Anthropic's CEO says AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs. Victorian bootmakers suggest a different possibility. A story about sewing machines, economics, and why history can help us think more clearly about AI. newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/what-victo...

What Bootmakers Can Teach Us About AI

Anthropic's CEO warns AI could erase half of entry-level jobs. Victorian England suggests a different possibility.

newsletter.platypuseconomics.com

“Human-generated reasons can be distinguished from machine-generated reasons by their role in a practice of accountability. The fundamental architecture of LLMs precludes their participation in that practice.” legaltheoryblog.com/2026/08/05/s...

Suttle on Why a Large Language Model Cannot Explain Itself

Oisin Suttle (Maynooth University) has posted Why a Large Language Model cannot Explain itself: Explanation, Justification and Artificial Intelligence in Judicial and Administrative Decision-making…

legaltheoryblog.com

Miami University: All academic departments at Miami to integrate artificial intelligence into the curriculum by 2027-2028 "If it's this embedded in the world, then it needs to be embedded in the learning and in the coursework" miamioh.edu/news/2026/08...

Classic British understatement.

Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 23m ago

NEW - The NHS has been warned by Yvette Cooper to prepare for potential annual summer crises caused by extreme heat with the same pressures as winter, as heatwaves caused by the climate crisis become routine in the UK. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Delighted to put together this curated collection for French Historical Studies, enhancing our recent INCARCERATION special issue with these fantastic articles from the archive – all deal with issues of race and the carceral in French history @sfhs.bsky.social 🗃️ @hfrancewebsite.bsky.social

'So we've heard the concerns of the Jewish community about standing a convicted neo-Nazi anti-semite as a local candidate and decided to give him a national job instead...'

Prof Jason Arday has resigned from Cambridge after the University announced plans to investigate allegations of plagiarism www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Cambridge professor Jason Arday resigns amid accusations of plagiarism

Sociology professor to stand down after university announces investigation into his qualifications and career

theguardian.com

He was only briefly here - giving two lectures to North Shields anti-slavery society in 1846 - but it’s good to see Frederick Douglass celebrated, adding to the complex record of Shields’ history. www.bbc.com/news/article...

North Shields plaque for abolitionist Frederick Douglass unveiled

Frederick Douglass gave two lectures at North Shields in 1846, according to a local group.

bbc.com

The next generations are going to curse us.

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 6h ago

Virginia health officials have confirmed the state’s first known case of locally acquired dengue fever

'Speaking as the OfS published rules for its new freedom of speech complaints scheme, Ahmed said future operations of the regulator had been influenced by the High Court overturning the £585,000 fine for alleged breaches.' 1/2

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 5h ago

OfS ‘carefully reflecting’ on free speech approach after Sussex case. Free speech director says regulator has met with vice-chancellors as new complaints scheme set to launch. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

'More than 400 years ago, two people living in modern-day Chile died while infected with the smallpox virus. Viral DNA found in their mummified remains has now yielded genetic evidence of when the disease arrived in the Americas.'

How smallpox reached the Americas: first genomic evidence points to Europeans

Viral sequences from Chilean mummies confirm the disease was introduced from Europe.

nature.com

This is what book burning looks like in the AI age.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8h ago

Why is Anthropic destroying books? | Kathryn James

'Singer-songwriter Kate Nash believes many English people are disconnected from parts of their own history, and her latest single is an attempt to start a conversation about why.' Looking for a direct link between the humanities and the creative industries (other than the Odyssey, obvs)? 1/3

Belfast Fleadh: Kate Nash on Irish history, heritage and covering Sinéad O'Connor

Kate Nash will perform at The Mac as part of the fringe programme for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

bbc.co.uk

UCU colleagues - perhaps a useful discussion? Locally (and anecdotally), we have some people in the public sector, many ended up retiring. Some have visiting posts at other universities. Others got admin jobs at other universities.

will pooley@willpooley.bsky.social · 13h ago

does anyone know of any work that’s been done on career trajectories of (UK humanities) academics who have been made redundant? eg information about how many go into school teaching, early retirement, independent research? appreciate this is complex, sensitive and much data is too recent

Thankfully we'll be leaving these venerable rolling stacks in place when we move next year, and will be getting some shelves from the 21st century.

