Trevor Paglen examines machine vision from the perspective of an artist who works with media technology and writes with deep philosophical insight, in this book, “Instead of asking what these technologies say about the world, I want to ask what they do.“ www.versobooks.com/products/347...

“…when lying is used as a political strategy, the distinction between fact and fiction itself is blurred so citizens can no longer trust anything what is said.” — Mark Coeckelbergh, “LLMs, Truth, and Democracy: An Overview of Risks,” doi.org/10.1007/s119...

LLMs, Truth, and Democracy: An Overview of Risks - Science and Engineering Ethics

While there are many public concerns about the impact of AI on truth and knowledge, especially when it comes to the widespread use of LLMs, there is not much systematic philosophical analysis of these problems and their political implications. This paper aims to assist this effort by providing an overview of some truth-related risks in which LLMs may play a role, including risks concerning hallucination and misinformation, epistemic agency and epistemic bubbles, bullshit and relativism, and epistemic anachronism and epistemic incest, and by offering arguments for why these problems are not only epistemic issues but also raise problems for democracy since they undermine its epistemic basis– especially if we assume democracy theories that go beyond minimalist views. I end with a short reflection on what can be done about these political-epistemic risks, pointing to education as one of the sites for change.

doi.org

We never had a true democracy, but we will miss it when it is gone. @marcelias.bsky.social is doing fine and important work.

Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · 2w ago

The top election official in Kansas is doing everything he can legally do to disenfranchise mail voters this election cycle. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

One of the most infuriating policies of this administration is there are billions and billions available for war, tax cuts, corruption but not for the priorities of the people: healthcare, infrastructure, and prosecuting the scoundrels.

Jon Cooper@joncooper-us.bsky.social · 2w ago

Cartoon by @dennisgoris.bsky.social.

Astute response to the recent end-of-reading article in The Atlantic: “AI won’t make literacy obsolete. But it will make it dangerously easy to avoid — and in a world increasingly mediated by text, the urgency has never been greater.” — Tinsley Galyean, tinsleyreframe.substack.com/p/will-ai-ma...

Will AI Make the Need to Read Obsolete?

The limiting belief that if a machine can do it, humans no longer need to learn it.

tinsleyreframe.substack.com

We have the playbook; now it’s time to defend democracy

Charles Keener@charleskeener.bsky.social · 3w ago

www.commondreams.org/opinion/trum...

THIS.MUST.STOP

George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸@gtconway.bsky.social · 3w ago

“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” Fleeing. The vehicle was driving away. That’s murder. A legal resident of the United States is now dead. The threat to public safety is ICE. It must be eliminated.

We can afford good healthcare for Americans. What we can't afford is misguided wars, spending tens of billions to deport hard-working people who have been here for many years and paying taxes, tax breaks for the 1%, farm subsidies to make up for unsound tariffs, neoliberal economic policies, etc.

Christina Henderson@chenderson.bsky.social · 3w ago

I wish more journalists would point out that Sen. McConnell and Rep. Tom Kean (missed 4 months of work) are/were essentially on paid sick & medical leave. The same employment protection they’ve spent their careers blocking other Americans from having.

Martin Puchner offers a thought-provoking perspective on #AI in creative fields like #writing; he argues that “the Creative Resistance is understandable as a reaction to a disruptive technology, but ultimately it gets in the way of understanding AI.” aeon.co/essays/liter...

Aeon Magazine@aeon.co · 2mo ago

Strong resistance to AI among writers is understandable. But it obscures what we share with the machines: language itself. An Essay by Martin Puchner

Some things never change. The force behind this? Neoliberal Economics, plain and simple; these policies exacerbate income inequality, cause financial instability, erode labor rights, destroy social safety nets, the list goes on. Who should our government and economy serve?

Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 3w ago

For those who have forgotten the past 40 years: Tax cuts for the rich ...don’t trickle down Boosting military spending ...doesn’t bring peace Slashing regulations ...doesn’t create jobs Folks, we’ve seen this all before.

In today’s media ecosystem polluted by oligarch funded propaganda, Wikipedia needs your financial support more than ever. Join me in supporting production of information that is human-created, fact-checked, and free to everyone! donate.wikimedia.org

A fact is a dangerous thing.

Jeff Rudd 🇮🇪 🇨🇦 🇵🇸@jeffrudd.bsky.social · 4w ago

The supposed free speech absolutist censors checkable facts from being shared.

Let your representatives know how you feel about privacy! (Massachusetts)

Newton Indivisible@newtonindivisible.bsky.social · 4w ago

Massachusetts is on the verge of passing its first comprehensive data #privacy law banning the sale of your sensitive data. Industry lobbyists are fighting to strip your right to sue entities that violate the law! TAKE ACTION: Here's what you can do now: newton-indivisible.org/action-teams...

Another day, another misuse of government power; his crime? None. The symbolism? Powerful.

Luca Migo@victinibcn.bsky.social · 4w ago

"Today, Davey Hearn pled not guilty — because he is not guilty," Norm Eisen, one of his attorneys, said outside DC Superior Court. "If Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the reflecting pool, every American is at risk — and every American should be alarmed about this prosecution."

