Lisa Baer-Tsarfati, PhD
@baersafari.bsky.social
I chased the language of power into the algorithms of AI. Now I research and build systems that protect people and their data. Historian | Computational linguist | Critical AI studies. She/her.
Grateful to have presented at #DH2026 this week on Digital Humanities as AI Governance. Huge thanks to the organizers for such smooth virtual participation, to my co-panelists for their excellent papers, and to everyone who joined our session and discussion. (1/2)
Most AI governance asks "is this system accurate, fair, transparent, safe"? None of those questions ask whether a system has become an epistemic institution. Presenting a five-part framework on the latter at #DH2026 this week—July 30, 9 AM KST. Reach out if you're attending and want to connect!
Not surprised by this finding at all: the bias is literally trained into these systems via the datasets curated for unsupervised learning and the responses approved during reinforcement training. (1/6)
Mel Andrews@bayesianboy.bsky.social · 2mo agoWhen utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.
Current AI models are designed for Western, wealthy societies that represent just 15% of the global population, leaving the remaining 85% to deal with deeply rooted cultural biases https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-divide-america-china-world/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky
The Great AI Divide: Navigating U.S. and Chinese dominance
At a Rest of World event during New York Tech Week, we explored the challenges and possible solutions to the dominance of American and Chinese AI companies.
restofworld.org
When 'full-stack American AI ecosystems' get exported as standard frameworks, the linguistic hierarchies in their training data travel with them. Adopting the infrastructure means importing the epistemic order. Sovereignty over your network doesn't guarantee sovereignty over your language.
Tech Policy Press@techpolicypress.bsky.social · 2mo agoUnder the second Trump administration, the language of sovereignty has become more explicit in American tech policy, writes Konstantinos Komaitis. The shift reflects a willingness to treat digital infrastructure, AI, and data governance as instruments of geopolitical leverage and national power.
This is essential reading. Worth adding: the tools don't transcribe everyone equally. Most are normalized against standardized American English & the accuracy of non-standard accents, dialects, & non-English words degrades significantly. Who gets faithfully captured is not a neutral outcome.
bianca wylie@biancawylie.com · 2mo agoIn a time of hyper-convenience, individualization, and near ubiquitous surveillance, often through self-surveillance, etiquette offers a framework of thinking that reinforces the reality of our interconnectedness time-and-space-studios.ghost.io/solidarity-a...
Really pleased to be part of this year’s lineup. My workshop examines gen AI in humanities pedagogy, moving past enthusiasm or bans toward ethical & critical practice. Participants leave with an AI policy & redesigned assignments. If you’re navigating AI in your teaching, hope to see you there!
DH@Guelph Summer Workshops 2026
Digital Humanities at Guelph is thrilled to welcome you to a series of 4-day, in-person workshops on a variety of topics, May 19-22, 2026!
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Kim Martin@antimony27.bsky.social · 6mo ago@paulbarrett1.bsky.social and I are thrilled to announce the 2026 DH@Guelph Summer Workshops! We've got an excellent line up this year (UX, Feminist Making, & Soundwalks, oh my!) & will be announcing our keynote next week. Please help us spread the word!! Register here: tinyurl.com/DHGuelphSW26
Grateful to @infinite-women.com for hosting me! We approached this topic historically, connecting contemporary AI to narratives of reason, objectivity, & gendered labor, discussing why feminist theory & the humanities matter for AI ethics today. Thanks, Allison, for the thoughtful conversation.
Infinite Women@infinite-women.com · 7mo agoThis week on the podcast, Dr Lisa Baer-Tsarfati @baersafari.bsky.social joins us to discuss linguistic bias in artificial intelligence. Listen now: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/... Read the transcript: www.infinite-women.com/wp-content/u...
I passed my PhD defence today and can officially call myself Dr. Lisa Baer-Tsarfati. Grateful to my supervisors and community, proud of the work, and looking forward to what comes next.
Judged the Great Ethical Dilemma competition at the Lang School of Business and Economics last week, and it was genuinely such a lovely experience. I worked on the Take-Two case, which dealt with workplace misconduct, a developing class-action lawsuit, and a delayed launch. (1/3)
1/3 Just wrapped #nacbs2025 in Montréal and, while I have to head home early, I had a fantastic time presenting with @melissa-glass.bsky.social and @ma-jones.bsky.social. Big thanks to @brodiewaddell.bsky.social and everyone who attended for such a smart, generous session.
