The Thélyson Orélien affair raises an important question: who is allowed to tell stories? Is it only those with enough socio-cultural capital to write books (or to have them written for them in an acceptable way)? What of people with compelling stories who are less able to master grammar or to pay ghost-writers? Is theContinue reading “Is it the elite’s prerogative to tell stories? The Orélien affair.”
Tag Archives: ai
Thélyson Orélien : What is the Problem?
Over the last few weeks the French publishing world has been in turmoil. Accusations of AI-use have been levelled at M.Orélien, the author of C’était ça ou mourir, which has won the FNAC literary prize and was shortlisted for more. The whiff of prejudice First, a whiff of prejudice surrounds the singling out of thisContinue reading “Thélyson Orélien : What is the Problem?”
AI and planning : a few pointers for students
I was lucky enough to attend a fascinating session at the July 2026 CIP conference1 where the use of AI by cities (and, specifically, by planners) was discussed by people working in the field. Below, I set out some key take-aways. My overall take-away is that AI is overhyped : there is strong pressure fromContinue reading “AI and planning : a few pointers for students”
AI and Universities: students and AI
Readers of my recent blogs will have worked out (!) that I am concerned about how reliance on AI prevents students learning basic skills, depletes the number of people capable of supervising AI , and robs students of voice and authorship. Of course, I acknowledge that students reading these posts may roll their eyes! YetContinue reading “AI and Universities: students and AI”
AI and universities: teaching how to fake voice and inner-life
Voice and authorship are important A few years ago I took the night train from Amsterdam to Prague, and then on to Budapest. I was reading Imre Kertesz’ book, Fatelessness. The train ride was eerie, as I was riding South on some of the same tracks that Kertesz’ character had been taken North on, inContinue reading “AI and universities: teaching how to fake voice and inner-life”
AI and universities: Who will oversee AI?
AI in universities: short-term gains AI is inevitable in the sense that it has been forced upon us by tech oligarchs, and that it provides practical tools for short-circuiting lengthy processes such as writing, synthesis, programming, cleaning data, and so on. In the short-term, and from a purely pragmatic perspective, there are many reasons toContinue reading “AI and universities: Who will oversee AI?”
AI and universities: towards a generation of credentialed idiots?
Thinking about new technology When powerful oligopolistic corporations force a technology upon us, telling us that there is no alternative, shoe-horning it into search engines, answering services, operating systems, etc…, it is sensible to take a step back and think about it. It is sensible to wonder why these oligopolies are doing this, who willContinue reading “AI and universities: towards a generation of credentialed idiots?”
The (many) questions AI can’t address
This morning I read an interesting series of three articles in La Presse. They ask whether Artificial Intelligence (admittedly a wide-ranging and vague concept) will be salutary or catastrophic. One article puts the case for AI, one makes the case against, and the final one tries to balance the two. The limited case for AIContinue reading “The (many) questions AI can’t address”
Belief in stats and algorithms : an illusion of objectivity
Algorithms: or how to make responsibility disappear I am reading a fascinating book (Revolutionary Mathematics, by Justin Joque, Verso, 2022) in which he develops the idea that the current takeover of many everyday processes by algorithms (of which he explains the logic and maths – which I find fascinating!) is a form of objectification inContinue reading “Belief in stats and algorithms : an illusion of objectivity”
Masdar City: a partial eco-neighbourhood?
What is Masdar City? Masdar City is a well-hyped suburban development close to Abu-Dhabi airport, about 30 minutes from the (rather amorphous) centre of the metropolitan area. It is hyped as : “A ground-breaking sustainable urban community and a world-class business free zone and technology hub, with innovation in [its] DNA. Driven by the UAE’sContinue reading “Masdar City: a partial eco-neighbourhood?”
