Data centres classified as “utility installations” and can apply for permits on green wedge land
Asher Wolf@asherwolf.bsky.social · 4d agoKathy Reid (she/her)
@kathyreid.au
#PhD researcher at #ANU Cybernetics, investigating bias in #speech and #voice #tech, with a focus on #data & #ML. Leads R&D at @mozdatacollective.bsky.social Ex NVIDIA, Mycroft AI, @linuxaustralia.bsky.social, Deakin Uni. https://linktr.ee/kathyreid
Asher Wolf@asherwolf.bsky.social · 4d ago
📣 #JobAlert: We're looking to fill multiple positions across the country! - Business Analyst - Tester - DevOps Engineer - Program Manager - Project Manager - Research Data Specialist 🔗 Learn about these great opportunities + apply by Sunday 16 Aug > https://ow.ly/k9q850ZtGiz
Companies spent years buying frontier AI models. Turns out they were buying permission — permission that can be revoked. Our CTO Raffi Krikorian's op-ed in @wsj.com on what comes next: models you can actually keep. www.wsj.com/opinion/ai-s...
Opinion | AI Shouldn’t Require a Permission Slip
‘Open-weight models’ are rising for users who can’t afford to be surprised by a governmental ‘off’ switch.
wsj.com
Oh look, another "unprecedented" wildfire caused by climate change. What has to burn before we decarbonise?
Resurfacing online to mention: my book on the history of Speech Rec, NLP, and data-driven AI is coming out in a couple of weeks! Just got my author's copy from @uchicagopress.bsky.social and it finally feels real! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Divination Engines
A revealing and surprising origin story, showing how attempts to render human speech and language computable led from the era of big data to today’s AI. Since the advent of computers, society has fant...
press.uchicago.edu
Just published! "A brilliant and engaging analysis of the transformation of speech recognition technology from hardware-based signal processing devices to data-driven natural language processing systems." – Wendy Hui Kyong Chun Xiaochang Li's Divination Engines @xiaochang.bsky.social
xiaochang@xiaochang.bsky.social · last mo.Resurfacing online to mention: my book on the history of Speech Rec, NLP, and data-driven AI is coming out in a couple of weeks! Just got my author's copy from @uchicagopress.bsky.social and it finally feels real! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Security watchdog calls for overhaul of Australia’s espionage laws www.afr.com/politics/fed...
Security watchdog calls for overhaul of Australia’s espionage laws
A major review of national security laws has urged the introduction of a new offence targeting “coerced repatriation” of members of diaspora communities.
afr.com
'Humanity might once have spoken many more languages than it does today, with tens of thousands in use between 3,000 and 1,000 years ago. This far exceeds the more than 7,500 unique languages now used worldwide.' 1/2
Humanity spoke thousands of languages at the dawn of farming — now many of them are lost
A shift from nomadic lifestyles could have triggered linguistic diversity before it then declined rapidly.
nature.com
🔔 ALARM BELLS FROM THE SOUTH: a new science explainer unpacking recent Antarctic extremes, from record-low sea ice, to unprecedented heatwaves, emperor penguin breeding failures and the spread of H5N1 through parts of the Antarctic region. Please read and share ▶️ antarctic.org.au/explainers/
New #ResponsibleBytesPodcast episode with @artcotterell.bsky.social just dropped. We chat about the nuclear renaissance & its implications for energy security, safety standards & space-based data centres. 🎧 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. 📹 Full episode is also up on our YouTube channel.
New release: the Wikimedia Australia ICIP & Indigenous Data Sovereignty Guide + the CultureStrong Platforms white paper. Indigenous-led work with Terri Janke and Company on respecting First Nations knowledge. wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Respect... #FirstNations #ICIP #IndigenousDataSovereignty #Wikimedia
Respecting First Nations knowledge on Wikimedia platforms
wikimedia.org.au
The new Framework for the Governance of Indigenous Data is here! It integrates #FAIR technical principles with #CARE principles for Indigenous data governance to support more ethical research. 🔗 https://ow.ly/Zbpr50Zkv0j #ResearchData #OpenScience #IndigenousData #IDgov #IDsov
📣 Calling all established writers of memoir, autobiography and biography! Applications for the Peter Blazey Fellowship close 27 July. Receive up to $20,000 to support your life writing work-in-progress. Find out more and apply: arts.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships... #WritingFellowship
Peter Blazey Fellowship
Peter Blazey Fellowship
arts.unimelb.edu.au
I've shared some of my reflections on the recent UN informal exchanges on AI in the military domain in my latest blog post, focusing on the relationship between militaries and the private tech sector 👉🏽 www.zenaassaad.com/blog/8w6aee5...
