iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

1/ Just published in Higher Ed! We argue that debates about whether GenAI use in universities is "academic misconduct" are asking the wrong question : Before deciding what counts as misconduct, universities need to be clear about what they think universities are for. doi.org/10.1007/s107...

doi.org

100

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Sad that this paper came out after we wrote ours on strategic polysemy, because "emotion vector" and "functional emotions" are great case studies in *glosslighting*.

Although we have focused on just a few instances of the same phenomenon here, many other terms have similar characteristics as those described above—e.g., consciousness, foundation model, general intelligence, beliefs / preferences / goals, creativity, planning / deliberation, goal-directed behaviour, empathy / affective AI, trustworthiness / honesty, personality, scheming, etc. (See Appendix A.) Across these examples, the same pattern recurs, highlighting how these terms serve a dual purpose. They signal one thing to the public, policymakers, and investors—typically the intuitive, anthropomorphic, or metaphorical meaning—while simultaneously retaining a narrow, technical interpretation to which experts can retreat when challenged. This systematic ambiguity enables, what we call, glosslighting.

Glosslight (Definition):
Glosslighting (verb) is the practice of using technically redefined or polysemous terms to evoke familiar meanings—often emotionally or cognitively powerful ones—while preserving the ability to deny those meanings through retreat into specialised, context-bound reinterpretations.

The rhetorical effects of glosslighting—suggesting familiar meanings while retaining deniability—may arise intentionally, but they can also emerge from (i.e., are a systemic outcome of) the foreseeable interaction between ambiguous terminology (allowing multiple interpretations), and heterogeneous audiences (different groups interpreting the same term differently), combined with institutional incentives (encouraging strategic ambiguity).

020

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

New paper pre-print, accepted at FAccT 2026, wherein @fintanmallory.com , @sashamtl.bsky.social , and I argue that hype-laden AI terms like “hallucination”, “reasoning”, and “agent” are doing strategic, rhetorical work, which we call "glosslighting".

Image of title, authors, and abstract for "Strategic Polysemy in AI Discourse: A Philosophical Analysis of Language, Hype, and Power" (Travis LaCroix, Fintan Mallory, and Sasha Luccioni).

"This paper examines the strategic use of language in contemporary artificial intelligence (AI) discourse, focusing on the wide- spread adoption of metaphorical or colloquial terms like “hallucination”, “chain-of-thought”, “introspection”, “language model”, “alignment”, and “agent”. We argue that many such terms exhibit strategic polysemy: they sustain multiple interpretations simultaneously, combining narrow technical definitions with broader anthropomorphic or common-sense associations. In contemporary AI research and deployment contexts, this semantic flexibility produces significant institutional and discursive effects, shaping how AI systems are understood by researchers, policymakers, funders, and the public. To analyse this phe- nomenon, we introduce the concept of glosslighting: the practice of using technically redefined terms to evoke intuitive—often anthropomorphic or misleading—associations while preserving plausible deniability through restricted technical definitions. Glosslighting enables actors to benefit from the persuasive force of familiar language while maintaining the ability to retreat to narrower definitions when challenged. We argue that this practice contributes to AI hype cycles, facilitates the mobilisation of investment and institutional support, and influences public and policy perceptions of AI systems, while often deflecting epistemic and ethical scrutiny. By examining the linguistic dynamics of glosslighting and strategic polysemy, the paper highlights how language itself functions as a sociotechnical mechanism shaping the development and governance of AI."

76621

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

altmetric sentiment analysis is so funny. It's always like "49% of mentions of your work are STRONG NEGATIVE", and then it's just my own posts on BlueSky.

120

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Just published in Psychological Inquiry! I offer a sustained philosophical and empirical critique of the theory-of-mind-deficit explanation of autism. The ultimate conclusion is that the research programme has become degenerative—and therefore pseudoscientific. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Autism and the Pseudoscience of Mind

The theory-of-mind-deficit explanation of autism proposes that autistics lack a theory of mind, that autism comprises a theory-of-mind deficit (strong version); or, that autistics often have diffic...

23421

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

What do philosophers talk about when they talk about autism? Usually: not actually autism. When they do talk about autism, they often spread harmful stereotypes. Our scoping literature review, now published (open access) in Synthese, analyses the “philosophy of autism” subfield. rdcu.be/ewIAr

rdcu.be

What do philosophers talk about when they talk about autism?

192

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

When people suggest that maybe AI can feel emotions, these are the emotions they are talking about.

010

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Currently diving deep into the recently-tabled Bill C-2. There is a lot going on here. The bill would allow officials to cancel, suspend or change immigration documents in the 'public interest'. Critics have quickly voiced worries about asylum-seekers and refugees.

100

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

I am disappointed to report that the 2018 film, The Predator, does not treat neurodiversity or disability with any sensitivity or nuance.

000

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Anyway, all this forms the foundation for my book-length analysis of how to properly conceive of value alignment and misalignment so that these words are meaningful and useful. broadviewpress.com/product/arti...

broadviewpress.com

Artificial Intelligence and the Value Alignment Problem - Broadview Press

Artificial Intelligence and the Value Alignment Problem -

010

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

I agree with @abeba.bsky.social here; but, for better or worse, I am trying to fix the hot mess that is the field of value alignment! 😬

Screenshot of a page of a book ("Artificial Intelligence and the Value Alignment Problem"), which reads:

"Thus, although there is no authoritative definition of the value alignment problem, a somewhat standard specification can be formulated as follows:

The Value Alignment Problem (Standard Definition)
The problem of ensuring that AI systems are aligned with the values of humanity.

Whether explicitly stated or merely implied, this intuitive specification of the value alignment problem for artificial intelligence is relatively common in discussions on the topic. Moreover, the standard definition is superficially useful as an initial description of the problem. On the surface level, it seems relatively simple to understand. However, closer examination or analysis makes apparent that this conceptualisation underspecifies the problem; hence, this definition is of no conceptual use for practical work on mitigating value misalignment."

271

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

As I am working on final (and so finicky) edits (including spacing and typesetting) for my book, I maintain that LaTeX's slogan should be: "It makes the difficult things easy, and the the easy things difficult".

000

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Give yourself a present? Once a day? EVERY day?! In THIS economy?!?

000

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Me: "How many times shall I forgive my [department] who sins against me (asking me to do extra grading)? Up to seven times?" My Department: "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven."

020

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

This is a very good book, and a fun read! Continues the excellent work that @emilymbender.bsky.social and @alexhanna.bsky.social have been up to. Definitely get a copy!

2156

Travis LaCroix @travislacroix.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

You ever think about how 0.014% of Charlottetown* is in the band Alvvays? (*Circa 2011)

110