iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

My theory: More than critiques of circular financing, or of dubious product functionality, "stochastic parrots" undermines the foundation that the entire AI boom is built on: The story that the AI industry is building an unfathomably powerful machine god.

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Daniel S. Goldberg @profgoldberg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"Health is a social problem, not a technical one. Our problems will be resolved socially and politically, or not at all."

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Following the Pope’s encyclical about AI, you’re going to see a lot more religious intervention in shaping public opinion about tech companies. There are only two social institutions resilient enough to counter AI politically — states and religion. They bought the first. Standby on the second.

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026

“This is what mass surveillance looks like when it reaches the shoulder of the highway…An AI-powered camera flagged Alek’s plate. An anonymous law enforcement agent decided his completely ordinary trip looked suspicious. And a deputy went out and found a violation that never happened.”

houstonchronicle.com

Texas driver wins lawsuit over surveillance-triggered traffic stop

Jury rules in favor of driver in a case that uncovered unsettling facts about how a vast and secretive network is being used to track people across Texas.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The most useless form of news is “CEO says.” Can this tool actually do what it says or is the company just trying to profit off fear?

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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Oh my goodness, it CAN be done!

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Jaclyn A. Siegel, PhD @jacasiegel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

With more manuscripts entering the system: 1) It is increasingly challenging to find willing reviewers, 2) The quality of the reviews is declining 3) People are looking for shortcuts to get more of these reviews done, as we are all receiving more review requests than ever

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Sophia, MPH @sophiacbess.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is an important point about the training of OpenEvidence. The emphasis on references is also not reassuring, since these provide the appearance of legitimacy while still being subject to unexpected and undesirable output. Checking links from a list tells you nothing about what was omitted.

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Sophia, MPH @sophiacbess.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Yes! LLM output can (is designed to) sound and feel right even when it’s not. But as this thread illustrates, the externalities are SO HUGE as to be the main point. Use case aside, the main function of AI is to increase reliance on big tech and extract from patients and healthcare workers. 1/2

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"In 2020, there were only six programs in the U.S. that sent unarmed responders, such as mental health clinicians, to certain 911 calls instead of police officers. Now, these programs — sometimes called alternative or community response — are in nearly 100 cities." www.npr.org/2026/09/22/n...

npr.org

How unarmed 911 teams are reshaping public safety in nearly 100 cities

Alternative response programs, where mental health clinicians respond to 911 calls instead of police, have proliferated since George Floyd's murder. What does it take to do this work well?

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“My nightmare is that we have bots on Emory Healthcare’s side, bots on Cigna’s side that keep talking to each other,” said Dr. Joon S. Lee, the chief executive of Emory Healthcare. “A whole data center could be occupied just doing that.”

nytimes.com

Battle of Hospital A.I. vs. Insurer A.I. Is Pushing Medical Costs Higher

The use of artificial intelligence by hospitals and health insurers is escalating their longstanding feud over paying for medical care.

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Sophia, MPH @sophiacbess.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“These actions could be a way of “testing the waters” on halting other vaccines in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, Jernigan said. “There’s nothing preventing them from doing that for the other vaccines as well,” he added.”

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Arrianna Marie Planey, PhD MA @arrianna-planey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Drudgery usually refers to the invisible labor that undergirds the visible work products that are rewarded in the workplace

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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This is eugenics

Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed on Wednesday that the department had not yet made a decision about whether to provide the shots through that program.
Vaccines for Children provides free shots to children who are uninsured, underinsured or eligible for Medicaid, as well as to American Indian and Alaska Native children.
Pediatric doses are available for children who have insurance, or whose parents can afford to pay for vaccines out of pocket.

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carmenlynn.bsky.social @carmenlynn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

“As revealed in recently unsealed court documents, top Microsoft figures, including CEO Satya Nadella, admitted that their AI models are basically stealing content from media companies while providing virtually nothing in return, creating a “doom loop” that will swallow the web.”

futurism.com

Microsoft Director Admitted in Internal Document That AI Is Creating a "Doom Loop" That Destroys the News Media by Stealing Its Content Without Providing Anything in Return, in Turn Making the AI Usel...

A Microsoft executive admitted that AI companies like itself were plundering websites without giving them in return.

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Julia Raifman, ScD @juliaraifman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Routine childhood vaccines have brought immense benefit to the US For children born 1994-2023: ⬇️ 32M fewer hospitalizations ⬇️ 1.129M fewer deaths ⬇️ $504B direct savings ⬇️ $2.7T indirect savings Both science & policy have been essential to achieving these benefits www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

cdc.gov

Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood...

