AI agents are valuable epistemic tools. They let us look under the hood of scientific research, lowering the cost of verifying (and implementing) good methodological practices. With @edgardubourg.bsky.social, we propose a step-by-step method for using them. osf.io/preprints/ps...

New paper with @sachaltay.bsky.social! A lot of people think AI can only make science worse. We argue agentic AI can actually be a great tool to do it better!

Sacha Altay@sachaltay.bsky.social · last mo.

AI agents are valuable epistemic tools. They let us look under the hood of scientific research, lowering the cost of verifying (and implementing) good methodological practices. With @edgardubourg.bsky.social, we propose a step-by-step method for using them. osf.io/preprints/ps...

AI agents are valuable epistemic tools. They let us look under the hood of scientific research, lowering the cost of verifying (and implementing) good methodological practices. With @edgardubourg.bsky.social, we propose a step-by-step method for using them. osf.io/preprints/ps...

My favourite piece of journalism on the social media ban was the wholesome story about the school that turned things around as students returned to gambling with cards again.

Thanks to Claude I have a brand new website where you can scroll through my papers, talks, and podcasts, etc. Give it a look: sachaaltay.github.io :)

One of my favorites paper got published 🤓 It covers a lot of ground and it’s the best summary of my views on misinformation and what to do about it. Give it a read :) 🔓 osf.io/preprints/ps... 👉 doi.org/10.1177/1461...

🧵 New report just dropped 🚨 "Fractured Reality: How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle Over the Information Space" — from the EU Joint Research Centre, led by Mario Scharfbillig and I. A landmark read for anyone working on disinformation, platforms & democracy. 👇 1/10

New paper by @sachaltay.bsky.social reframes the problem of misinformation, challenging common narratives and helping shape more appropriate, holistic solutions tackling the root causes rather than just salient symptoms: buff.ly/HbZEtJ1

One of my favorites paper got published 🤓 It covers a lot of ground and it’s the best summary of my views on misinformation and what to do about it. Give it a read :) 🔓 osf.io/preprints/ps... 👉 doi.org/10.1177/1461...

A new paper by @sachaltay.bsky.social makes the case that fighting misinformation isn’t just about debunking, it’s about fixing the broader system: rebuilding trust, strengthening institutions, and expanding access to reliable information. I agree! journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Another example that makes me think people currently overindex on AI as a threat to elections and democracy while neglecting tried and tested threats to the same: vote buying, intimidation, and abuses of state power: buff.ly/ueWQbgJ

Orban's Hungarian government accused of mass voter intimidation ahead of election

A film quoting voters, mayors and a police officer alleges money and drugs are being offered to pressure people to back the ruling party.

buff.ly

Fully agree! With @felixsimon.bsky.social we wrote "the proliferation of AI content may increase the value and demand for authentic content" knightcolumbia.org/content/dont...

Don’t Panic (Yet): Assessing the Evidence and Discourse Around Generative AI and Elections

knightcolumbia.org

Filipe Campante@filipecampante.bsky.social · 5mo ago

This is exactly what our research shows: when it becomes harder to tell apart expert-looking content from the real thing, the value of expertise goes up. And so does demand for it… giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... AI hallucinations haunt users more than job losses

The widespread belief that kids today are uniquely unwell is weird, because as Melinda Wenner Moyer shows, they're less narcissistic & more empathetic & tolerant than previous gens; IQs are up; drug use, violence, teen pregnancies are down. The list goes on www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

The kids are all right

Surprising studies show young people are doing better than previous generations in many ways

scientificamerican.com

Recently, van der Stigchel and colleagues posted a provocative commentary suggesting that we should be wary of bots in online behavioral data collection (🧵by @cstrauch.bsky.social here: bsky.app/profile/cstr...). But should we? Here is my response letter osf.io/preprints/ps.... 1/5

The sky is not falling; high-quality platforms (Prolific, Verasight, CR Connect) have low rates of apparent bots. osf.io/preprints/ps... But also not zero; vigilance is very much needed!

