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. […]
Lisa
Doogie Houser. And, yes, definitely a precursor (!) to the blog.
Jan Karlsbjerg
There’s also Star Trek. I never realized it while watching the show myself, but I heard one of the producers of the show explain it like this:
They wanted the show to be set in the future, but also to have the comfort of something happening in the past. So “the captain’s log” that starts each show, is supposed to be the captain’s log-entry about the last couple of days, and instead of just hearing him dictate the story, we then see the events that took place (the episode itself).
Jorunn
I think the semi-philosophical voice-over of the main character, with or without a diary as an excuse, is quite common in American shows. Carrie’s musings around her columns in Sex and the City are not all that different either, are they? (“Later that night I got to thinking about [some-question-or-other]…”)
Lisa
Well, for that matter, The Waltons always began with a reminiscence, as does a new show that’s probably not found its way to Scandinavia, Everwood (which reminds me of a contemporary, hipper Waltons).
I think diaries and letters have always been a part of narrative, but what was new, to me, was specifically The Blog. Though, come to think of it, there was a funny bit last season on West Wing when Josh finds out he is the subject of a website and starts posting (misguidedly) on its message board….
Jill
I’m not sure The Waltons hit Scandinavia either, Lisa… or else they gave it some translated title that has no resemblance to the original. They don’t bother translating titles much these day. Though West Wing is Presidenten. And Carries musings, yes!