This report describes health and economic benefits from routine childhood vaccines among children born during 1994–2023.

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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 18/09/2026

AI companies have continually said "we have no control of our 'advanced' AI" and have publicly asked to be regulated. in reality, what they want is to be left alone to "self-regulate" and governments are complying

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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

We need many different kinds of expertise to counter the power being amassed by tech companies. Don't let anyone tell you that your knowledge (of how to live your own life, do your own job, organize your own community) is irrelevant --- or that you should only listen to folks deep in the AI cult.

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Sophia, MPH @sophiacbess.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Media “interviews” with AI business products… make it stop. Soul-crushingly stupid, harmful

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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

New from 404 Media: humans are reading ChatGPT conversations. OpenAI has hired an army of contractors who read real ChatGPT users' chats. I've seen internal docs, the review system, and real user prompts. Sometimes they contain very personal and sensitive information www.404media.co/inside-proje...

404media.co

Inside ‘Project Lily’: The Humans Reading Your ChatGPT Chats

Humans are reading ChatGPT users’ prompts to improve OpenAI’s models, and those chats can include sensitive, personal information, according to leaked internal documents and real prompts seen by 404 M...

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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Basically, whether or not you like AI at work will depend on how much power you have; to decide how and how not to use it, to avoid being terminated by an AI-enthused manager, and so on. It further underlines what's long been evident: AI is for the bosses.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

🚨🚨🚨NC folks: if you or someone you know attended Farm Adventures’ petting zoo in Harmony, NC, or its mobile events between July 28 and Thurs, contact public health. Four baby goats contracted rabies from a rabid skunk's bites. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

nbcnews.com

Four baby goats at mobile petting zoo in North Carolina test positive for rabies

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the petting zoo held events involving children and elderly people between July 28 and Thursday.

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Arrianna Marie Planey, PhD MA @arrianna-planey.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Good luck, because "AI" adoption increases the fixed costs of care delivery, and those costs are currently artificially low (think of the ZIRP-driven model of innovation that made Uber, Lyft, AirBnB, etc accessible before they were re-priced)

healthcaredive.com

Physicians want compensation boost from AI productivity gains: survey

More than 65% of physicians use AI daily or weekly for clinical or administrative work — and some believe they should be paid more if the tech increases their efficiency, according to a Doximity repor...

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The Infectious Dose Podcast @pathogenscribe.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I'm paying attention to the NC rabies situation... 3 baby goats from a mobile petting zoo tested + for rabies. 4th is presumed infected. While not a human rabies outbreak so far, it's an unusually complicated exposure investigation. 🧵

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Read the whole thread; I just want to highlight this point. Amid so much politicalization of vaccines and polarization, it’s easy to forget that there are many people who aren’t sure and don’t have strong feelings. Nuanced journalism and investing in thoughtful public health outreach can do so much.

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Reposted by Sophia, MPH

Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) @durhamhealthnc.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Possible rabies exposures have been linked to baby goats that were present at multiple events throughout NC. Per the NCDHHS, the goats were not present any public events within Durham. Individuals who attended private events with the goats are being contacted. Learn more: dconc.gov/DurhamCo-New...

Possible rabies exposures linked to baby goats from mobile petting zoo, Per the NCDHHS, the affected goats were not present at public events in Durham. Individuals who attended private events with the affected goats are being contacted. Learn more at DCoPublicHealth.org/news.

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Reposted by Sophia, MPH

Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 30/08/2026

I really wish the CDC hadn't laid off all but one of its rabies staff because I bet there are going to be some clinician questions

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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Walgreens has confirmed initial state-by-state availability of Covid vaccines. It may change — last year, some states that initially had age or prescription limits lost them when state officials acted — but this is the situation for now. Other pharmacies may have different policies.

We will continue to update availability as appropriate.

States where the 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine will be available at Walgreens pharmacies soon to patients ages 3+:

AL, AK, AR, CA, CO, DE, HI, ID, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, DC

States where the 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine will be available soon, subject to state-specific age restrictions:

CT (12+), FL (18+), GA (13+), IL (7+), IN (11+), IA (18+), KS (12+), KY (5+), MA (5+), MO (7+), MT (7+), NJ (5+), NC (7+), OH (5+), SC (16+), TX (14+), VT (5+), WI (6+), WY (7+)

States where pharmacist administration will be available with a prescription. List may change:

AZ, OR, UT

U.S. territories where the vaccine is not currently available for administration at Walgreens pharmacies:

Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 28/08/2026

Those dancing robots don’t seem so cute anymore, huh.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

“The benefits of community protection go beyond babies and children, Stanford said: “It’s the teacher. The lunchroom lady, the man who sweeps the floor, the security officer at the door — you do not know who they go home to at night. You do not know who is on chemotherapy, who has had a transplant”

inquirer.com

Measles outbreaks present ‘very real threats’ in Philly schools. Here’s how officials are working to prevent them.