Despite all the chatter, social media bans for teens lack evidence! New paper out in Nature Health. (1) Harms from social media are real & serious. (2) We need regulatory action but bans are not nuanced, do not empower youth, & are not supported by evidence. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

🚨Job alert 🚨 I have an opening for a postdoc in my team at @ipz.bsky.social in the area of digital democracy starting Sep 1, 2026. If you are working on the impact of the digital transformation on politics, please apply by 🗓️ Mar 1, 2026. 📤 Please share widely! www.ipz.uzh.ch/de/ueber-uns...

Offene Stellen / Open Positions

ipz.uzh.ch

A vast array of data suggests that school, not social media, is the biggest modern threat to the mental health of children. If you were recently a child, that won’t be a surprise. If not: enjoy the post :) open.substack.com/pub/unpublis...

School is Way Worse For Kids Than Social Media

On building a world that doesn’t make children want to die

open.substack.com

Yesterday, I awoke to news of another ICE killing in MN. On Bluesky, the conversation was deeply critical of ICE. But I wanted to see how things were going on X. Surprisingly, the attempts there to blame the victim weren't getting as much traction as I suspected. So I wrote a thing.

Another Killing on ICE

The right wing propaganda machine can’t spin the killing of Alex Pretti

open.substack.com

It seems like a good moment to re-share knightcolumbia.org/content/dont...

Don’t Panic (Yet): Assessing the Evidence and Discourse Around Generative AI and Elections

knightcolumbia.org

Henry Shevlin and I discuss "misinformation", propaganda, mass gullibility, advertising, social media, and deepfakes with the great Sacha Altay (@sachaltay.bsky.social). www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l5T...

AI Sessions #8: Misinformation, Social Media, and Deepfakes (with Sacha Altay)

YouTube video by Conspicuous Cognition

youtube.com

If you tell an AI to convince someone of a true vs. false claim, does truth win? In our *new* working paper, we find... ‘LLMs can effectively convince people to believe conspiracies’ But telling the AI not to lie might help. Details in thread

I spend more and more time on Substack. I find it surprisingly good and stimulating. You can find me here: substack.com/@sachaaltay

Sacha Altay | Substack

Postdoc working on misinformation, misperceptions, social media & trust.

substack.com

"If the evidence is so weak, why is the concern so strong?"

Evidence for link between digital technology use and teenage mental health problems is weak, our large study suggests

The research found little evidence that time spent on social media or frequent gaming causes mental health problems in early-to-mid adolescence.

theconversation.com

“Our findings tell us that young people’s choices around social media and gaming may be shaped by how they’re feeling but not necessarily the other way around,” said Prof Neil Humphrey, a co-author [of a Manchester University study that followed 25,000 11- to 14-year-olds over three school years].

Social media time does not increase teenagers’ mental health problems – study

Research finds no evidence heavier social media use or more gaming increases symptoms of anxiety or depression

theguardian.com

NEW article by me! We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before. We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.

The golden age of vaccine development - Works in Progress Magazine

The first vaccine was a lucky accident. Now we can design new vaccines in weeks, atom by atom.

worksinprogress.co

Instead of Christmas albums, my favourite piece of writing: “Don’t panic (yet): Assessing the evidence and discourse around generative AI and elections” co-written with @sachaltay.bsky.social on why arguments we see around AI’s impact on elections and democracy are problematic. buff.ly/Zy7gCnL

Don’t Panic (Yet): Assessing the Evidence and Discourse Around Generative AI and Elections

Why claims about the impact of generative AI on elections have been overblown

knightcolumbia.org

📣📣📣 GREAT, time-sensitive opportunity for senior/mid-career scholars to join us in Madrid at UC3M´s social sciences department (UC3M-ATRAE Program 2026) on an attractive pay+research funds package 📣📣📣 This does NOT happen everyday. THREAD below if this is of interest 1/n

The Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work with an interdisciplinary team (me, @bstewart.bsky.social, and @manoelhortaribeiro.bsky.social). Link: puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app... Please apply by THIS SUNDAY, Dec. 14!

Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word “no” (Betteridge's law). Should we worry about gen AI persuasion shaping elections? I think “no” holds here. See knightcolumbia.org/content/dont... for a good summary of why we shouldn’t be too concerned

Don’t Panic (Yet): Assessing the Evidence and Discourse Around Generative AI and Elections

knightcolumbia.org

Joan from the Bronx@joanfromthebronx.bsky.social · 8mo ago

This is scary stuff.