Hamish van der Ven
@profhvdv.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Sustainable Business Mgmt @forestry.ubc.ca. Interested in tech/business/environment. Here rarely. Outside often.
So apparently KPMG wrote a report describing the successful use of AI by businesses. But the case studies turned out to be AI hallucinations. www.ft.com/content/b382...
KPMG report contained AI hallucinations on benefits of . . . AI
Bogus case studies on UBS and transit systems exaggerated adoption of the technology
ft.com
NEW: xAI appears to have added more than 500 MW (!) of unpermitted gas turbines to its Colossus 2 campus in a matter of weeks, according to internal emails between the company and regulators
xAI Adds 16 New Gas Turbines Despite Ongoing Lawsuit
Emails show that Elon Musk's company is expanding its use of portable gas-fired power at its Colossus 2 site as a fight over air quality continues.
wired.com
A WIRED review of permits for data center projects using natural gas and linked to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI shows they could emit more than 129 million tons of greenhouse gases per year. www.wired.com/story/new-ga...
New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations
A WIRED review of permits for data center projects using natural gas and linked to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI shows they could emit more than 129 million tons of greenhouse gases per year.
wired.com
A shoe company pivots to AI infrastructure? Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached peak GenAI FOMO. www.forbes.com/sites/jonmar...
The $39 Million Shoe Company Allbirds Turned Into An AI Stock
How Allbirds became an AI company overnight—and triggered a 600% stock surge.
forbes.com
And the prize for most useless GenAI integration goes to...Starbucks. No Starbucks, I do not want you to guess my drink order based on my outfit for the day 😮💨 www.cnet.com/tech/service...
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
Very troubling news that'll have major implications for the state of forest management and science in the US. morethanjustparks.substack.com/p/breaking-t...
BREAKING: Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service
The headquarters is going to Utah. Every regional office is being shuttered. The research program is being destroyed.
morethanjustparks.substack.com
Can an AI chatbot ease loneliness as well as another human? A UBC study finds that texting a real person—even a stranger—outperforms AI companions. Human connection still matters. Read more: news.ubc.ca/2026/04/text...
Texting with a stranger beats a chatbot at easing loneliness - UBC News
UBC-led study challenges the idea that an always-available AI companion can substitute for human connection.
news.ubc.ca
Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress, a jury found on Wednesday. Social media companies were accused of creating products as addictive as cigarettes. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/t...
Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case
nytimes.com
Yet another case of automated austerity. When the humans in the loop are actually just treated as vestigial organs waiting to be removed. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
UBC and InBC are launching a new fund to accelerate and scale innovative companies advancing UBC research and discoveries, supporting economic and social impact across B.C. Read more: news.ubc.ca/2026/03/ubc-...
InBC and UBC partner to spur growth and commercialization of UBC-affiliated companies
A new UBC–InBC partnership is creating a $20-million venture fund to accelerate and scale innovative university spin-offs, supporting economic and social impact across B.C.
news.ubc.ca
I'm excited to announce this new paper we have in Nature Climate Change, establishing the core principles of a post-growth climate mitigation scenario that can achieve rapid decarbonization and high well-being. nature.com/articles/s41...
Oh yeah these guys are definitely giving us a UBI for sure any day now
Google co-founder spends $45m in fight against California billionaire tax
Sergey Brin gives $25m on top of $20m he’s already given to Super Pac trying to block state’s proposed 5% wealth tax
theguardian.com
Erin Fogg says Free Link@criminalerin.bsky.social · 5mo agoGenAI stans: No you don't understand if we don't say nice things about calculators that can't do arithmetic but do say slurs we won't get a UBI Gen AI execs: If you have a UBI just drink some açai berry juice about it what are you stupid
This is Nathan Cavanaugh, another DOGE staffer explaining how he flagged grants at NEH for "DEI" which would be reviewed for termination. 404 Media has reviewed hours of this footage and we'll have more soon. Part of a lawsuit by @acls1919.bsky.social, @modernlanguage.bsky.social + @historians.org
Substituting "greener" plastics for conventional ones won't solve environmental problems with the plastics industry, I report (again) for @anthropocenemag.bsky.social: www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/03/ther...
There’s no such thing as a free polymer. The tradeoff at the heart of bioplastics.
