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Vauhini Vara

@vauhinivara.bsky.social
1.5K followers 431 following 509 posts

author of SEARCHES, THIS IS SALVAGED, & THE IMMORTAL KING RAO. pulitzer finalist. journalist. mentor at the lighthouse writers workshop and look2justice. contact me: dm, signal (@vauhinivara.82), or my website (vauhinivara.com).

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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 12h
This is a fascinating study in the context of other research from @informor.bsky.social and others finding that AI models generate text that's more persuasive than human text. One potential reason: Readers suspected AI, so they trusted the content less.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This is a really fascinating research demo, from the lab of Mohit Iyyer at the University of Maryland: It predicts the likelihood that the ideas contained in a piece of text are AI-generated versus human-generated. A couple of examples in this thread.
ideadetector.ai
IdeaLens: is this text human or AI?
We check a text's ideas and prose separately.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
ok looks like we need to hear from octavia butler again. tl;dr: actually no one sees the future
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This isn't just a think piece saying they disagree with PEN America; they actually went back and examined at the data and reporting — including a key claim that a literary agent was selling far fewer books by Jewish and Israeli authors in the US — and found it lacking. Fascinating work.
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Maria Antoniak @mariaa.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm recruiting 1-2 PhD students to join our lab in Fall 2027, through either Computer Science or Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder! Looking for people with interests in NLP plus [healthcare | literary studies | narratives | social media | etc.]. Join us! 🏔️☀️
cls-lab.com
CLS Lab — Culture, Language, & Systems | University of Colorado Boulder
The Culture, Language, & Systems Lab at CU Boulder studies the language systems that transmit and shape modern culture, from internet platforms to literary archives to language models.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I visited this school as part of my reporting last year for a Businessweek story, which also revealed that Alpha is actually a subsidiary of the tech company Trilogy. Here's what I found.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Anyone know a well-connected journalist or editor — for example, with strong relationships at the NYT, New Yorker, and the Atlantic — with some expertise or background in criminal justice? (For an exciting and well-paid job opportunity.) please share!
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I wrote a book last year showing how tech companies' values and goals show up in the rhetoric of their products themselves — including through AI chatbots. People questioned that; maybe it seemed too dystopian? Well, I've been collecting other examples in the wild, and here's the latest.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
With the Prix Goncourt having removed from their longlist a novelist accused of using AI — and some folks raising concerns that these accusations could be based on flawed AI detection by Pangram — here's a bit from my profile on Pangram that people might find useful. (Spero is Pangram's CEO.)
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Want to take my course? It's now available, for free, below. New lessons will be released each week. I hope to see you in class! robertreich.substack.com/p/wealth-and...
robertreich.substack.com
Wealth & Poverty Class 1: The paradox of widening inequality
We begin.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I just changed my profile picture to a portrait of me by my friend Haley Hasler, a painter whose work is now at the UK's National Portrait Gallery! Here's the full portrait, and the self-portrait of Haley in the gallery. Vote here for your favorite of the show! www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhi...
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thanks for the shout-out, @maris.bsky.social, and also, while we're here, a much more sophisticated and evidence-based take on race, class, and access in literary prize-winning. www.publicbooks.org/who-gets-to-...
publicbooks.org
Who Gets to Be a Writer? - Public Books
Despite welcome diversification, literary culture is also becoming more tied to elite educational institutions, and more difficult to enter.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Oh nooo more confusion still: Le Tigre in the background of an ad for Adobe's AI product, Firefly???? what in the world??? @kathleenhanna.bsky.social, pls inform????? www.instagram.com/reels/DXxRlM...
instagram.com
Terrorbird Media on Instagram: "@letigreworld is the perfect soundtrack to a brainstorming sesh 🎨💻💡 #TerrorbirdSync x @adobe"
17 likes, 0 comments - terrorbirdmedia on April 30, 2026: "@letigreworld is the perfect soundtrack to a brainstorming sesh 🎨💻💡 #TerrorbirdSync x @adobe".
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I just heard Le Tigre in the background of a Starbucks ad on Spotify??? What is happening???
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Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Excited to announce that I've signed a contract with @mitpress.bsky.social for a new book! It's about ImageNet, a dataset of 14 million photos. Without it, we likely wouldn't have "AI" as we currently know it. I've been thinking about this book for over 5 years, and am excited to finally write it.
Screenshot of a deal report from Publishers Marketplace that reads: “Coauthor of AI CON and cohost of the Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 podcast Alex Hanna’s NET WORKS: IMAGENET AND THE CREATION OF THE MODERN AI DATASET, on the labor behind ImageNet’s cache of 14 million photos from the early aughts that became the backbone of AI datasets, to Rachel Moore at MIT Press (world).
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
For people who use Securus to message with people who are incarcerated: any tips on keeping your correspondence organized?