Reading is a critical component of an informed electorate. If we stop reading, media consumption becomes more driven by emotional responses and less by logical reasoning and critical thinking. There’s a reason that radio became the tool of the right wing takeover and now it’s video and social media.

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 4w ago

The advent of reading “altered people’s consciousness and politics, along with the intellectual feats they were capable of,” @rosehorowitch.bsky.social argues—and the decline of reading will bring about changes of the same magnitude:

We have to support our democratic institutions and among them is Wikipedia, an open and fact-based source of information with mechanisms that help maintain a neutral point of view and the ability to evolve over time. No wonder some oligarchs want it gone.

Newton Indivisible@newtonindivisible.bsky.social · 4w ago

Wikipedia is under siege from the political right, AI companies, and authoritarian governments that block it, demand takedowns, and jail editors. What can you do? Become an editor and join in maintaining the integrity of this democratic, open, fact-based encyclopedia: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/b...

These times call for moral clarity…

Abdul El-Sayed@abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 4w ago

ICE is not about immigration. ICE is not about the southern border. ICE is about normalizing paramilitary force on our streets. It cannot be reformed. It cannot be retrained. ICE must be abolished.

I am reading this book, halfway through, important and engaging; perfect reading for our 250th anniversary Fourth of July weekend.

Newton Indivisible@newtonindivisible.bsky.social · last mo.

A Resistance History of the United States by historian Tad Stoermer is recommended summer reading, offering a fresh perspective, reframing our political mythology through the lens of resistance movements, unraveling how power functions, and presenting what actually happened. www.tadstoermer.com

Reflects our pathological political division:

Newton Indivisible@newtonindivisible.bsky.social · last mo.

Who is running the 250th anniversary? Two organizations in direct competition: 1. America250 (a bipartisan org created by Congress orchestrating events for all Americans) and 2. Freedom 250, created by the White House and controlled by the president and his appointees, prospect.org/2026/07/03/w...

It's time to create a 250th USA Anniversary edition of Monopoly with a new ultimate get-out-of-jail-and-get-rich-quick card: getting elected to the highest office in the land of Monopoly. The corruption is impressive, like we have never seen before.

Mother Jones@motherjones.com · last mo.

In total, it appears that Trump added about $2.2 billion to his net worth in 2025—by far his most lucrative year in the presidency, and far more than in 2024, when he reported earning about $600 million.

“Through AI, we have democratized bureaucracy. It's Kafka-as-a-service.” — Cory Doctorow, in “Pluralistic: The world has moved on (11 Jun 2026),” pluralistic.net/2026/06/11/l... #quote #ai #enshitification #bureaucracy

The revised GUARD Act still relies on intrusive age-verification systems, vague legal definitions, and steep penalties for developers building conversational AI tools. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Congress Narrowed the GUARD Act, But Serious Problems Remain

Following criticism, lawmakers have narrowed the GUARD Act, a bill aimed at restricting minors’ access to certain AI systems. The earlier version could have applied broadly to nearly every AI-powered

eff.org

“Through AI, we have democratized bureaucracy. It's Kafka-as-a-service.” — Cory Doctorow, in “Pluralistic: The world has moved on (11 Jun 2026),” pluralistic.net/2026/06/11/l... #quote #ai #enshitification #bureaucracy

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, on convicted felon Trump’s profanity-laced social media post threatening to wipe out “a whole civilization,“ said “…they are not words I would use — ever use — because I come at this with our British values and principles.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/w...

I hope to see more faith leaders set an example #NoKings

Arianeh Sajadi, Esq.@arianehsajadi.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The American regime has alienated us from the Pope. Let that sink in.

If you want to understand why the #democratic party is on a trajectory flirting with failure and what we need to turn the ship around, listen to Dustin Guastella on #populism, critical #progressive insights we can't ignore unless we want a permanent #maga majority in congress #nokings

Dustin Guastella: Populism and the Working Class | Doomscroll

YouTube video by Joshua Citarella

youtube.com

Liars! Liars! Thanks to them, rhe world is on fire! #NoKings

Elizabeth Warren@warren.senate.gov · 4mo ago

Stephen Miller: “Trump = peace.” Tulsi Gabbard: “A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to end wars, not start them.” JD Vance: “Trump's best foreign policy? Not starting any wars.” Donald Trump: "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier." Liars.

“Let’s fight for the America we love. Are you with us?” — Bruce Springsteen #NoKings

Minnesota Star Tribune@startribune.com · 4mo ago

Bruce Springsteen gave a rousing five-minute sermon about the “corruption in the White House,” calling out Attorney General Pam Bondi by name and ultimately imploring, “Let’s fight for the America we love. Are you with us?” The crowd of nearly 20,000 exploded.

The rule of law, who would have thought that we would see an executive branch and a political party so dangerously focused on defying the Constitution, along with trampling due process, neutering Congress, and ignoring the will of the people? Make your vote count in the midterms while it still can.

Katie Phang@katiephang.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Just a note of appreciation for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's fierce devotion to the rule of law.

The issue over the ballroom is a perfect metaphor for everything that troubles this administration.

George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸@gtconway.bsky.social · 4mo ago