A new life-cycle analysis reveals that bio-based plastics are better for the climate but worse for biodiversity. The greenest option is reducing demand.
anthropocenemagazine.org
"We believe in the power of social to uplift people Our social impact strategy focuses on positively impacting our employees, customers, communities, and our environment for the long term." www.hootsuite.com/social-impact
Driving Positive Change | Hootsuite Social Impact Programs
Learn about Hootsuite's social impact, including how we strive to make a positive change through volunteering, philanthropy, and discounts on our products.
hootsuite.com
Social Media Lab@socialmedialab.ca · 6mo ago"Pattison is the latest Canadian company to face criticism over associations with ICE. As reported by The Globe and Mail, Vancouver tech company Hootsuite secured a $95,000 US pilot project with ICE in September that involves monitoring social media discussions about the immigration agency."
The disconnect between management and employee on AI usage is big. At the same time, CEOs are reporting they aren't seeing any revenue growth from AI. 🤷 www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...
CEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.
How much time workers say the technology saves them on the job is vastly different from what executives report.
wsj.com
Last few weeks to apply to @forestry.ubc.ca's Dual Master's of Green Business. - 2 years - 2 great cities (Helsinki & Vancouver) - 2 degrees - Unlimited career possibilities Apply now: forestry.ubc.ca/future-stude...
UBC
forestry.ubc.ca
🚨The video recording of the AI and the Politics of Extraction panel is now live! Watch this fascinating 1.5 hour discussion with @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @profwhw.bsky.social, @mysdick.bsky.social, and @profhvdv.bsky.social as they explore the risks of unfettered AI implementation.
AI and the Politics of Extraction | Centre for Climate Justice
YouTube video by Centre for Climate Justice
youtube.com
Finally something on this argument current and future school teachers keep throwing at me - no, underserved groups are not currently or ever going to benefit from LLMs.
Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ@olivia.science · 9mo agoThey love to say it's a way to help underserved groups of children too. Extra scary. Forbes, S. H. & Guest, O. (2025). To Improve Literacy, Improve Equality in Education, Not Large Language Models. Cognitive Science. doi.org/10.1111/cogs... PDF: philpapers.org/archive/FORT...
Resisting GenAI and Big Tech in Higher Education - Tuesday 25th Nov, free registration, great panel, big focus on climate justice. Register here: lmula.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
I awoke to the headline this morning that Ottawa and Alberta are reportedly “close” to a deal that includes a new heavy oil pipeline to the northwest coast of BC… It feels timely to share that my book is out now with UBC Press, available open access www.ubcpress.ca/mega-pipelin...
Mega Pipelines, Mega Resistance
Mega Pipelines, Mega Resistance - Tar Sands, Social Movements, and the Politics of Energy Infrastructure; Mega Pipelines, Mega Resistance reveals how and why social movements have frustrated major pip...
ubcpress.ca
💬 Reminder to save your spot for "AI and the Politics of Extraction" at UBC's Centre for Climate Justice. I'm on a panel moderated by Carol Liao, and we will be discussing the complex political and legal issues raised by AI-enabled resource extraction. 🗓️Nov. 20 🕰️2-3:30pm 📍In-Person & Zoom
UBC
climatejustice.ubc.ca
Can the world quit #coal? #COP30 #energy #ActOnClimate #Brazil #China #India @matpaterson.bsky.social @leahstokes.bsky.social theconversation.com/can-the-worl...
Can the world quit coal?
Nearly a third of all countries worldwide have pledged to phase out their unabated coal-burning power. But China and India are still adding coal plants – for now.
theconversation.com
Whoever said that digital tech is neither bad nor good, just depends on how you use it, should read this article. www.404media.co/google-has-c...
Google Has Chosen a Side in Trump's Mass Deportation Effort
Google is hosting a CBP app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants, while simultaneously removing apps that report the location of ICE officials because Google sees ICE as a vulnerable gr...
404media.co
I believe this is what those in the biz call a 'flywheel.' Basis for a paper? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...
Do you find the environmental polycrisis spooky? 👻 🎃 You're not alone. Check out my latest article with Peter Dauvergne: Surging Eco-Anxiety: Consequences for Global Environmental Politics. Our conclusions will haaaaaauunt you. 🧛 👿 doi.org/10.1162/GLEP...
Surging Eco-Anxiety: Consequences for Global Environmental Politics
Abstract. Eco-anxiety is surging as environmental crises escalate. As the ecopsychology literature reveals, the effects and intensity of eco-anxiety vary across cultures, circumstances, and personalit...
doi.org
