KathyReid

KathyReid, 13 days ago to stackoverflow

Like many other technologists, I gave my time and expertise for free to #StackOverflow because the content was licensed CC-BY-SA - meaning that it was a public good. It brought me joy to help people figure out why their #ASR code wasn't working, or assist with a #CUDA bug.

Now that a deal has been struck with #OpenAI to scrape all the questions and answers in Stack Overflow, to train #GenerativeAI models, like #LLMs, without attribution to authors (as required under the CC-BY-SA license under which Stack Overflow content is licensed), to be sold back to us (the SA clause requires derivative works to be shared under the same license), I have issued a Data Deletion request to Stack Overflow to disassociate my username from my Stack Overflow username, and am closing my account, just like I did with Reddit, Inc.

https://policies.stackoverflow.co/data-request/

The data I helped create is going to be bundled in an #LLM and sold back to me.

In a single move, Stack Overflow has alienated its community - which is also its main source of competitive advantage, in exchange for token lucre.

Stack Exchange, Stack Overflow's former instantiation, used to fulfill a psychological contract - help others out when you can, for the expectation that others may in turn assist you in the future. Now it's not an exchange, it's #enshittification.

Programmers now join artists and copywriters, whose works have been snaffled up to create #GenAI solutions.

The silver lining I see is that once OpenAI creates LLMs that generate code - like Microsoft has done with Copilot on GitHub - where will they go to get help with the bugs that the generative AI models introduce, particularly, given the recent GitClear report, of the "downward pressure on code quality" caused by these tools?

While this is just one more example of #enshittification, it's also a salient lesson for #DevRel folks - if your community is your source of advantage, don't upset them.

KathyReid, 10 months ago to threads

#Threads is not a text sharing platform, nor a #SocialMedia app. It's a platform for people to create natural language examples Meta can use for training #LLMs, for free

KathyReid, 22 hours ago to microsoft

Why does #Microsoft want to implement #Recall? It's not about images. It's about modelling what workers do on Windows, and then replacing them.

The most expensive part of a computer is the fallible feelings-filled unpredictable meat sack that operates it.

Google has YouTube, Google Photos, Maps, and a bucket load of search data, Google Analytics, advertising, as well as it's #GCP data (e.g. #STT transcriptions). And a bunch of data from Android services. From this data they can model speech, model videos and model advertising systems, and how humans respond to them.

But they can't model what people do on computers.

Amazon has Prime data, and a bucket load of compute. But no operating system data. They can build models based around e-commerce and advertising systems.

But they can't model what people do on computers.

Meta has waves hands enough analytics to model human behaviour in the Metaverse.

But they can't model what people do on computers.

Microsoft has GitHub.
Microsoft has LinkedIn.
Microsoft has SharePoint.
Microsoft has Teams.
Microsoft has Dynamics.
Microsoft has O365.
Microsoft has Windows telemetry data.

Microsoft can model what people do on (Windows) computers. Like fill out spreadsheets.Write emails. Synthesize web pages of research. Interact with colleagues on Teams. Create and edit documents.

Microsoft wants #MicrosoftRecall data so they can model what people do with operating systems.

Then replace them.

Imagine a CoPilot that doesn't just write buggy code. Imagine one that also does spreadsheets. That creates documents on SharePoint. That communicates with colleages on Teams. That has a customer pipeline on Dynamics.

That's what Recall is about - 360 degree surveillance of the worker, to model their functions, make them fungible, replicable - and replaceable.

KathyReid, 9 months ago to random

I am setting up Windows on a spare computer, and OMG EVERYTHING IS GEARED TOWARD COLLECTING AND TRACKING YOUR DATA.

Everything.

The OS wants to track my browsing, my geo-location, my telemetry data. Everything.

No. Absolutely The F*ck No.

#SurveillanceCapitalism

KathyReid, 11 months ago to random

Welcome to the future where I have to disable my adblocker infrastructure like #uBlock and #PiHole to place a Coles online shopping order.

Because my user #data is more profitable than the goods I purchase.

video/mp4

KathyReid, 11 days ago to random

In the most glorious "fuck you" I have seen in a while, you know the book that Cumberland City Council banned because they're homophobic bigots - Holly Duhig's "A focus on Same Sex Parents"? Well, the publisher, BookLife Publishing, have made a PDF version of the book available for free.

Sure be a shame if it was shared far and wide now, wouldn't it?

