iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Ariel Edwards-Levy @aedwardslevy.bsky.social · 9h

There is a lot of "oh dear" to go around in the results of this very thorough Pew study on the issues with synthetic samples, but this strikes me as particularly "oh dear" www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/20...

AI polling results can lean on racial or partisan stereotypes

In many cases, our AI poll took beliefs or attitudes that are reasonably common among a particular subgroup and portrayed them as nearly ubiquitous. For example, our AI poll would indicate that:

97% of Hispanic adults are at least somewhat likely to follow the World Cup (while the actual share is 43%).

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 29/09/2026

Excited to read the final version!!

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Hannah BW @hbwhbwhbw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I wrote the paper for a terrific symposium organized by @alondra.bsky.social and Jenny Reardon, The Public’s Science—A New Social Contract for American Research Policy, that took place last December. grateful to both of them as well as to @shobitap.org for very helpful feedback!

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Hannah BW @hbwhbwhbw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

new preprint: The Public Interest in Private Science. It explores how government grants & contracts became central ways to fund scientific research; argues that these agreements fail to effectively protect either scientific independence or the public interest; & sketches a few possible reforms

papers.ssrn.com

The Public Interest in Private Science

The federal government primarily relies on grants and contracts to fund scientific research. This arrangement emerged as a political compromise after World War

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 29/09/2026

Australia tried something like this and it backfired. Among its consequences? Fewer people of color got college degrees.

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Michael Lobel @mlobelart.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I've talked to a few journal editors who are concerned about similar problems re: anonymous reviewers. If a peer reviewer wants a little help & feeds your unpublished submission into an AI system, they've just shared your proprietary work & broken confidentiality. A nightmare to think about

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 27/09/2026

I look forward to reading Khalil's book. "Natural-born Americans who have never been at the mercy of the immigration system will learn a lot from his clear parsing of the differences between immigration courts and federal courts, as well as from his descriptions of 'bureaucratic quicksand.'"

nytimes.com

A Quietly Shattering Memoir by a Man Detained by ICE for His Beliefs (Gift Article)

Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and former Columbia graduate student, offers an account of his ordeal and explains why his work continues.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

In my new Expert Voices column @science.org, I argue that the Trump admin's science strategy (as written in Kratsios' Science: A Golden Age)--which gives more authority & funding to the private sector to direct the research enterprise--will harm science, and further erode its public accountability.

science.org

Escaping a downward spiral for science and public accountability

In late July, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), released Science—A Golden Age, setting forth a strategy to revitalize US research and innova...

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The idea that people want AI oversight to happen "all of a sudden" ignores years of research, warnings, and policy efforts. The delay hasn’t been a lack of awareness; it’s been because of years of industry lobbying against regulation, political resistance, and inaction.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 16/09/2026

🌏 CFP: Global Political Economy in the Age of AI 🌍 Through the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab at the Institute for Advanced Study, @alondra.bsky.social, Taberez Neyazi, Ayesha Omer, Lucas Pinheiro, and I are organizing a June 2027 workshop, edited volume to follow. Abstracts due 11/1!

ias.edu

CFP: Global Political Economy in the Age of AI

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Jay D. Aronson @jaydaronson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Haven’t laughed this hard in a minute…“We thank our glorious administration for their brilliant technical solution to a social problem. This is how it should be, because all social & political problems definitely have a technical solution, and usually we just need to pay for something involving AI…”

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 24/09/2026

p.s. It will also make it much harder for regular folks to resist tech.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 24/09/2026

It's ok for Huang to be ignorant of his address, zip code, etc. Because he has armies of support staff. But if regular folks are unable to do basic math and reading, it will be harder for them to exist in the world without depending on techs made by billionaires. Which is Huang et al.'s end game.

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SASE | The Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics @sasemeeting.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🔬 Career opportunities: The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies is inviting applications for postdoctoral researchers and visiting researchers in: - Political Economy - Economic Sociology - Technology and Statehood - Field of wealth and social inequality (postdoc only).

sase.org

Opportunities for Members | SASE

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anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Confirming the White House’s planned EO to exert more political control on NIH seems to be “dead” www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/n...

statnews.com

White House plan to increase control of NIH grants appears 'dead'

A planned EO that would have greatly enhanced White House influence over grants at the NIH is “looking dead,” a source said.

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 23/09/2026

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/09/2026

If you didn't do anything wrong, why would you worry about increased surveillance? 🙄

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/09/2026

In this article, I explain why Asilomar is a bad model for governing emerging techologies. Happy to send a copy of it to anyone who is interested! www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/6ed...

Abstract of my scholarly article on Asilomar: The 1975 Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA (rDNA) research is frequently cited as a great success in the history of science and technology policy. It demonstrated that scientists could come together to develop policy recommendations that would contain emerging concerns about a new technology, while allowing the technology to develop. In the years since, the Asilomar model has been used repeatedly, on technologies from synthetic biology to geoengineering, and is now invoked repeatedly in discussions about regulating CRISPR/Cas9, the new gene-editing technology. In this article, I argue that it is both a poor and politically dangerous modes for governing emerging technologies, and for CRISPR/Cas9 in particular. While it is usually lauded for containing controversy and building consensus efficiently, I suggest that it was far too limited in terms of both its participants and its scope. As a result, it missed opportunities to anticipate and address emerging concerns related to the ethical, social, and economic concerns of biotechnology, which has embroiled much of the world in controversy since. I conclude by suggesting how we can do better in developing a governance framework for CRISPR/Cas9, by carefully deploying the insights developed by scholars of science and technology policy and by learning the lessons of history. This will require policymakers to develop a more critical understanding of problem framing and its consequences, think creatively about regulatory interventions, and incorporate public expertise.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/09/2026

What's funny about the famed Asilomar conference on DNA research is that left so many issues off the table that would concern the public for decades to come (and contribute to erosion in public trust). So no, AI shouldn't follow that model.

nytimes.com

How Scientists Contained a Threat That Could Have Destroyed Humanity (Gift Article)

A half-century ago, scientists and lawyers agreed to strict self-regulation in DNA research to avoid catastrophe. Can A.I. follow the same model?