🚨Call for Co-Panelists 🚨 I am still seeking one more co-panelist for NACBS 2025! If your work explores rhetoric, power, & control, please reach out! More info 👉 bit.ly/4kgCz2G Deadline to get in touch March 14th. #Skystorians #EarlyModern #NACBS2025
Forum | NACBS
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1/12 This past weekend, I had the privilege of presenting at the 2025 Tri-University History Conference, discussing how public-history projects like @askhistorians.bsky.social combat misinformation in an era of politically motivated historical distortion. 🧵👇 #Skystorians
The latest Scottish History Network digest is out! Read about the latest news, opportunities, publications and events (so many events!) here mailchi.mp/ce51967f494a...
Really excited about our new venture with The Heritage Lab: please circulate to any scholars or institutions you think would be a good fit for this project, which looks specifically at South Asian art, history and culture. Please feel free to DM me any questions! wikimedia.org.uk/2025/02/heri...
Digital Heritage in action: The Heritage Lab x Wikimedia UK
Collaboration between The Heritage Lab and Wikimedia UK involving researchers from across UK Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums (GLAM).
wikimedia.org.uk
📣Call for Submissions! The Centre for Scottish Studies is currently accepting submissions for the Frank Watson Book Prize 2025 for the best original work on Scottish History published in 2023 or 2024. Deadline: 31 May 2025. More details and past winners: bit.ly/3SqHEdh @uguelphhist.bsky.social
🚨 CFP: 2025 NACBS Panel 🚨 Seeking co-panelists for Language, Legitimacy, and Threat: Discursive Constructions of Authority & Transgression in Early-Modern Britain. If your work explores rhetoric, power, & control, please reach out! More info 👉 bit.ly/4kgCz2G #Skystorians #EarlyModern #NACBS2025
Forum | NACBS
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A great new initiative for Early Modern Studies at UHI - accessible world wide and with excellent staff!
UHI Institute for Northern Studies@insuhi.bsky.social · last yr.New MLitt Course @thinkuhi.bsky.social - with @uhihistory.bsky.social @uhiarchaeology.bsky.social, Highland Theological College & UHI Literature team, @insuhi.bsky.social enrolling in September 2025 – Early Modern European Studies (EMES) tinyurl.com/yr8unjd3
Thrilled to be presenting at the Tri-U History Conference on 1 March! I’ll be talking about how projects like @askhistorians.bsky.social combat misinformation & shape historical discourse. If you’ll be there, let’s connect! If not, let’s discuss: What role should historians play in this fight? 🗃️
"The real damage is done by those millions who want to ‘survive’…Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves." — Sophie Scholl She was only 21 when the Nazis executed her for resisting. Would you have the courage to resist if called upon to do so?
Carve Her Name@carvehername.bsky.social · last yr.#OnThisDay, 22 Feb 1943, Sophie Scholl is sentenced to death and immediately executed, alongside her brother and a friend, for distributing anti-Nazi literature at her university in Munich, Germany. #WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WorldWar2 #EuropeanHistory 🗃️ 1/2
print(”Hello, World!) As I refocus my career on academia, research, & digital scholarship, I wanted to introduce myself—both to new connections & longtime colleagues who might not know the full scope of my work. 🧵👇 (1/7) #DigitalHumanities #ComputationalLinguistics #Python #NLP
🧵 Another week of current events on @askhistorians.bsky.social. There's increased variety from Nazis (finally). Many questions still need answers if any #skystorians want to get involved in crowd sourced history This is a great example of the news driving inquiry: www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
Google Maps has now started calling it the Gulf of America. How have countries historically decided the names of shared areas like oceans, or mountain ranges?
reddit.com
Just wrapped up 8 months in the NAAAP Mastermind Program! This peer-mentorship program brings together high-performing Asian-American professionals to learn, grow, and support each other. #NAAAP #Mentorship (1/3)
Thrilled to announce the publication of Networks and Networking in Scottish Studies: Essays in Honour of Elizabeth Ewan! Co-edited with Sierra Dye & @mariahjhudec.bsky.social, this open-access volume celebrates @kiritekatawa.bsky.social's dedication to accessible, inclusive scholarship (1/3)
