I just signed a petition calling for Norwegian universities to use research expertise on AI when deciding how to implement it, rather than having decisions be made mostly administratively. , If you are a researcher in Norway, please read it and sign it if you agree – and share with anyone else who might be interested. The petition was written by three researchers at UiT: Maria Danielsen (a philosopher who completed her PhD in 2025 on AI and ethics, including discussions of art and working life), Knut Ørke (Norwegian as a second language), and Holger Pötzsch (a professor of media studies with many years of research on digital media, video games, disruption, and working life, among other topics). This is not about preventing researchers from exploring AI methods in their research. It is about not uncritically accepting the hype that everyone must use AI everywhere without critical reflection. It is about not introducing Copilot as the default option in word processors, or training PhD candidates to believe they will fall behind if they do not use AI when writing articles, without proper academic discussion. Changes like these should be knowledge-based and discussed academically, not merely decided administratively, because they alter the epistemological foundations of research. Maria wrote to me a couple of months ago because she had read my opinion piece in Aftenposten in which I called for a strong brake on the use of language models in knowledge work. She was part of a committee tasked with developing UiT’s AI strategy and was concerned because there was so much hype and so few members of the committee with actual expertise in AI. I fully support the petition. There are probably some good uses for AI in research, but the uncritical, hype-driven insistence that we must simply adopt it everywhere is highly risky. There are many researchers in Norway with strong expertise in AI, language, ethics, working life, and culture. We must make use of this expertise. This is also partly about respect for research in the humanities, social sciences, psychology, and law. Introducing AI at universities and university colleges is not merely a technical issue, and perhaps not even primarily a technical one. It concerns much more: philosophy of science, methodological reflection, epistemology, writing, publishing, the working environment, and more. […]
Francois Lachance
What a joy to see and read images about the care of the self (and a validation of the close up).
Jill with scarves, Toril with footware.
And Elouise with fantastic inspiring typos which give us Fragment Nation… http://weez.oyzon.com/archives/000231.html#468
where there is a pointer to another illustrated entry on fragments of the body and care of the self, see
http://torillsin.blogspot.com/2003_10_01_torillsin_archive.html#106674973018281302
Torill’s meditation on the sensible and sensual in footware and the wear and tear of becoming/being an academic.
Norman
I took a friend on a long rainforest walk today. It’s a trail through magnificent stretches of temperate palms, giant eucalypts, pines and various ferns, vines and other plants. I hadn’t been there for a while, and in the meantime someone has come up with the bright idea of turning it into a road, while ensuring no vehicles can use it.
The devestation along the route is appalling. Where once there was a solid two log bridge over a creek, they’re building a substantial bridge, which will incorporate barriers to prevent motor cyclists using it. Don’t worry about the fact that previously motor cyclists wouldn’t be there. Don’t worry about the creek being choked now with soil, Don’t even worry about the fact that most ‘tourists’ won’t use it anyway, as it involves walking.
Today I saw barely any animal life. It’s the only spot on the Central Coast where I could see the extremelt shy lyre birds on a regular basis. I’ll probably not be seeing them or most of the other fauna either from now on. I’m not into photography, but I sometimes fear that photographs will be all that’s left before long.