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Si Williams

@siwilliams.bsky.social
118 followers 354 following 455 posts

Generating award-winning text, in London

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Reposted by Si Williams
Bruno Dias @brunodias.dev · 28/09/2026
What is happening is not that AI-generated cultural goods are replacing human-made cultural goods; what is happening is that capital is flowing out of the production of cultural goods *entirely,* making us all poorer for it.
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Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“How will you incorporate Furbies into your workflow?”
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Anna Holmes @annabookwriter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Refusing to use AI isn’t a recalcitrant position. It’s the moral one. There is too much wrong with how this is happening to just “if you can’t beat em join em” this. It’s a lack of consent machine. An environmental destruction machine. An emotional and cognitive numbing machine.
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_... The Battle of Holbeck Moor in 1936. Oswald Mosley (whose grandson runs Palantir UK) tried to start nazi shit in the Jewish quarter of Leeds. *30,000* antifascists showed up to tell him to eat shit and die, pelting him and his buddies with rocks til they fled.
en.wikipedia.org
Battle of Holbeck Moor - Wikipedia
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Michael Chesnut @michaelchesnut.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
"Translators must defend their role not by competing with artificial intelligence (AI) on speed, but by taking responsibility for the cultural and ethical choices embedded in their work" With quotes from an expert at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies! www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/bo...
koreatimes.co.kr
AI can translate words, but doesn't bear responsibility, experts say - The Korea Times
Translators must defend their role not by competing with artificial intelligence (AI) on speed, but by taking responsibility for the cultural and e...
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/08/2026
Why did these companies make these claims? Because their *customers* were making the claims. How could you hope to sell to a company that had 100x'ed its productivity with AI unless you, too had 100x'ed your productivity? 51/
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 02/07/2026
AI's pitch to bosses is that they can fire most of their workers in order to terrorize the remainder into tolerating a working life wherein they are made to mark the AI's homework, at superhuman speed, and to assume the blame when it goes wrong. 12/
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I am genuinely excited about a PM who will be serious about devolution. If done right it could give people more sense of control about their locality; free up Whitehall to focus on big strategic issues; and make it harder for a future national govt to burn everything down.
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The Maichael Craichton Effect.
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AVÜ @avue.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
"The question is not whether AI can create AD. The question is WHAT we want these ADs to achieve."
"BAD ACCESS might be worse than no access."
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Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
AI can do a Michael Caine impression now? Is there really nothing that loads of people enjoy doing and can do fairly easily that these machines can’t automate the joy out of. NOBODY WANTED THE DRUDGERY OF DOING MICHAEL CAINE IMPRESSIONS TAKEN AWAY.
Michael Caine
You're only supposed to blow the bloody hooves off: AI
Michael Caine narrates
Odyssey audiobook
AI company ElevenLabs unveils its officially licensed replica of the iconic actor's voice in a retelling of Homer's epic poem, while director who previously recorded the star recalls real-life experience
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
@noscoredraws.com Is there a good angle of that Egypt celebration where Ashour gets knocked flat on his face?
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 11/06/2026
We did it with the post-war settlement, the 30 glorious years when we built the welfare state, regulated polluters and bosses, and kicked off the civil rights movement. We did it then, and we can do it again. We must. All things serve the beams. eof/
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No Score Draws ✍🏻⚽ @noscoredraws.com · 06/06/2026
If I was Lee Dixon I would simply get a job where I don't have to watch football matches
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 09/06/2026
“I mean, your society’s broken… Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No let’s blame the people with no power & no money & these immigrants who don’t even have the vote, yeah it must be their fucking fault.” —Iain Banks died #OTD, 9 June, 2013 www.theguardian.com/books/2013/j...
theguardian.com
Iain Banks: the final interview
Iain Banks died last Sunday, just before the publication of his final novel The Quarry. Last month he talked to Stuart Kelly about writing, politics and all the things still left to do . . .
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
“It’s two or three times harder than pure translation work, and they have the barefaced cheek to pay you half as much.” - fascinating on how AI has changed translators' work @sarahoconnorft.ft.com and @jburnmurdoch.ft.com:
ft.com
How AI has de-skilled translation
A specialist knowledge-work job has become fragmented and routine
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
You see this @seamus.bsky.social ?