Every time you ban a book filled with hope and kindness, and care and love, we will resist.

https://www.booklifepublishing.co.uk/a-focus-on/same-sex-parents/

#CumberlandCityCouncil #SameSexParents #BookBans #Bookstodon

KathyReid, 14 days ago to stackoverflow

I just issued a data deletion request to #StackOverflow to erase all of the associations between my name and the questions, answers and comments I have on the platform.

One of the key ways in which #RAG works to supplement #LLMs is based on proven associations. Higher ranked Stack Overflow members' answers will carry more weight in any #LLM that is produced.

By asking for my name to be disassociated from the textual data, it removes a semantic relationship that is helpful for determining which tokens of text to use in an #LLM.

If you sell out your user base without consultation, expect a backlash.

KathyReid, 11 months ago to random

I twisted my back a couple days' ago and am needing strong painkillers to do anything at the moment. Stupid body should have user-replaceable parts!

KathyReid, 10 months ago to coffee

I know I say this a lot, but how good is #coffee? ☕

KathyReid, 4 months ago to random

My reflection from yesterday's @linuxaustralia #AGM - you can't make things a priority for an organisation unless prioritisation involves dedicating resources to that priority.

If there are no additional resources, and other things are not de-prioritised, then you cannot logically make something else a priority.

There is a "red line" on organisational capacity - if things get added to the list of priorities / tasks, then either something else drops below the line, or more resources are required to deliver those priorities.

It's that simple.

KathyReid, 8 months ago to TwitterMigration

Good morning everyone! Here's my latest #Connections #Introduction #Introductions #TwitterMigration post, where I curate interesting accounts for you to follow from across the #Fediverse :fediverse:

@maryrobinette is a #writer #author, and I am listening to her incredible #LadyAstronaut series at the moment. If you love #SciFi (esp hard scifi) you should read it, too! 🇺🇸

@sayashk is a #ComputerScience #PhD candidate at #Princeton, who is researching failures in #ML (he's also co-running a workshop on open #FoundationModels in about 15 hours, see my previous posts for more info) 🇺🇸

@michcampbell is Dr Micha Campbell and she is a #PalaeoClimate #PostDoc living on #Dharawal country 🇦🇺

@mthv is a #Research #Engineer who works in #GIS at #CNRS 🇫🇷

@astrolori is Lori and she is into #OpenSource, #fashion, #space and #tech #WomenInSTEM 🇨🇦

@pandas_dev is the official account for #pandas, the #Python #DataAnalysis tool 🐍 📊

@jessie is a lover of #languages and helps run #CommonVoice, @mozilla 's open #voice #data set, which now supports over 100 languages. She also teaches #WebDev and loves #hiking. She's awesome you should follow her 🇬🇧

That's all for now, please do share your own lists so we can create deeper connections, and a tightly-connected community here

I'm reminded here of @maryrobinette's short story - "Red Rockets" - "She built something better than fireworks. She built community."

KathyReid, 7 months ago to LLMs

All the non-dev-background managers in my feed:

"Generative AI will be great for coding! It will reduce our development time for products so much!"

All the dev-background folx in my feed:

"Sure, #CoPilot will generate plausible code for you really quickly, but who's going to write your unit tests and make sure there aren't any insidious errors at a #systems level that you can't identify in a single block of code in isolation?"

Also,

"Is my job now #RLHF for code-focused #LLMs?"

KathyReid, 1 year ago to random

Do you work with #voice or #speech #data? You might contribute data, write data specifications for collection, perform filtering or pre-processing, train #ASR or #TTS models, or design or perform evaluations on #ML speech models.

If so, I’d love your help to understand current #dataset #documentation practices, and what we can do to make them better as part of my #PhD #research

The #survey takes 10-20 minutes to complete, and you can opt in to win one of 3 gift cards valued at $AUD 50 each.

Research Protocol 2021/427 approved by #ANU Human Research Ethics Committee

https://anu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSFODa5osYtm96e

KathyReid, 7 months ago to opensource

This is a fantastic retrospective on 40 years of #OpenSource from Rebecca Ackermann for MIT Technology Review that traces its origins, schisms, and current challenges. A beautiful study in exploring the richness and diversity of a landscape.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/08/17/1077498/future-open-source/

KathyReid, 4 months ago to Futurology

Random #research idea while babysitting a #dask process:

• I wonder if there's a way to save a bunch of terms of service documents to be able to version them, and show how they have changed over time, particularly in respect to arbitration, copyright and other #datafication processes?