“We are seeing in real time the tragic consequences of children and adolescents not getting vaccinated," said Kendra McDow, the Philadelphia School District's chief medical officer.

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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Article here. This will be updated as I learn more, especially about any access difficulties. If a question is unanswered in this article, I don't know the answer yet, but I'm working hard to get more info as quickly as possible.

nytimes.com

What to Know About New Covid Vaccines for Fall 2026 (Gift Article)

The shots have been approved for people 65 and older, and for younger people with underlying conditions. Others may be able to get them off label.

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Roby Bhattacharyya @roby-b.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Also, in the setting of circulating virus (which, again, hasn't been the norm in the US in decades, and doesn't have to be now - but is out of your individual control), MMR can be given as early as 6 months; check with your doctor if that makes sense for you.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Perhaps I should not be surprised that this article only quotes men. But if you’re interested in more about the the “collision of American popular culture &public health,” may I recommend my own book? “No Game for Boys to Play: The History of Youth Football and the Origins of a Public Health Crisis”

nytimes.com

As CTE Cases Soar, Why Can’t Americans Quit the NFL?

A collision of American popular culture and public health is on display in the N.F.L.

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Reposted by Sophia, MPH

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said. Both were unvaccinated. These the first deaths related to measles within the state in 35 years, it reports

abcnews.com

2 people die from measles in Pennsylvania

Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said Tuesday.

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Sophia, MPH @sophiacbess.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Saw an old Honda out and about with one of those bumper stickers that says “I bought this before Elon went crazy.” Teehee

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Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, MPH @rmcarpiano.medsky.social · 20/08/2026

2 observations about this "let's chat w/ MAHA bc they offer a way to improve public health" thesis hyped by many inside & outside public health of late 1. In some ways, it's akin to the "lack of viewpoint diversity" accusations aimed at academia & higher ed's embrace of bad ideas to address it. 1/

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I regret to inform you that these traditional college courses in AI are indistinguishable from the classrooms I sat in at for-profit colleges 15 years ago. Centralized curriculum & branding, technological control, “virtual” libraries, & bureaucratic alienation of labor.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Anyway, your problem isn‘t finding the time to take notes. The problem is that taking notes is thinking and thinking has to be done by someone. women have been doing a lot of metacognition that looks like a task when it’s really thinking.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

“The incident shows that artificial intelligence has made its way [into] expert witness testimonies… The case also shows that the specific prompts used to create this type of expert testimony can be discoverable during a case, and that those prompts can be quite embarrassing.”

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 17/08/2026

“Writing builds our working memory, executive planning skills and metacognition — the ability to think about our thinking, weigh alternate viewpoints and revise for clarity and style. It takes decades to develop writing skills, from toddlerhood into adulthood.”

nytimes.com

What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing?

Educators are worried that many students can no longer write essays without A.I. And it’s costing more than just grammar skills.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

"We need to double the number of teams ensuring safe and dignified burials, triple the treatment capacity, improve contact tracing and deploy more experienced managers," said Fletcher. "Crucially, we must meet the immense needs for water, hygiene, health care… The world needs to wake up, & show up”

lemonde.fr

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo killing one person every 30 minutes, UN says

The United Nations says the epidemic is spreading at its fastest pace on record and threatens to become the deadliest outbreak in the disease's history.

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Bénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I am so glad to see the professional organizations investing in PSAs. We need all the voices, everywhere, in all languages.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

“Hepatitis A is a highly contagious virus that can in rare cases cause liver failure and death… [and] often spreads through contaminated food or close contact. Between the vaccine’s introduction in 1996 and 2011, the number of cases in the U.S. decreased by more than 95 percent.”

nytimes.com

What to Know About the Vaccines Targeted by Trump’s Executive Order

The order, whose legal power is unclear, recommended narrowing the use of vaccinations against several diseases that can be life-threatening.

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Sarah Karlin-Smith @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Caitlin Rivers @cmyeaton.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Vaccines are probably the most life-saving invention in history. For the past 75+ years, every effort has been toward making them *more* widely available. These rollbacks are senseless.

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Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Excellent piece highlighting student voices on gen AI in higher education, including MS student Mirakle (pictured!) in my lab who is leading research on college student AI resisters. I can only assume that leadership at many universities are making incorrect assumptions about student attitudes.

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