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/09/2026

In this article, I explain why Asilomar is a bad model for governing emerging techologies. Happy to send a copy of it to anyone who is interested! www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/6ed...

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/09/2026

nytimes.com

How Scientists Contained a Threat That Could Have Destroyed Humanity (Gift Article)

A half-century ago, scientists and lawyers agreed to strict self-regulation in DNA research to avoid catastrophe. Can A.I. follow the same model?

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 22/09/2026

Yet another way in which they are trying to erode public trust in science. "In other words, private industry’s ability to make money is hampered by pesky regulations that protect vulnerable human research subjects from undue influence."

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Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The way to look at this is George bush is trying to help Donald trump retain power on the Hill

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jess reia • 何杰茜 @jhereia.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We are hiring! ✨ Come work with me at @uvadatascience.bsky.social! We are recruiting an Open Rank Tenured/Tenure Track Prof of Data Science with a background in social science, legal, policy, STEM or humanities disciplines to join our Data and Society area. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/191214

This is a screenshot of the UVA School of Data Science website portraying the school building in the background against a blue sky and trees. The texts reads: Jobs at the School of Data Science. Join Our Team.

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Navigational Cybernetics 2.5 @navigationalcyber.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This is governance failure in the present tense, not a speculative frontier risk. If an agent mediates care or transit, “not understood” is an irreversible gate. Admissibility must include who the system may exclude — with human override and an audit trail — before deployment counts as success.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Article is useful in that it shows that a) Trump is directly involved in these decisions, b) sees them in purely personalist terms - he wants to politicize research grants so he can destroy Harvard for daring to defy him

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ParentsResist.Tech @parentsresist.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Say it louder for the people in the back! This is a good reason for everyone to be concerned even if AI seems to understand YOU just fine; it might be working for you right now but it's not working for everyone, amplifying existing biases and harms. #AmiraOptOut @schoolsbeyond.bsky.social

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 20/09/2026

Vought's hatred of science (and particularly biomedical research) is a sight to behold. "The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by the National Institutes of Health."

nytimes.com

White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants (Gift Article)

Federal officials are drafting an executive order that would place grants under review by an outside panel, the latest effort to redirect billions of dollars in research spending.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 20/09/2026

I am so sorry. Know that many of us are fighting for this!

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 19/09/2026

Older adults, people with accents, and people with disabilities struggle to be understood by AI agents. This affects their access to health care, transit, and other essential services. This is an existential risk for them. It is happening NOW. And it needs to be regulated.

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Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

As the imaginary existential risks of AI are back in, here's a programme I did for the BBC www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, How real is the existential threat from AI?

AI can't kill us, so why are imaginary threats being taken so seriously?

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Emily @themerriest.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

As a hard of hearing person who depends on AI captioning at work, I can confirm that this is true and it creates another layer of struggle on the receiving end of communication.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 19/09/2026

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Yvonne Lam @yvonnezlam.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Read the thread

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 19/09/2026

"Vought and other administration officials floated an additional review of the agency’s grant-making to Trump...and discussed a potential executive order establishing a commission to review the NIH’s grants...Trump, who attended the meeting, appeared open to Vought’s criticisms of the NIH." 🎁👇🏽

wapo.st

Vought pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clash

A heated debate took place in the Oval Office on Friday, with some Trump officials accusing the National Institutes of Health of funding grants that conflict with the president’s agenda.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 28/08/2026

University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Lab are working together to build a $1.25M computing facility. Prof Joy Rohde argues that it poses grave intellectual, institutional, and ethical challenges, based on the history of similar partnerships since World War II. #umich #scipolicy #techpolicy

stpp.fordschool.umich.edu

What happens when universities partner with weapons labs? Implications of the University of Michigan/Los Alamos computing facility

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Phyllis Lee @pili-scotland.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Excellent take on issues of state funding. Final point is very important across many contexts (e.g. UK).

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Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Who could have predicted a MBA running the NSF might lead to more funding for industry & fewer research investments in the production of public goods and public value. Here comes the New Golden Age of Science!

nsf.gov

NSF leadership in a new golden age of science

The U.S. National Science Foundation was established in 1950 to keep American discovery at the frontier. That mission has not changed. The science and technology ecosystem around it has...

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

Maybe it should be the "Gold-Plated Age of Science"....

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

It might also support research that explicitly seeks to enhance the benefits of science and technology for society. This would include significant investments in social sciences/humanities. These approaches are likely to be more successful in resolving the crisis of public accountability in science.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

Finally, the government should focus its financial bets in areas that are not already well-funded by industry. This would include the growing number of grassroots-driven data collectives developing AI models to address the challenges communities face, while protecting their knowledge and priorities.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

Second, the government needs to establish, and enforce, laws that protect both data privacy and intellectual property. But this must be balanced with keeping the public domain open to enable the right kinds of innovation to flourish.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

Instead, I suggest, we need to address the challenges posed by public-private partnerships in 3 ways. First, the government must take steps to limit private-sector monopolies, especially those based on the results of federally funded research. This includes, for example, in AI.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

Although other science agencies around the world have close relationships with industry, these countries enjoy greater social trust, a wide range of government-sponsored health and social services, and a strong regulatory apparatus. The United States has none of these.

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