iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

If you've been wondering why our politicians are so pro-data centres, here's why ⬇️

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I recently spoke to Scientific American’s Science Quickly podcast about the Hugging Face hack and how to read between the lines of the “rogue AI” frame to find human accountability m.youtube.com/watch?v=kUkf...

m.youtube.com

Who’s accountable when AI goes wrong? | Science Quickly Podcast

YouTube video by Scientific American

1288

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

In this paper we argue that the narrowing & omission of critical military processes results in an accumulative degradation of human decision-making over the lifecycle of an AI system, leading to eroded technical integrity & compromised operational effectiveness.

050

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

🚨 New Publication 🚨 My latest paper, co-authored with Adam Hepworth, is now live. AI-DSS and the Erosion of Technical Integrity : Rethinking Human Decision-Making in Modern Warfare You can freely access the paper here ➡️ researchcentre.army.gov.au/library/coll...

154

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Neil Renic @ncrenic.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

🚨The Australian Army Research Centre series on Safety, Legal, and Ethical Implications of Military Artificial Intelligence is now out. Edited by @zenaassaad.bsky.social, @jessicadorsey.bsky.social, and myself - fantastic articles, all open-access. researchcentre.army.gov.au/library/coll...

071

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف) @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The amount of people who sent me this claiming it's a "win" because it references nuclear safety, when that's immediately invalidated by claiming technical controls are insufficient due to an unscientific premise that a "superintelligent" deity will come to be.

1103

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

“The most important thing for thinking about the way this particular technology is developed is to ask where accountability can be found.” I spoke with @sciam.bsky.social on “Rogue AI” and how that frame displaces accountability. Podcast and transcript below.

scientificamerican.com

Who’s accountable when AI goes off the rails?

Behind the headlines about AI agents lies a deeper debate over accountability, safety and control.

2269

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 07/10/2026

you don’t hold "AI" accountable; you hold AI developers, vendors, and corporations that profit off it accountable holding "AI accountable" is like holding a toaster accountable. it's an inanimate object. it doesn't have wishes, feelings, or desires

341745538

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Julie Carpenter, PhD @jgcarpenter.com · 07/10/2026

I wrote about the Pelkey avatar being used in court as part of a larger discussion of grief, storytelling, family, ethics, and technology in "Your Settings Are Saved" (2025). jgcarpenter.com/blog.html?bl...

A woman is laying on a white bed sheet, her hands over her eyes, curly hair spread around her. Polaroids and a camera are strewn on the sheet behind her. Text: June 19, 2025; Your Settings Are Saved: Consent, simulation, and the right to remain dead in the age of grief AI.

142

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I was quoted in this piece, so I thought I'd share the bits that weren't included: What I see here is language models doing what language models do: reading and writing. Wikis are prime targets for agents, which are foremost writing machines.

arstechnica.com

OpenAI agents tried to hack Wikipedia tools and flooded it with traffic

The reports of OpenAI agents harming third-party sites keep coming.

1277

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Meta is using a radical interpretation of a tax credit for “research and experimentation” to get billions of dollars off GPUs for its A.I. data centers. My latest with Jesse Drucker, @elitan.bsky.social and @mikeisaac.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...

nytimes.com

How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes (Gift Article)

Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.

10200104

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Looking for a post doc? Come join us at the Machine Visual Culture Research Group, which “combines digital and computational art history, critical AI studies, and the history of art and visual culture.” www.biblhertz.it/3815269/2909...

biblhertz.it

Call for Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Digital Art History

01821

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 30/09/2026

“What is most important, however, is to affirm that AI is different. … It is another form of intelligence with a mindset all its own, and there is zero evidence that it views humanity’s well-being and survival as a priority.” wtf is left media doing echoing this cultist doomerism?

thenation.com

How AI Could Kill Us All

Mapping the pathways to human extinction.

814319

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is not an AI problem, it's a stupid people making stupid decisions problem.

041

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Regulation costs time and money, that's why there is so much opposition to it. By self regulating, they can ensure their bottom line of dollar dollar bills is not disrupted.

230

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Self regulation is beneficial for these companies because it basically means they can keep doing whatever they want while publicly showing superficial safety rubber stamps that don't actually mean anything.

131

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is all happening in the wake of the push from tech companies to self regulate. They are using the recent dooms day publicity as justification.

120

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is not an AI problem, it's a systems problem on part of cyber security vulnerabilities and a lack of regulation problem which has allowed tech companies to build and deploy whatever they want.

