Wish you were here.

🇱🇹 PTR - Kaunas, Lithuania
On Thursday 23 April, I will be talking about "The Machine Question" trilogy and "Person, Thing, Robot" @mitpress.bsky.social in particular during a workshop at Kaunas Technical University (KTU).

Will need to give it a look. Thanks.

"Consciousness-indifferent?" How so? I follow Anne Foerst here, "consciousness" is the secular and supposedly more “scientific” replacement for the occultish “soul.” (And sorry for. the delay in my reply. I was working on the writing.)

@politybooks.bsky.social 2026 catalogue
"Understanding Artificial Intelligence" will be published in September/November 2026. ocean.exacteditions.com/issues/155362

"The obscene problem of consciousness"

Explore consciousness theories and implications A global hub for theories of consciousness—authenticated by leading theorists, designed for professional consciousness communities, and open to all

It may be that "consciousness" is obscene.
Like obscenity--which also lacks a clear and univocal definition--it is only able to be characterized by way of Justice Potter Stewart's threshold test: "I know it when I see it." loc.closertotruth.com/interactive

New radio op ed on WNIJ Northern Public Radio
www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-perspec...

Understanding Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Introduction for the Humanities and Social Sciences (AI & Society) Understanding Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Introduction for the Humanities and Social Sciences (AI & Society): 9781509574322: Media Studies Books @ Amazon.com

"Understanding Artificial Intelligence" @politybooks.bsky.social is now listed and available for pre-order at Amazon.com (I still recommend ordering from your local independent bookstore, but I also know that this is not a viable option for everyone in every location)
www.amazon.com/Understandin...

Wittgenstein #remix: The limits of their language model mean the limits of their world.

Thanks for this. I am working through some stuff on chain of reasoning for The Différance Engine book. So this arrives at a perfect moment.

Who Deserves Rights in the Age of AI? | Josh Gellers, PhD | TEDxJacksonville YouTube video by TEDx Talks

In this @tedxjacksonville.bsky.social talk, @joshgellers.bsky.social gets real about rights for non-human others, e.g. animals, nature, and artifacts. In doing so, he provides an accessible and persuasive version of the work many of us have been doing in this domain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCvt...

"Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social began as a revision of the 2019 book "An Introduction to Communication and #AI." But it is much more than that; it is a complete reboot scaled to the opportunities and challenges of #LLM and #genAI. Here's the explanation from the Acknowledgments:

Evolution didn't end with us. The only documentary inside the cutting edge research asking whether AI is already conscious. Help us share the greatest scientific mystery of our time.

"AM I? A Documentary on Machine Consciousness."
I will be in NYC on 29 April 2026 for the premier and a Q&A about the film moderated by director Milo Reed. am-i.org

Page proofs - "Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social
Anyone who has read my previous books knows that I take great joy in the endnotes. "Understanding AI" follows suit. Here are the notes for the chapter on Natural Language Processing associated with the section on Machine Translation

We think about thinking about thinking. As Hegel himself intended.

Like Marshall McLuhan's "Understanding Media," my forthcoming book "Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social does not tell readers WHAT to think but HOW to think about #AI and its consequences. That parallel is communicated by the cover image, which makes this lineage visible.

Page proofs - "Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social To help orient readers and in keeping with the pedagogical aims of the book, each chapter begins with a list of Learning Outcomes. Here's that list for the chapter on #LLMs. And we accomplish all of this in just 26 accessible pages.

Because "Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social is designed for classroom use--especially for classes in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts--it includes Learning Activities. This is one of my all-time favorites, as I have been using it with my own students for close to a decade.

Yes, indeed. Good point.

That is precisely what Socrates--in the "Phaedrus"--struggles to distinguish. And it's not surprising that Schleiermacher connected these dots. His German translation of the Platonic dialogues is still considered one of the best modern renditions.

Page proofs - "Understanding #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social
The penultimate paragraph of the book's Introduction does a good job summarizing what I take "understanding AI" to be all about.

I am grateful for this incredibly thoughtful and well presented book review of "Communicative #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social by Guy W. Bates @aucklanduni.bsky.social in "Postdigital Science and Education" @springernature.com
@coeckelbergh.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Nice. Thanks for tracking this down. Got to give it a read.

Actually I do not know what Turing knew or thought about Wiener and his work in cybernetics.

It's evolved quite a lot. It's now got more bang in the banger.

This editorial evolved out of my own critical engagement with Plato's "Phaedrus" as part of my work on "The Différance Engine" book for @mitpress.bsky.social This dialogue is not subtitled "On Rhetoric" for nothing.

Communicative AI: A Critical Introduction to Large Language Models Communicative AI: A Critical Introduction to Large Language Models, Large Language Models (LLMs), like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s LaMDA, are some of the most disruptive and controversial technologi...

#LLM 101
Today I am presenting research from "Communicative #AI" @politybooks.bsky.social to the College Endowment Association at the Wisconsin Women's Club (MKE). #AI literacy is for everyone and it must take place beyond the walls of the university classroom.

www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...

Including the "truth" of this particular publication.

Total punt! Talk about a less-than-persuasive excuse.