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. […]
JosÈ Angel
No, blogging is easy, but deleting is easier… anyway, the mother of all questions is “why did I delete such and such…” (face management? risk management? plain dumb idea?)
Martin
I like Blogger’s “Save as draft”-function. I’ll often write something, then think “this is
terrible, I don’t know where I’m going with this, and besides I wouldn’t want to publish
it anyway, and I’m awful, I have the writing ability of a couch,” etc. And then a week
later, I find it again and think “well, this needs about one sentence, and it’s done. And
it’s actually not that bad”, etc. It gives you time to reevaluate stuff.
Lucie
I seldom use “save as draft”- funcion. I just blog it. And then reading it
later I fix it if I’m not saticfact with it. Some times i fix the same text
several times so the people that reads ny blog must think I’m crazy.
Toril
Jill, I truly don’t know of any professors as “human” as you. Some days I erase
numerous posts, seems like I don’t know how to write anymore, and then other days
I’m back in business. You just made my day 🙂
chris
Thats exactly my process Martin. I also find it useful to just post pics for a while if I’m getting to het up about making sense in the blog. Which has been known to happen.
pia
YOU think blogging is hard? I don`t`understand how you find so many interesting things to write about? I have only lots of weird thoughts and then I just go on and publish them.. I¥ve only recently started blogging myself again, I used to be in your class spring 2004 huin105. When the huin- server was moved I couldn`t get access anymore, so now I made a new one. Miss those classes – were fun and interesting – I learned alot! Now I am using a blog to write about my six month exchange student life here in Helsinki. Where am I going with all this blabbering? Oh yes, I like reading your blog 🙂 Best regards from an old student of yours!
Jill
Pia! The partly Finnish girl! Great to hear from you, and I’m glad you’re still blogging 🙂
Mark Federman
Blogging is the extreme externalization and amplification of voice, so it would be interesting to know if you engage in the same sort of process in speaking. Are you a confident improvisational speaker, or do you agonize over what you are about to say, preparing and revising text many times? (And of course I’m talking about substantive speaking, as opposed to idle chit-chat.
Those who are now being socialized into the world of ubi-connectivity, and pervasive proximity are learning to be far more comfortable with having an audile voice, rather than only an oral one. The rest of us are learning to adapt, to a lesser or greater extent.
P.S. Regards to Barbara G. from Toronto