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. […]
Hannes
Det var fantastiskt roligt att ha dig h‰r Jill, jag blev s otroligt sugen p att dra igÂng min egen blog, det ‰r hˆgsta prio n‰sta Âr. Skˆnt att hˆra att du kom hem hel och ren, ‰ven om det tog sin tid. Hoppas att vi fÂr tillf‰lle att ses snart igen!!
Claus
I really like the photographs with the reflections, especially the second one!
Jess`
Speaking of far from home, are you coming to MLA? I had a dream that there was a new media conference and you ran off with a travelling Renaissance Faire troupe (no joke), so watch out.
Jill
Wow, Jess, I wish I’d had that dream, sounds fun! No, I’ve never been to the MLA, nor am I ever likely to go – because, dude, it’s hruing the holidays! I don’t understand how anyone could possibly plan an annual conference that’s ALWAYS in the middle of the best time off we get all year… I mean, NOBODY works unless they have to during the last week of the year. Not in Norway, anyway.
This year I’m taking an extra week’s holidays too – I’m going to visit my family in Perth! It’s summer there!
I’m not even going to bring my computer 🙂
So, is the MLA worth forgoing calm non-working time?
Jill
Og takk, Hannes – det var et spennende bes¯k!
Jess
Nope, I very highly doubt it’s worth foregoing non-working time. But it happens to be in my city this year, and in fact down the block from the apartment where I’ll be living (officially) until the end of the month. I doubt I’m even going to panels, just out drinking. (Though they did manage to pick the part of Connecticut Ave. with the lowest bar ratio.)
Perth sounds more fun (though… no computer? Is it really a vacation if you can’t read Daily Dinosaur Comics?).
Jill
Ah. Well, if the MLA was down the street from my apartment, I too would probably go drinking with the delegates… Heck, I’d even skim the panel and choose one or two to attend, in a leisurely sort of way.
But how dare you alert me to Daily Dinosaur Comics just days before I’ll be computerless!