120

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The fundamental issue here is two fold: 1. Our government clearly has vulnerable and weak cyber security. 2. Tech companies are deliberately designing and deploying these systems to hack into other systems.

132

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This has been all over my feeds this morning with lots of "AI gone rogue" narratives. This is also appearing in the wake of Mark Zuckerberg telling the UN AI has a chance of destroying humanity and the solution is tech companies self regulating. www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/1...

rnz.co.nz

OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed an AI agent hacked into an Australian Medicare data portal earlier this year.

31511

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

New #ResponsibleBytesPodcast episode is out now. Featuring @ncrenic.bsky.social chatting about the ethics of war. 🎧 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. 📹 Full video is also up on our YouTube channel.

141

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The only reason they're doing this is because they're now pushing to self-regulate. It's the compromise no one asked for, that works best for only them. Instead of much needeed third party regulation we Instead have "AI that we develop will end the world and only we can save it!".

192

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 23/09/2026

In this documentary, Israeli military and intelligence sources reveal systems, policies, and practices that have resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths and widespread destruction. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

newyorker.com

“NAZA” Puts Israel Face to Face with the War in Gaza

In this documentary, Israeli military and intelligence sources reveal systems, policies, and practices that have resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths and widespread destruction.

44231

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف) @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

New from me in Nature. I discuss the need to look to regulated industries on how to govern AI, and not give into AI companies' self-regulation. Those actually serious about safety and security would start by applying safety critical techniques and legislation first. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Why AI companies can’t be trusted to self-regulate

From aviation to banking, high-risk industries are subject to independent oversight and meaningful penalties. AI companies should be no exception.

611553

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Nick Feik @nickfeik.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Think it's time for someone to write a dissertation on Harry Frankfurt's "On Bullshit" and its salience to Australian politics.

57125

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Jason Wu @auswu.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

As usual, insightful and hard hitting article by @davemilbo.bsky.social on the cowardice and moral decay of the likes of @senatorwong.bsky.social and Ed Sheeran. #FreePalestine Penny! Are 191.5 tons of nitrocellulose we sent to Israel “nonlethal in nature”? theshot.net.au/uncategorize...

theshot.net.au

Penny! Are 191.5 tons of nitrocellulose we sent to Israel “nonlethal in nature”? - The Shot

Like Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, and Ed Sheeran’s band and Ed Sheeran, relations between Penny Wong and myself are “complicated”....

01910

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Open source communities don't have lobbyists. Derek Slater on why that capacity gap will decide whether the next wave of state AI bills protects openness or accidentally kills it.

buff.ly

Supporting Openness & Safety — Lessons From Recent State Laws

Responsible solutions are possible, but achieving them requires technical and legal expertise to engage in the legislative process, writes Derek Slater.

062

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 18/09/2026

While trusted execution environments in the cloud might be secure enough for many cases, they're fundamentally less secure than end-to-end encryption or local computation. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

eff.org

Secure Messaging and AI Remain In Conflict Despite the Promise of TEEs

Secure messaging platforms, like Signal, WhatsApp, and recently, encrypted RCS, operate on a straightforward assumption: the content at each end of a conversation is private to the participants in

06426

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

maddy varner @regret.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Do AI companies need an antitrust exemption to take time to work on safety and address potentially catastrophic risks? As an FTC antitrust attorney put it, “no humanity would result in no competition.” www.wired.com/story/the-ai...

wired.com

The AI ‘Slowdown’ Is an Antitrust Mess

By framing their efforts as a “slowdown” rather than an industry-wide push for better security standards, AI labs may have set themselves up for years of regulatory headaches.

1298

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

New, at @techpolicypress.bsky.social, I discuss the problems with Dario Amodei's "We Must Pace the Frontier" proposal. (TL;DR version: The better angels of the AI industry's nature are never going to prevent the AI industry's worst potential harms.) www.techpolicy.press/who-should-p...

techpolicy.press

Who Should Pace the Frontier? Not Dario Amodei

We should take Dario Amodei’s writing just seriously enough to stop entrusting him with so much power, writes Dave Karpf.

17726

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 17/09/2026

Natasha Singer’s book “Coding Kids” tracks how public schools were bewitched by private corporations, setting the stage for the ed-tech backlash of today. www.newyorker.com/culture/prog...

newyorker.com

What We Lost When Big Tech Took Over the Classroom

Natasha Singer’s book “Coding Kids” tracks how public schools were bewitched by private corporations, setting the stage for the ed-tech backlash of today.

