I've written about "disordered counterpublics" groups that reinforce shared delusions Here, the LLM becomes a 1 person counterpublic. It mirrors assumptions, absorbs contradictions, & provides the sense of a responsive, confirming audience.
It is the architecture of disordered discourse, automated.

Give peas a chance – even AI peas: the Stephen Collins cartoon AI can transform all areas of our lives – even boiling a bag of frozen veg

AI peas 😂 www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The first Water Pipit since 2021 was October's bird highlight at London's Walthamstow Wetlands. Round-up of the 97 species seen now on walthamstowbirders.blogspot.com Thanks to @samodonnell25.bsky.social @chris-farthing.bsky.social @wheresrhys.bsky.social & MLP for pics. #londonbirding

2nd edition of our The AI Shift newsletter is out. The question today: could AI be making us LESS productive? @jburnmurdoch.ft.com www.ft.com/content/2480... At the individual level, it's clear we're not reliable witnesses on this Q. At an organisational level, it gets even more interesting...

Two weeks a year? How believable is the government's pilot of using AI to increase civil service productivity?

I dug into the civil service & Microsoft claims that copilot saves workers 2 weeks a year, and similarly it is based on self-reported estimates. www.wheresrhys.co.uk/2025/06/07/t...

Plaid smash Reform to win in Caerphilly These are the key takeaways from a massive night in Welsh politics

My latest newsletter with all the analysis from a historic Caerphilly byelection

willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/plaid-smas...

Christ! I moved from Wales to London to get AWAY from the ravens and kites, not to find them both 5 minutes from my front door in zone 3!! #londonbirds

A nice surprise today with the first jack snipe I’ve ever seen at my local waterworks nature reserve, and putting on a very endearing show of bobbing #londonbirds

Have Disney pulled the Indiana Jones movies for being mean to nazis yet?

A label on an item of clothing beginning with the manufacturer’s slogan ‘the mountain people’

@gruffrhys.bsky.social wnes i ddod ar draws rhai o’ch lyrics yn Ellis Brigham. Mymryn yn wahanol i sut o’n i’n ei cofio nhw.

When will our spineless leaders speak for liberal Britain? Cowardice enables the radical right

The radical right is winning because Labour, the Tories, most of the press and the BBC will not speak for the majority that sees Farage and the extremists beyond him as a menace
Piece from me on the failure to rally resistance
open.substack.com/pub/nickcohe...

Letter to a london assembly member complaining about policing of the Unite the Kingdom protest

Letter to my assembly member about the policing today #london #standuptoracism

Me too.

Today I brought 1 friend, but next time I will bring 20

There are more of us, and they won’t win

Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers We align the aligners

Q. Who aligns the aligners?
A. alignmentalignment.ai

Today I’m humbled to announce an epoch-defining event: the launch of the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

While, rightly, there's a lot of concern about when AI _is_ used without consent, transparency etc, rushing towards the benefits while ignoring the harms... I wonder what these cynical claims of AI-ness might do to people's ability to recognise, believe and embrace benefits when they are real

But I think it's interesting that this AI branding creates associations in people's minds between "cutting edge AI" and "rubbish service delivery", which, whatever you think of AI, is grounded in presence of the "AI" marketing buzzword, rather than presence of the actual technology.

implying that, despite the hype, cutting edge technology is not in fact being used to power them. "No shit, Sherlock," I hear you say, "Didn't you know it's all hype??!"...

There appears to be a very consistent trend in "AI" help chatbots (I'm looking at you HSBC, Halifax, Ovo...) . 1) They are rubbish, not really conversational, based on preset answers... basically using tech from 10 years ago. 2) If you ask the same questions to ChatGPT you get far better answers...

An option for a security question that reads 'what year is your anniversary?', presumably written by someone unfamiliar with the concept of an anniversary

If I pick this as my security question will I remember that the answer I submitted was "every year, dumbass"

Decomputing as a response to AI and to the underlying conditions that make AI seem inevitable.

A caramel bar with epic cliffs, screw slopes and lakes in the cairngorms as a backdrop

I’m taking part in a new scheme to reintroduce native species to the highlands

YouTube video by stevethedalek Tesco vs Denmark

Stumbled across this almost nostrodaman premonition of Amazon by @aiannucci.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfSi...

Very interesting, if a little alarming and depressing, thoughts from James K on how AI may impact on politics

Starlings form long-term 'friendships', study finds A 20-year study of Superb Starlings has found that these birds form long-term social bonds resembling human friendships. While they often help relatives, individuals also consistently assist specific non-relatives, suggesting reciprocal relationships built over time. The research reveals complex social behaviour among starlings, challenging the belief that such co-operation is limited to kin and offering new insights into animal societies.

A new study has revealed that birds can form long-lasting bonds that closely resemble human friendships:

Hats off to the image + headline juxtaposition editor at @data.ft.com

My thoughts on the government’s recent study on AI efficiency improvements in the civil service www.wheresrhys.co.uk/2025/06/07/t...

#AI #aiopportunities

AI Training, the Licensing Mirage, and Effective Alternatives to Support Creative Workers | TechPolicy.Press Requiring licenses for training data won’t impede automation or provide meaningful support to creators, argues Derek Slater.

Great article on AI, copyright and licencing www.techpolicy.press/ai-training-...

I'm running some focus groups to discuss this issue in the UK. Sign up here forms.gle/m65AKVoHMg9m... #makeitfair #dothewritething #aipolicy

AI and copyright focus group participant sign up Many artificial Intelligence (AI) tools rely on training on datasets that contain large amounts of copyrighted material. The UK government is proposing to change copyright law so that AI companies can...

I'm recruiting participants for a focus group to research public attitudes to the government's policy on AI and copyright. Please share, and fill out this form if you'd like to take part forms.gle/5KMp66VVH43y... #AI #copyright #makeitfair #DoTheWriteThing @societyofauthors.bsky.social

A juvenile coal tit held in the hand. Very young - still has yellow cheeks

This juvenile coal tit - only the second we’ve ever ringed at the site - was my highlight from Walthamstow wetlands CES this morning, alongside 6 juvenile reed warblers - some very early breeding this year. Ringed under licence by @btobirds.bsky.social #londonbirds

Reform UK-run Lincolnshire County Council scraps flood committee - BBC News The work will be incorporated into another committee despite all other parties opposing the change.

Wake-up call…

Lincolnshire has suffered some of the worst flooding in its history in recent years

Lincolnshire’s newly elected Reform council has abolished the flooding committee

This is who they are

Please wake up to this.

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