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Spurs fans, shaking hands emoji, etc etc
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AVÜ @avue.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
“I am not really scared of AI, because I know it cannot do what I can do. What I am afraid of is the people who think that AI can do my job." THIS!! 💯 #HumansNotMachines
theguardian.com
‘Being human helps’: despite rise of AI is there still hope for Europe’s translators?
A booming tech sector has disrupted translation jobs in publishing – but they could be needed for a while longer yet
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alj8.bsky.social @alj8.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Really hit me last night that the Home Office plan to deport my girlfriend in 6 months time by retroactively changing the rules she’s painstakingly followed for over 9 years. I’m carrying a lot of pain and heartbreak over that.
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No Score Draws ✍🏻⚽ @noscoredraws.com · 01/05/2026
Hooray, our World Cup 2026 Wall Chart is FINISHED 🥳 It's our biggest wall chart ever, an A1-sized shambles sullied by SIXTY wonky doodles. Dunno if competitions fly on Bluesky, but if you share this we'll send a couple of freebies out to some (un)lucky RTers x 🛒 noscoredraws.com/products/wor...
noscoredraws.com
World Cup 2026 Wall Chart - No Score Draws A1 WC2026 Poster Print - Ex
Our biggest ever wonky World Cup Wall Chart for the biggest ever World Cup! Yes it's the 2026 World Cup, so to keep track of all the ins and outs, the kick-of times, scores and tables, here's a HUGE A...
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Overnight in the UK it was Frasier Event Horizon which means about 10:15am will be one of the best moments of the whole 11-year run: ordering a martini at the Timber Mill #FEH
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Jonathan Edward Durham @thisone0verhere.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
“If you don’t embrace AI you’ll be left in the dust” like yes that sounds lovely one dust please
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Bat Terror @mattthr.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
This has the strong feeling of truth about it. I don't believe all the CEO hype for AI replacing jobs, they're not idiots and they know the tech isn't remotely up to snuff, and this seems like a far more plausible reason for the enthusiasm.
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AVÜ @avue.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
"Voice actors fight to save their livelihoods and local cultures from Hollywood’s AI push" #HumansNotMachines
restofworld.org
Voice actors fight to save their livelihoods and local cultures from Hollywood’s AI push
Voice AI tools are quickly replacing voice-over and dubbing artists, raising concerns not only about jobs but also loss of cultural relevance in non-English-speaking nations.
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Daniel Storey @danielstorey85.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
On Saturday, I experienced a live game as a blind supporter does. It was one of the most fascinating days I've had in football. These are the things I learned, and some of them are important. inews.co.uk/sport/footba...
inews.co.uk
I experienced football as a blind fan - it was harder than I ever imagined
Glasses, telescopes, and the power of crowd noise - my day at Wigan Athletic taught me how technology holds the key for fans registered blind, and proved football must do better
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Daniel Storey @danielstorey85.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Tomorrow I'm at Wigan for a piece with a difference. Am accompanying a registered blind supporter for the day. I'll have glasses that replicate his experience and use audio equipment to tell the story of live football for the blind and understand how technology is improving.
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Marcos Carou Balado @mcbtrad.com · 10/04/2026
La IA es el futuro, no se puede hacer nada, la vas a usar quieras o no.
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AVÜ @avue.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"Translation is not solving a puzzle with a single, correct answer [...] each time translation plays out, a translator has to make countless interpretive decisions about style, atmosphere, voice, symbolism, metaphor, allusion and more." #HumansNotMachines #LoveYourTranslator
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Culoman @culoman.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
"Sin talento humano, la IA es solo código" Gracias por admitir que es la IA la que necesita traductores y que los traductores no necesitan IA.
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
The non-foul as well.
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Si Williams @siwilliams.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Sounds like a plan.
Instructions on the back of some plastic packaging, the first line reads "User scissors to carefully open the packaging".
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Jenn Odd @jentranslations.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Having to fix AI/machine translation is more work than just translating from scratch.