14011

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

The Flytrap @theflytrapmedia.com · 15/09/2026

Of course Ed Sheeran's Irish band, Beoga, quit on him after he dropped Macklemore for saying "Free Palestine"! Irish musicians are at the forefront of speaking out against the genocide of Palestine. We covered this here: www.theflytrapmedia.com/censorship-o...

theflytrapmedia.com

Censorship of Pro-Palestine Speech in the Music Industry Shows the Power of Demands for Decolonization

The liberation of Palestine is a threat to how we live today—that’s precisely why we should keep calling for it.

17760200

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The way we talk about tech is increasingly dominated by a radical intentionalist position: one that insists we can *only* observe the system by reference to its internal “beliefs,” “thoughts,” and “wants.” That’s a trap — and it must not be enshrined into policy. www.techpolicy.press/to-make-ai-r...

techpolicy.press

To Make AI Rules, Policymakers Must Resist the Influence of ‘Radical Intentionalists’

In industry rhetoric, a radical intentionalist stance dominates any interpretation of model behavior, writes Eryk Salvaggio.

69331

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Zeteo @zeteo.com · 15/09/2026

Removing Macklemore from his tour for saying, ‘Free Palestine,’ is taking a side, whether Ed Sheeran wants to admit it or not. Read the latest from @KaivanShroff zeteo.com/p/ed-sheeran...

zeteo.com

Ed Sheeran Isn’t Staying Out of Politics – He Is Letting a Pro-Israel Billionaire Choose His Politics for Him

Removing Macklemore from his tour for saying, ‘Free Palestine,’ is taking a side, whether Sheeran wants to admit it or not.

1430272

Dr Zena Assaad @zenaassaad.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Global Innovation Fellowship applications are now open for UK-based early & mid career researchers across the humanities & social sciences working in Security, Defence, & Resilience, Indo-European Relations, Technology & AI or Strategy-Making in Europe ➡️ www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Global Innovation Fellowships: The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) 2026-27

Global Innovation Fellowships provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the cr...

010

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This is a good example of how you need quite a lot of detail of how these systems *actually* work to understand what the risks are, and how over-indexing on sci-fi can lead you a bit astray on what the future looks like

332120493

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 13/09/2026

To ppl suggesting Stanford as an "independent Anthropic & OpenAI auditor" “The membrane between academia and industry...is practically nonexistent at Stanford, a school so entangled with tech that it can be hard to tell where the university ends and the businesses begin” nymag.com/intelligence...

nymag.com

You Are Not a Parrot

And a chatbot is not a human. And a linguist named Emily M. Bender is very worried what will happen when we forget this.

6505132

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

It’s been 10 years since Robodebt began and there’s still no government commitment to introduce safeguards for automated decision-making tools in the Australian Public Service www.medicalrepublic.com.au/no-more-robo...

medicalrepublic.com.au

No more Robodebt: new push for guardrails on government algorithms - Medical Republic

A new private member’s bill would impose mandatory transparency, human oversight and review rights as automated decision-making expands across aged care, the NDIS and other Commonwealth services.

37336

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

“To be gripped by another person’s inner life is old equipment built into us. … AI slop feels like betrayal. There is this haunting feeling when you lean toward a face and then find only a mask, with no person behind it.” www.noemamag.com/a-new-kind-o...

noemamag.com

A New Kind Of Creative Poverty | NOEMA

The Simplified Chinese Internet ran on reward and punishment. LLM training feels uncomfortably familiar.

1227

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Some people read this as a critique of the stochastic parrot paper or assumed it was no longer relevant. But the piece specifically insists that, when you look at what 🦜 actually said, it's just as important today. And yet, none of what I wrote in this piece is dismissive of what the systems do.

techpolicy.press

Stochastic Flocks and the Critical Problem of 'Useful' AI

Acknowledging that AI systems are advancing does not buy into hype, it sharpens the precision of critical thinking about their impacts, says Eryk Salvaggio.

2397

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 10/09/2026

the media’s reaction to this anthropic guy’s tweets are a great demonstration of how they don’t want to inform the public, they’re just happy to go along with a sensationalist narrative handed to them by deluded and self-interested tech people

7518125

Reposted by Dr Zena Assaad

Julie Carpenter, PhD @jgcarpenter.com · 09/09/2026

I talked with Charles Hill Jr, LPC, about grief tech on Equilibria podcast: privacy for the dead and the grieving, and what an AI-curated persona of someone lost does to the grieving process. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXhO...

youtube.com

What You Need to Know About Grief AI

YouTube video by Equilibria Psychological Services

022