KathyReid, 1 month ago to linguistics

Excellent piece from Grégory Miras on why new tools that change #accents in real time are harmful and problematic - they erase diversity - and make us less able to appreciate and listen to that diversity.

#linguistics #AccentBias

https://theconversation.com/why-ai-software-softening-accents-is-problematic-197751

KathyReid, 9 months ago to TwitterMigration

So, it's been a while since I did an #Introduction #ConnectionList #TwitterMigration post where, I find interesting people for you to follow on #Mastodon, and use my reach to more closely connect the #Fediverse :fediverse:

@ANUResearch is the official Mastodon account of #ANU Research (I think, it all looks very legit, but I don't know the person behind the account) #research #university 🇦🇺

@drwaus is the new official account for Digital Rights Watch in Australia (h/t to all the good work Sam @floreani is doing in this space - don't forget to catch her #keynote at @pyconau later this month!)

@AoIR is the official Association of #Internet #Researchers account. Read more at https://aoir.org/about 🇺🇸

Professor @nilsph1 works in #knowledge organisation and information retrieval #IR at the Department of Archive, Library and Information Studies at #Oslo Metropolitan University @oslomet :flag-no:

@fionatribe is an #anthropologist, workplace #strategist and #ethnographer who works in #architecture and #OrgDesign 🇦🇺

@dcm is Dimitri Coelho Mollo, an Assistant #Professor in the Philosophy of #AI at #Umeå University :flag-se:

@anders is a #Communication strategist for #AI #Sweden :flag-se:

@rachaelvdm is a #MetaData #librarian #GLAM interested in #nature #art #history 🇳🇱 🇦🇺

@bentarnoff is a technical #writer, who recently wrote a brilliant piece on Joseph #Weizenbaum for The Guardian. You should read it. 🇺🇸

@observablehq is the official account of the #dataviz platform, based on #D3js from @mbostock

That's all for today, don't forget to share your own #ConnectionList, particularly as we say #RIPTwitter ❤️

KathyReid, 9 months ago to random

Oh sweet coffee my precious

KathyReid, 10 months ago to random

Today in #SurveillanceCapitalism I went to acquire snacks and there were two of these #DOOH #DigitalSignage screens at the entrance. That circle at the top is a camera, I think.

The really weird thing is that it served me an ad for a Google Pixel as I approached it. It was serving a Bendigo Bank ad. There are no signs anywhere stating if this is using facial rec or beacons or other #AdTech. I am curious if it's doing age / gender classification from the camera.

Would love to see what my #FlipperZero can make of this.

KathyReid, 8 months ago to GraphicsProgramming

MFW my #GPU cluster job that's been running for 23 days completes successfully and writes to disk properly:

Unicorn Dance GIF

KathyReid, 6 months ago to random

So yeah this just happened at @ACM #EAAMO23 🎉

https://twitter.com/ACMEAAMO/status/1719460197893120388

KathyReid, 4 months ago to random

Last week:

Colleagues using Teams to videoconference from a laptop with only built-in camera and uadio in a fully equipped Zoom Room, because the Zoom Room is harder to use... and there's no training on how to use it.

Great #hybrid experiences rest on people at both the remote and at the on-site location knowing how to get the best out of #videoconf technology ...

I also wonder if this is part of the pushback on hybrid - hybrid is harder, and there's an unwillingness to learn how to make it work?

KathyReid, 3 months ago to datascience

For folks who work in #DataScience, what's the easiest way for me to to calculate the #CosineSimilarity of two strings? I'm looking at sklearn cosine_similarity first.

Related to hallucination detection in #ASR - low cosine similarity indicative of hallucination.

KathyReid, 2 months ago to random

I have an idea for #IWD #IWD2024, pass it on.

We run a fake event, with a $0 cost entry fee.

We tell everyone we're going to the IWD event, and we effusively praise the merits of the outstanding female speaker and her/their novel take on reaching equality and equity.

Then we take 2 hours for ourselves to have a coffee, read a book, and NOT do non-promoteable performative #DEI work while we have a gender pay gap of 15%.

How does that sound?

KathyReid, 7 months ago to Engineering

Very interesting post by Dr Zena Assaad, from #ANU's School of #Engineering, on how her views on the academic use of #SocialMedia have shifted, particularly in light of #TwitterMigration:

https://www.zenaassaad.com/blog/visibility-or-impact-what-is-social-medias-role-for-academics