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Artificial Intelligence and Creative Writing: A Policy of Sorts. I've posted versions before, but I update this each term following conversations with students. Here's my Fall '26 edition. In no way definitive! Learning as I go.
ABBREVIATED FOR ALT TEXT
This is a course for those interested in writing not as means to an end but as an end in itself. Recently... I read a story in New York magazine titled, “Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College,” by James D. Walsh....
I didn’t think AI would be a temptation for creative writing students. “Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College” persuaded me that for many students of all sorts it’s not a temptation but a condition. You sleep in a bed, you wear clothes, you don’t scream at teachers. Just the way it is. Maybe AI is becoming that, too, part of “just the way it is.” Maybe it is that already. 
	My mind raced through ideas about how to “beat” AI. The article dismantled them. Then I thought, “That’s not my job.” I’m a writer and a teacher. I’m not a cop. If you want to work with me on writing, we can do that. If you want to cheat, you have the ability to do that, too, and the truth is, I probably can’t stop you.... Per Dartmouth’s policy: “Students may not use GenAI tools for submitted coursework unless expressly permitted.” I do not permit it....
I’m interested in working with students for whom writing feels, somehow, good. Even if sometimes it’s painful. Who seek that feeling anyway. A feeling of being, of alertness. Of purpose; of intention. Of practice.
This is a course for those who are interested in using writing to experience some variation of this feeling. Sometimes it comes in a moment of clarity, sometimes in the making of a lyrical juxtaposition. There are so many more emotional, intellectual, and spiritual possibilities that arise from the act of shaping language... There is no paycheck, or even a finished book held in hand for the first time, that has ever brought me as much complicated pleasure as the arrangement of words. Maybe you’re like this, too. Or maybe you want to be. If so, I designed this course with someone like you in mind.
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Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Periplus, a mentorship collective serving US-based early-career writers of color, is now accepting applications for our 2027 class of fellows! Apply by Oct. 11: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... You can learn more about Periplus (including fellowship eligibility requirements) at bit.ly/periplusfaq
docs.google.com
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
SEARCHES won the Kalinga Literary Festival Book Award! 💔✨ Congratulations to all the other writers who were honored, too.
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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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Max Chafkin @chafkin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
went into @vauhinivara.bsky.social's businessweek article, and this conversation, very skeptical of Pangram, and came away feeling more optimistic about our ability to fight actual risks posed by ai www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Is It Really AI End Times or Just ‘Cognitive Surrender’?
On this episode, we drill into the week’s apocalyptic warnings and a way to protect student brains from chatbot-induced atrophy.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Here's exactly how tech CEOs turn their preferred futures into reality — from my book SEARCHES, published last year, but particularly relevant right now. bit.ly/searchesbook
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Aarthi Vadde @aarthivadde.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This is fabulous, serious reporting about Pangram and the internet to come: “But if it’s to win over everyone with an interest in halting the flow of chatbotese into human thought and communication, it will have to answer an existential question: Can we really trust Pangram to tell the difference?”
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
People read the "AI WILL KILL US" narrative as involving a brave whistleblower revealing that AI researchers believe AI will kill us all — suggesting that they know something we don't, having worked on the technology. AI CEOs had to respond. As did politicians from Trump to Sanders. That's false.
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A 'tidal wave' of forever chemicals are being pumped out to satisfy the AI industry, according to The Guardian. Nearly all of the 10 biggest manufacturers of Pfas are planning to increase production for use in semi-conductors and data center cooling systems.
theguardian.com
‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn
Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres
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Colin @colin-fraser.net · 17/09/2026
This is the first good article that has ever been written about AI
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Melanie Walsh @mellymeldubs.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Great profile of the leading AI detector, Pangram, and the people behind it—including a former English major who wrote a thesis on Ishiguro (me too). Fascinating snapshot of our cultural moment with AI, and a sober reflection on the future of the internet, teaching, and human communication.
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Litbowl @litbowl.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Plenty to like and hate in here if you're wondering about Pangram. This backs up, importantly, the true essential zero false positive rate on novels, and I think unless someone can provide proof of such a false positive, that should be relevant in publishing. There's also this, which is vital:
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Tuhin Chakrabarty @tuhinchakr.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I trust no one but @vauhinivara.bsky.social to come up with something so good. It’s brilliantly researched and engages thoroughly with the space of AI detection. There is a funny bit in the article that talks about how I got introduced to @pangram.com and the rest is history !!
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I profiled the startup behind Pangram, the AI detector everyone’s talking about. It works really, really well. I wanted to understand how they did it. and also: why people still don’t trust them. (also, news: Penguin Random House is using it.) gift link! ✨
bloomberg.com
The World’s Most Reliable AI Detector Has a Human Problem
Armed with a near-perfect detection tool, Pangram is fighting to convince the public AI cheating can be caught.
