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Philipp Horn

@philipphorn.bsky.social

Urbanist focusing on indigeneity, informality & youth futures in Latin America based at the School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield. More here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/geography-planning/people/academic-research/philipp-horn

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Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism@jksteinberger.bsky.social · 2y ago

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity. TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation First, clarity on distinguishing AIs: Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use). Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work Generative: ChatGPT & Co. You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content. Why is this delegation of work problematic? 3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement. (Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.) 1) AI and ethics Mass theft of all and everything «learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators. Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …): «correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted). In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes. 2) AI and (un)sustainability Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI. Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs. Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry. Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development. 3) AI and intellectual engagement First, what learning is (or should be) about: The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge, But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain. The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI. Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all. They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS. If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.
Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism@jksteinberger.bsky.social · 2y ago

Blessings of the morning: going over student weekly reading reports, and as requested, they didn't use chatgpt. It's all full of life and originality and actual thinking, confusion, brain work. 😍😍😍 Will share the anti-AI motivational slides I showed them, French and English versions, a bit later.

Thomas Graham@thomas-graham.bsky.social · 2y ago

In the middle of Bolivia’s worst fire season, I went with @umbamoxos.bsky.social to the scorched plains on edge of the Amazon, where archaeologists are drilling into the deep history of the mysterious forest islands. For @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/world/latin-...

In search of the ancient Amazonians who left only eerie forest islands

In Llanos de Moxos, an expanse of floodplains fringing the Bolivian rainforest, strange clumps of trees offer clues about a lost civilisation

thetimes.com

@city-journal.bsky.social · 2y ago

"Memories in the Water: A Testimony from Xochistlahuaca" – In our latest #CoastalCommons video-blog, four voices—a child, a young woman, an adult woman, and a trans woman—share memories and *affects* tied to the rivers of Costa Chica. @urbanstudiesfoundation.org cityjournal.online/memories-in-...

Memories in the water: a testimony from Xochistlahuaca | City Journal Online

https://youtu.be/MqHHaKRzAy0Memories in the Water: A Testimony from Xochistlahuaca-Dr Ulises Moreno-Tabarez-Dr Dulce María Quintero RomeroWater is more

cityjournal.online

Steve Brace@stevebracegeog.bsky.social · 2y ago

Geography for Everyone? Despite growing diversity at GCSE, at A level & uni #geography is one of the least diverse subjects. The subject, & its institutions, are not serving all teachers nor all young people. Change is needed. Read the full report ⤵️ geography.org.uk/geography-fo...

Geography for everyone? - Geographical Association

The GA has published the Geography for everyone? research report, which explores diversity and inclusion from a range of perspectives...

geography.org.uk

Sheffield Urbanism @sheffieldurbanism.bsky.social · 2y ago

We're delighted to be formally launching Sheffield Urbanism next week with a series of public events (alongside internal workshops to cook up future plans...) All of the below are open to the public, see below for details on how to sign up!

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John Harris@johnharris1969.bsky.social · 2y ago

Latest from me: this year, the time I spent travelling around a surreal, forlorn, often broken country was brilliantly soundtracked by English Teacher's This Could Be Texas, an album for our times www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I travelled up and down the UK this year. One album sums up what I saw | John Harris

Weariness, confusion, flashes of anger – for me, English Teacher’s lyrics evoke the texture of British life today, says Guardian columnist John Harris

theguardian.com

Malcolm Tait@malcolmtait.bsky.social · 2y ago

On the day of the new NPPF, our report out with @wildjustice.bsky.social shows how housebuilders are failing to protect nature. Across 42 new estates we audited only a half of the ecological features they promised are in place. #NPPF #planning #wildlife www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Housebuilders supply only half of promised nature-friendly features, survey finds

Developers in England deliver 53% of features such as trees and bird boxes demanded in planning permissions, study says

theguardian.com

Colin McFarlane@colinmcfarlane.bsky.social · 2y ago

Been thinking about the process of writing lately, partly as a result of chats with different people about how they write. So, apropos of nothing, & on the off chance that this may be of use to someone, here’s three quick things I’ve learnt about writing: cityfragment.wordpress.com/2024/11/22/t...

Three things I’ve learned about writing

I’ve thinking about the process of writing lately, partly as a result of conversations with different people about how they write. So, apropos of nothing, and on the off chance that this may …

cityfragment.wordpress.com

Citizen.Coping@propcazhpm.bsky.social · 2y ago

Science fiction is vast and the nature of imagined future worlds is diverse, thank goodness. #afrofuturism #africanfuturism #indigenousfuturism lithub.com/writing-towa...

Writing Toward a Definition of Indigenous Futurism

Stories are an inherently collaborative experience, and all stories have a purpose. Among Métis and nêhiyawak, as with other Indigenous peoples, there are âcimowina (everyday stories), kwayask-âcim…

lithub.com

Katie Mack@astrokatie.com · 2y ago

We got tricked by science fiction into thinking a futuristic city is all about flying cars and crystal towers and hologram billboards but what it really looks like is nice apartment blocks, good mass transit, pedestrian zones with shade trees and safe bike lanes.