Carol

A flora identification guide and illustration of the plants of early February, including snowdrop, hellebore and celandine

Other work by the Ladybird artists.
‘February in the Weald of Kent’
Artist: SR Badmin

US companies accused of ‘AI washing’ in citing artificial intelligence for job losses While AI is having an impact on the workplace, experts suggest tariffs, overhiring during the pandemic and simply maximising profits may be bigger factors

US companies accused of ‘AI washing’ in citing artificial intelligence for job losses www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The diocese of Bath and Wales?

Donate – Wikimedia Foundation Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation Wikipedia is the world’s largest encyclopedia — and it’s yours! Every donation helps keep Wikipedia free and open for people across the globe. Only 2% of Wikipedia r...

I've been meaning for ages to donate to @wikipedia.org and when better to do so than in their 25th anniversary year? wikimediafoundation.org/give/

Flooded fields under a leaden sky, a scene that could be the Somerset Levels

“Heavy rains that often fall in February have flooded the low-lying meadows in the broad valley.”
‘What to Look for in Winter’, 1959
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson

A very loose, spare, painterly watercolour of a long view over a flat expansive landscape dotted with winter trees in broken sunshine under a cloudy sky

Other work of the Ladybird artists.
A February Day
Artist: Rowland Hilder

‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI Women in rural communities describe trauma of moderating violent and pornographic content for global tech companies

‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

PS. Not too late to tell the government what you think about their proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain - the public consultation is open until 12th Feb.

www.gov.uk/government/c...

Pictorial textile artwork featuring a barn owl on a fence post in a field at night under a swirling sky and full moon

UK textile artist Rachel Wright who creates textile art using machine embroidery on calico with fabrics and Madeira rayons #WomensArt

‘Coffee is just the excuse’: the deaf-run cafe where hearing people sign to order In-person interactions break down barriers in east London, as AI startups also try to bridge communication divide

‘Coffee is just the excuse’: the deaf-run cafe where hearing people sign to order www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

...and further evidence of how rubbish humans are at identifying AI-generated text

There goes my one crumb of consolation in this doomsday scenario

I've been musing on how bland and uninformative some posters' alt text is. Yours feels human-generated; am I right?

Robotic crowd with glowing blue eyes huddled around a giant smartphone displaying a social feed beneath a “Welcome to the Bot Internet” headline.

What’s the biggest AI news of the week? For me, it has to be the launch of a social media network purely for #GenAI bots - but are they plotting to take over?

X is hiring a creative writing specialist at $40 an hour to make Grok better at writing and a true LOL at the qualifications

NEW on Wonkhe: The emails are clearer, the tone is better, and staff can respond more quickly. Nafisa Baba-Ahmed asks what higher education loses when students no longer struggle through the messy process of finding their voice buff.ly/jrCxJu6

I believe this was the cover for a Readers Digest volume. It shows an aerial view, just below that of the geese, looking down on an expansive Winter landscape

‘Winter Skein’

Other work of the Ladybird artists, (1983)
Artist Ronald Lampitt

Martin has seen the future.

I think I might take one of these "under 20 minutes" AI skills courses the UK Govt. seems very keen on everyone doing and live-post it here... Maybe we can all learn something together! The press release sends me to aiskillshub.org.uk/aiskillsboost/ - let's go and see!

Bold white and yellow text on asphalt reading: SECURE EXAMS AREN’T SECURE ENOUGH, with white road markings beneath.

We talk a lot about cheating at university level, but real world cheating in secure driving test environments also appears to be on the increase. News story link in first reply #academicintegrity

Alt text: Screenshot of a Substack article on mobile. The post is titled "AI feedback customized for student writers: the updated PAIRR prompts" with the subtitle "Tested AI feedback prompts from the Peer & AI Review + Reflection Project (PAIRR) give supportive, conversational, less overwhelming feedback tailored to your assignment." Published by Anna Mills on January 27, 2026, on annamills.substack.com. A small profile photo of the author appears in the header and beside the byline. Below the article preview, a chalkboard texture image is partially visible.

Excited to share the updated, tested AI feedback prompts from PAIRR @pairrfeedback.bsky.social. Licensed for you to copy and change if you like. There are custom bots where you can test them out, too. Feedback is now more concise and conversational.

annamills.substack.com/p/ai-feedbac...

Scammers are using AI to lure shoppers to fake businesses Foreign firms use AI-generated images and false back stories to pose as family-run UK businesses.

Interesting question www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Snowdrops and scarlet elfcups growing in Llanforda woods among the ruins of Edward Lluyd's house.

"No sight ever pleases me so well as the snowdrops now in the wilderness," wrote the renowned botanist Edward Lloyd in 1668, referring to his garden and home near Oswestry. The house is long gone but along the path through its ruins the snowdrops continue to flourish and delight. #WildflowerHour

It's very concerning that students and scholars are using Quillbot - have they not read its Privacy policy? Parent company Learneo reserves the right to post anything uploaded to Quillbot on its other sites, including CourseHero #academicintegrity

Thank you for sharing the gift link

A Blue Tit sits on the left side of a thin branch, small and neat with a blue cap and white cheeks, while a larger Great Tit perches on the right with a black head, white cheek patches and a bold black stripe down its yellow chest. The Blue Tit on the left is leaning forward as though trying to read something below, while the Great Tit watches on expectantly... Above the image is the caption: “Ok, he’s writing …” “Just tell me.” “Blue Tit x2… sorry mate.”

“Ok, he’s writing ...”

“Just tell me.”

"Blue Tit x2... sorry mate.”

#BigGardenBirdwatch

Meet ‘Amelia’: the AI-generated British schoolgirl who is a far-right social media star The avatar, created to deter young people from extremism, has been subverted and is breaking out of niche online silos

Meet ‘Amelia’: the AI-generated British schoolgirl who is a far-right social media star www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Mommy and her baby.. 😊

Say no to Palantir in the NHS NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back

Over 26,000 have emailed their local trust to keep Palantir out of the NHS.

Will you join them?
https://notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-target/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=PalantirNHS&utm_medium=social_media

A line drawing of a street scene with children skipping, a bike going by and birds in the sky

An observation test for your inner 8-year-old.
You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes.

From Treasure magazine, 1963
Official answers coming soon

(Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)