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András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
the british government not only hates me because I'm foreign, but also it wants to give away my stuff for free to billionaires
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Percy Balemans 📚 @creative-xl8.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
And the people "checking" AI slop are paid less than for translating, while it is usually just as much work, and often a lot more work, to "check" and rewrite slop than to translate from scratch.
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Christopher J Stevens @metaphysiology.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
"If I was to use ChatGPT for my designs rather than our designer Sean, that's taking money out of the local area into the hands of a multibillionaire ... removing value from the local community and local artists [and] into the hands of some of the richest people in the world." #AIslop #refuseresist
bbc.com
Newcastle pubs ban AI art from breweries to protect local creatives
As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.
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Christina Holland @mortalwombat.info · 17/02/2026
Nobody who has said "don't worry, we have a human check everything the AI puts out" has ever been telling the truth. If you paid humans to check it rigorously enough to match the previous human quality you would immediately lose all the money you saved and defeat the purpose
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Virginia Stonek @delcontexto.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
To translate is to leave something, almost everything, out. Translation is a conscious process where the elements that are put aside are as important as those that we choose to keep. AI, thus, cannot translate because it is incapable of understanding the act of leaving behind.
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Rosamundi @rosamundi.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
See also: AI to write and summarise novels and make films. Robots to walk your dog, play with your kids, nurse your parents. We're taking away the things that make you human, imagination, joy, and connection, so you can GET BACK TO WORK. It's never a robot to cook dinner while I read a book, is it?
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Andy Diggle @andydiggle.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
"The UK creative industries — which contributed £125 billion to the economy in 2024 and supported 2.4 million jobs — are being destroyed by an AI sector that, whatever its long-term potential, contributed just £11 billion in the same year and supported only 85,000 jobs." archive.is/hvRv2
The Times, 30th January 2026: "All 2.4m of Britain’s creative workers are at risk — and we know why. A new report into the impact of AI on the creative sector makes for apocalyptic reading. The government must act now."
Source: https://archive.is/hvRv2
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Diebesbeute @diebesbeute.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
But it’s being used for so many crappy and evil things I am honestly against even using it for things it would be ostensibly useful for.
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HappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 28/01/2026
Pleased to announce I've been hired to do the marketing for this campaign
A cartoon poster saying try less and claim others work as your own with new ai.
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Holly Tuke @lifeofablindgirl.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
A big yes to the offering of live audio description for today’s FA Cup match between Arsenal and Aston Vill. Such a big step in the right direction for accessibility of the women’s game 🙌
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Rafe Meager (they/them) @economeager.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
I realise I'm just a freak, but living in a multicultural city is the best thing of all time, it's just the best possible human experience and i can not understand why anyone on earth would be like "weve got to destroy this"
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Directly responsible for the demise of dozens of companies and recording studios which had made London the go-to place in Europe for dubbing and voiceovers. Great.
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Jocelyne Allen @brainvsbook.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Finally reading this great essay on what translators do and what language is! This part in particular hit home for me.
Translators read to decide what’s important and what’s less important, then re-create what they’ve decided is important; the debates about whether to translate literally or for the overall sense, whether to domesticate a term or leave it foreign sounding, whether to translate rhymed and metered poetry with rhyme and meter, and all the rest are pointless, because – obviously – it depends.
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Gili Bar-Hillel @gilibug.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
We translate books because reading, writing, creating, sharing with others, bridging cultures and communicating are human activities that give us a reason to live. Take the human element out, and what even is the point? Why do it if humans are not enjoying the process or the product?
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Jane @redfoxglove.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Yeah, accessibility is low hanging fruit for AI, because no one really wants to pay for it. The attitude is “we HAVE to do it, but we don’t have to do it WELL”. 😏
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Tim Clare @timclare.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
By which I mean AI essays are just you capering in your jesters' bells for the emperor. Instead you should be getting smashed & setting off tens of thousands of pounds worth of fireworks all at once in an empty building. Light up the skyline. Cause mayhem.
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AJ Jefferies @moonjam.com · 08/12/2025
Every facet of generative AI has made my professional life worse, without question, but THIS specific aspect has been driving me NUTS. Clients, who have made me toil for weeks over indescribably small details, are now approving & producing in-house commercial artwork that looks like a fever dream.
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