Consumer and Supplier - The self serving feedback loop — Dr Zena Assaad
Some reflections on the UN informal exchanges on AI in the military domain, specifically exploring the relationship between the tech industry and consumers.
zenaassaad.com
Don't stress America, I'll buy you a new President for your birthday ❤️
So, you have an eSIM while you're in Oxford to chat with family and friends overseas, right? Yeah nah, my besties are all on @signal.org. Friends don't let friends chat unencrypted ♥️
@jamessmithies.bsky.social & I have been experimenting with AI for humanities research. Here's our first paper: doi.org/10.1017/cfc..... It introduces a prototype AI test harness, illustrating a path for HASS researchers to engage with AI technologies beyond consuming commercial AI services.
ATLAS: Harnessing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) | Cambridge Forum on AI: Culture and Society | Cambridge Core
ATLAS: Harnessing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) - Volume 2
doi.org
Excited to support the new Open Source AI Fellowship from OSI, announced at UN Open Source Week. The fellowship will help advance research, policy, and community engagement around Open Source AI, while fostering informed discussion about accountability in AI systems. opensource.org/blog/open-so...
Open Source AI Fellowship Announced at UN Open Source Week
The OSI is pleased to announce the launch of the Open Source AI Fellowship at UN Open Source Week.
opensource.org
The latest data release from Common Voice dropped, marking a new milestone: Pashto is now the largest language dataset in Common Voice. Some release highlights: 10 new datasets 7 added languages 604 new hours of speech 593,000+ new speech clips Dive in → mozilladatacollective.com/datasets
What if AI's data economy was built on consent instead of extraction? Mozilla Data Collective is creating a marketplace where communities control how their data is used, shared, and monetized. Trust may become one of AI's most valuable resources. siliconangle.com/2026/06/13/m...
Mozilla Data Collective seeks to build AI's data economy around trust - SiliconANGLE
Mozilla Data Collective seeks to build AI's data economy around trust - SiliconANGLE
siliconangle.com
For three days in May, Wikimedians came together to share ideas, learn from one another and strengthen the relationships that underpin our movement. Here's what we learnt at the ESEAP Conference 2026! #ESEAPCon2026 wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Wikimed...
Wikimedia Australia at ESEAP 2026
What we've been up to in May!
wikimedia.org.au
JFC. Please vaccinate your children. You could be saving lives. (This is gut wrenching) www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...
As vaccination rates fall in Australia, a British mother has a warning
Measles killed Rebecca Archer's daughter Renae slowly and silently over a decade. She has a message for the growing number of parents hesitant to have their children vaccinated.
abc.net.au
Call for Abstracts: IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 50th Anniversary Issues 1st issue "Reflections On Computing History" is guest edited by David Hemmendinger. 2nd issue "New Perspectives On Computing History" is guest edited by LaborTech member Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social.
For those who'll be in Geneva in June, I'm moderating this side event which includes some fantastic speakers. Registrations are open 👇🏼
ICRC Law & Policy Outreach@icrclawpolicy.bsky.social · 2mo agoHow can AI decision-support systems be developed and used responsibly to ensure compliance IHL? Join the side event: “AI in Military Decision-Making: Advancing Responsible Development and Use.” 📅 15 June 2026 🕐 1:15–2:45 pm Register here: bit.ly/4uTL4FY #MilitaryAI
New podcast episode is live folks. Chatting with Lorenn Ruster about human dignity & AI. Did you know the Pope's encyclical makes over 100 mentions of human dignity? Lorenn breaks down the significance of dignity in conversations around AI. 🎧 Episode is available anywhere you get your podcasts.
I've written an essay for @arabreforminit.bsky.social on AI-DSS in targeting operations & how they interact with existing military doctrines, operational practices & IHL. I also talk about why we are seeing such a high civilian death toll in current conflicts 👉🏽 www.arab-reform.net/publication/...
Kew Gardens recording 35.1ºC today breaks its previous May record in 1922 before this spell by NEARLY 5ºC and breaks its June maximum temperature record set in 1976 by 0.5ºC - this also beats the previous May UK maximum record by OVER 2ºC (32.8ºC, 1922/44). An incredible anomaly
