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. […]
Jessica
That’s too bad you had to get rid of your iMac. I have a 1999 Graphite special edition one that still runs well. The hard drive died about a year ago and I replaced it with a 60GB one. It runs Panther and other apps just fine.
Now that you’ve got rid of it are you going to get a new computer?
sauseschritt
same model, same date I bought, only in Vienna. and it totally fell apart” in october. I am still undecisive what to buy next: any plans from your side?
Jill
I’ve already ordered a G5 imac! It’s a through-work leasing deal where I get to take the monthly lease off my pay-check before tax, sxo it wokrs out pretty cheap.
Interesting to know they seem to have similar death dates. Sad…
Elin
make it into an aquarium! There is a website for it somewhere…
jean
I’ve always thought that, properly stripped, they would make fabulous fish tanks…
Jill
Here’s a Wired article about the iMac aquariums… and it’d be cool, but… nah…