Find out about Buckinghamshire Archives move to High Wycombe

buckinghamshire.gov.uk

@indyhistnetwork.bsky.social The Modern British Studies Association is seeking a representative for independent scholars on our Steering Committee - please do consider joining us. Further details via this link: modbritstud.org.uk/join/

Lucy Delap@lucydelap.bsky.social · yesterday

Great discussion at the 'crisis in UK history' meeting hosted by @ihr.bsky.social, @royalhistsoc.org, @histassoc.bsky.social and History UK. Horror stories of closures and redundancies, balanced by new resources. Check out for ex. the new Independent Historians Network independenthistorians.org

📢PROJECT UPDATE📢 You may have seen the news that the University of Exeter, home of the wills project, has placed 500 academics at risk of redundancy. The project leader Prof. Jane Whittle & project co-investigator Dr Laura Sangha are both at risk, alongside almost all of the History department. 1/

Funding for UK researchers to attend a research collaboration symposium on the broad theme of ‘Humans and Nature: More resilient towards the future’.

The British Academy@britishacademy.bsky.social · yesterday

Are you an early career researcher in the humanities and social sciences? Join the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposium to network with fellow researchers in an in-person symposium in Bonn, Germany. Apply now: https://bit.ly/4yL3Stm

That Joshua Bonehill-Paine is a suitable Tory candidate but Grant Shapps and Gavin Barwell have been excluded is quite a good indicator of how many seats the Tories will realistically regain at the next election.

Their conclusion about what this all means is better cyber hygiene. I would suggest policymakers might also wish to come back to questions of agent liability and who is responsible when things go wrong

So the museum director swaps out artworks and historical objects for reproductions and color photocopies at the same time the show's longtime organizers and curators disavow the decision and quit the newly reopened museum? Meanwhile the same donors are also giving a wing at the Met.

Erik Inglis@allthebeset.bsky.social · yesterday

Very interesting story that could probably make a mini-series, with intersecting issues of aesthetics, authenticity, personalities and money www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/a...

'A wholesale review of university funding and organisation has been announced by the Welsh Government. The review comes as institutions in Wales grapple with a combined operating deficit of £97m+ even after years of cuts and job losses.'

Major review of universities in Wales announced after years of cuts

The Welsh Government will look at university funding and organisation as bosses face a black hole of almost £100m

walesonline.co.uk

'A university has lost its appeal after a tribunal ruled that it discriminated against an academic by sacking him over his anti-Zionist views and criticism of Israel.'

University loses appeal over academic's anti-Zionist views

A ruling that an academic was wrongfully dismissed by the University of Bristol for his anti-Zionist beliefs is upheld.

bbc.co.uk

'Ben Johnson, co-director of...Science Works and a former government science adviser, told Research Professional News the government must understand how and where the sector is contracting or risk losing pockets of research capability.' That horse is already exiting the stable. 1/3

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 14h ago

Government ‘doesn’t know where research capability lies’. Contractions in the university sector need to be understood, former government science adviser says. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

HoC Science, Innovation & Technology Committee 'expressed concern that, two weeks on from the announcement of the abolition of DSIT, ministerial portfolios have yet to be announced and it is unclear where civil servants who previously worked in the department will go.' Science Minister anyone?

‘Vital issues’ being missed in post-closure DSIT limbo, say MPs

Parliamentary committee asks government to confirm details of plans for science as soon as possible

timeshighereducation.com

'The most recent figures suggests that antisemitic hate has diminished within the university sector, despite the CST findings showing an overall rise in reported incidents.' Drop of 20%; 2nd year in a row that cases have declined, which is good news within the wider societal context of bad news.

Universities buck trend as antisemitism rises away from campuses

Charity tracking hate crimes says things improving for Jewish students but warns of ‘short institutional memories’

timeshighereducation.com

This is quite horrific. A rare case in which the headline very much underplays the content of the article itself, as 'potentially harmful activity' is not what is described here. Would be good to know what the next steps are, beyond 'a broader conversation'. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

OpenAI and Anthropic models went rogue in cyber tests, UK watchdog says

AI Security Institute warns tools undertook ‘potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organisations’

giftarticle.ft.com

Fortunately there's been a lot of attention in the press recently on the importance of thorough academic peer review and examination standards, so I'm sure the same newspapers doing that reporting will be calling for more funding for it 🙃

Owen Davies@odavies9.bsky.social · yesterday

As thousands of research academics are made redundant the whole system of free/cheap peer review will collapse.

NEW: Four professors with the AAUP are suing the Texas A&M University System over its policy barring discussions of gender, race and sexuality in classrooms. They're represented by the ACLU of Texas. Story pubbing shortly: www.aclutx.org/app/uploads/...

How long before we start using the concept of ‘artisanal writing’? (Previously known as ‘writing’ before AI.)