month isn’t quite over.

These aren’t just short notes. Most of the papers are of normal academic length: 32 pages, 27 pages, 58 pages. The papers are both theoretical — involving complex math in some cases — or empirical, with regressions.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Seriously, do there exist people who leave the tap on while they brush their teeth? Did they ever exist?
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Clément Canonne @ccanonne.github.io · 11/08/2026
This is a rather thoughtful take, by Melissa Lee, about collaboration, research, what options exist and what agency we have these days. Also, short and easy to read! Disclaimer: Melissa is awesome.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The trouble with saying "never" is that it's a one-way bet, one that you might lose but cannot win.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
If AI ever gets to the point where we can use it solve all these pesky captchas ("select all images that contain a traffic light"), then it will have justified its existence!
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Looking on the bright side, artificial intelligence is, for now, only capable of doing the first two of those three things
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
This is a great article for non-mathematicians looking for greater understanding about what it means to do mathematics. Also great introduction to the mathematical community's concerns about the impact of AI.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Sorry to read this. We don't always want "data, insights and analytics, workflow solutions and services". Sometimes we just want to be told a story. (Albeit that for research professionals, the story is usually an unhappy one.)
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Gautam Kamath @gautamkamath.com · 04/07/2026
FOCS 2026 will be held in November in New York, at NYU. They're soliciting proposals for workshops, with a submission deadline of July 31. STOC just had an amazing lineup of creative workshop, help make FOCS even better! focs.computer.org/2026/call-fo...
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy "no kings" day, folks. Here's a reminder of the version 50 years ago. These days, maybe the businessmen should be politicians.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Do you want a classic text signed by a Nobel prize-winning economist? And you would like to bid on multiple alternative texts but you only want one bid to win? Here is your opportunity to take part in a "product-mix auction". mirrlees-auction.nuff.ox.ac.uk
mirrlees-auction.nuff.ox.ac.uk
A Very Silent Auction
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Do you want a classic text signed by a Nobel prize-winning economist? And you would like to bid on multiple alternative texts but you only want one bid to win? Here is your opportunity to take part in a "product-mix auction". mirrlees-auction.nuff.ox.ac.uk
mirrlees-auction.nuff.ox.ac.uk
A Very Silent Auction
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
A lot of media coverage of the ‘AI’ reading of the Herculaneum scrolls really fails to understand what’s happened here. There’s no language processing happening, the AI/ML is not trained on a corpus of texts or language. It can detect ink to see shapes. HUMAN EXPERTS are then transcribing the text.
A screenshot from here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-02-07-inside-herculaneum-scroll-seen-first-time-almost-2000-years

It explains that the machine learning involves only the detection of ink
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A clip from an article in the New York Times
Good morning, world. Ten years ago this week, I woke up in southeast London to learn that Britain had voted for Brexit. I remember my oldest daughter, who was then 7, asking what Brexit was. I said Britain would be leaving Europe. She was baffled. “Where do they want to go?” she asked. “Africa?”
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
#Makerfield Political commentators are forgetting that voters like having a constituency MP who's famous, preferably the PM, failing that a cabinet minister. It remains to be seen whether Burnham will appeal to voters outside his own constituency.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
"That divide has roots in two styles of work: those who look for outcomes, and those who look for learning, for whom the journey into understanding is the whole point of the exercise. Short circuiting that journey with AI tools makes folks for whom the journey is the reward feel cheated."
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Alphabet soup never looked so good!
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
5-year postdoctoral research fellowship in theoretical Computer Science (also 4 other research fields), a nice opportunity! Needs PhD to be awarded between 1/Aug/24 and 1/Oct/27. Please share with whoever may be suitable! www.asc.ox.ac.uk/post-doctora...
asc.ox.ac.uk
Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships | All Souls College
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Kevin Zollman @kevinzollman.com · 09/06/2026
This plus it's much harder to skim video
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La vida en viñetas @lavidaenvinetas.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Gila
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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
In depth: Could basic research income help fix a funding system in crisis? “Radical” solution gains attention as applications surge engulfs funders but lacks any serious experimentation. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Could basic research income help fix a funding system in crisis? - Research Professional News
“Radical” solution gains attention as applications surge engulfs funders but lacks any serious experimentation
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Funders scramble to limit demand as research grant applications rocket. Research council moves to cap institutions come alongside high-level concern about “pushing pressure down system”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Funders scramble to limit demand as research grant applications rocket - Research Professional News
Research council moves to cap institutions come alongside high-level concern about “pushing pressure down system”
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Katherine Stiles @katherinestiles.org · 22/05/2026
· #AcademicSky · #EduSky · #AI · Greetings, Class of 2026! Have You Heard About AI? Wait, Why Are You Booing?
theatlantic.com
Greetings, Class of 2026! Have You Heard About AI? Wait, Why Are You Booing?
I thought this pro-AI speech was bound to be a hit.
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
Ryan O'Donnell @booleananalysis.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
FOCS 2026 Test of Time call for nominations is out: tc.computer.org/tcmf/2026/05... Please submit your nominations! More info on the award here: tc.computer.org/tcmf/focs-te... and here's DBLP links for FOCS '16, '06, '96: dblp.org/db/conf/focs... dblp.org/db/conf/focs... dblp.org/db/conf/focs...
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I mis-parsed the title of this call for proposals when I first read it
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The Register @theregister.com · 12/05/2026
Europe wants out from under US tech – but first it has to find the exits
theregister.com
Europe wants out from under US tech – but first it has to find the exits
Report maps the weak points in cloud, identity, and public sector procurement
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Reposted by Paul Goldberg
FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 11/05/2026
What happens if Trump hits the “kill switch” and blocks Europe from American tech? No Amazon or PayPal. Netflix and YouTube blocked. The building blocks of our lives: inaccessible. But what was once an outlandish question is now less hypothetical. Today's Big Read is on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/mk8Sop4
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I'm reliably informed that to be good at vibe coding, it helps to be good at traditional coding. Reassuring
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
A reminder that Europe needs to develop its own communication infrastructure, that stays under its own control. I suspect that will have to a public-sector project, since private companies are susceptible to getting bought up by US companies.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
This ought to be a major concern for Europe.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
If everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent.
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Paul Goldberg @paulwgoldberg.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Weird article by Eric Maskin (no less!) who proposes that UK parliamentary constituencies should elect a Condorcet winner, but doesn't touch on what to do if the votes fail to result in any candidate being a Condorcet winner.
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