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Josh Eidelson @josheidelson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW @businessweektr.bsky.social investigation: Crafting America’s Favorite Countertops Is Killing Workers www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... Artificial stone manufacturers want Congress to shut down silicosis lawsuits seeking billions. Confidential company records undermine industry's safety claims
bloomberg.com
‘Death Sentences:’ Crafting America’s Favorite Countertops Is Killing Workers
Hundreds of workers who’ve contracted silicosis are suing the artificial stone industry for billions. While California weighs a ban on fabricating the product, the manufacturers’ defenders in Congress...
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I have a kid friend — 11 years old — who wants to publish a physical book of her poetry. Anyone know of orgs that help kids self-publish or anything like that?
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
such consistently delightful insights in @thelincoln.bsky.social's newsletter; the latest is no exception.
countercraft.substack.com
Sweat the Technique: On Writing Process and Possibilities
A little look at the writing techniques of César Aira, Vladimir Nabokov, Garielle Lutz, Zadie Smith, and others.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I have a niche PSA for authors who have been published by Penguin Random House in the US. Did you know you can buy books directly from PRH at 50 percent off the list price, with no shipping fee? You just go to authors.penguinrandomhouse.com and login with your usual credentials. 😎
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This is such a cool analysis — read the whole thing!
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I did an interview with Deckard, a new "observatory on the artificial humanities," on art and creativity the age of AI. ✨ artificialhumanities.com/en/conversaz...
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is terrific, a beautifully written and sharply argued examination of the Epstein files in the context of the American relationship to Africa, in the vein of @anandwrites.bsky.social's essay about Epstein and power several months ago.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Update, having finished: It's a much stronger essay than the original, answering a lot of the questions I had about the broader context for the apparently silly micro-dramas Harper wrote about. And it's much more sophisticated about the relationship between race and class.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I've been waiting for some other perspectives to come out from Bates. My problem with the original one was that it used the form of creative nonfiction (centering the perspective of the author) to treat a subject that deserved a journalistic treatment (attempting to synthesize lots of perspectives).
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
haha one downside of not being on social media besides here is that i am sometimes late to my own news? apparently SEARCHES is a finalist for the colorado book award!! 🥳🥳🥳 congrats to everyone!!
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Here is my latest haul, representing recs from @adamm0rgan.bsky.social, @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social, @constancegrady.bsky.social, @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social (lol), and my new favorite podcast (for hispanohablantes), @punzadas.bsky.social! ✨
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This is a great syllabus / reading list.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
MACKENZIE SCOTT IS SERIALLY PUBLISHING A NOVEL ON SUBSTACK 👀 (For those who aren’t MS obsessives like me & don’t know: she was Toni Morrison’s advisee at Princeton & has previously published two novels that were critically well received.)
lastdaysintwonations.substack.com
Last Days in Two Nations
(A History in Eighteen Minds)
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I noticed I suddenly have a bunch of new followers today! Hi! I suspect @annehelen.bsky.social is once again at fault. If you haven’t listened, check out the podcast I recorded with her on the gorgeous Culture Study podcast about AI and creativity. ❤️🥳
podcasts.apple.com
How Does AI Mess With Our Creativity?
Podcast Episode · Culture Study Podcast · August 12 · 1h 16m
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
This is my reading list so far for the year, with my absolute favorites starred. What should I read next?
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Doing this made me learn that “water park” didn’t exist before my birth year?! people aged, say, 50 and up: what in the world did you call water parks before they were water parks?!
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John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I can't help but wonder how responses to the presence of AI in the writing process might be different if students had internalized and were rewarded for the notion that writing is to express their unique intelligences, rather than an exercise in demonstrating writing "proficiency."
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I love this essay and the hilarious conceit of sharing two openings of a book that’s been published and asking readers to vote on them. the comments are also excellent: readers chiming in to be like, “I hate both,” or “Here’s my edit!”
nytimes.com
Is a Novel Ever Finished? Many Writers Say No.
After finishing his latest book, Karan Mahajan couldn’t decide which opening passage was best. Vote below for the one you prefer.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
i'm happy there's a story collection on here, but obama's reading consultant — is this a thing? i'd like to believe it is? — needs to give him more books from independent presses & international authors! see: @deepvellum.bsky.social, @transitbooks.bsky.social & @archipelagobooks.bsky.social.
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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The biggest difference between the scandal over Shy Girl being partly AI-generated and the new allegations over Daggermouth seems to be that the Shy Girl author acknowledged AI involvement (tho blamed someone else) while the Daggermouth author denies it. So now what? Nice @willoremus.com piece.
theatlantic.com
Is This What Comes After AI Slop?
Daggermouth could be the first best-selling novel partly written by a chatbot.
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