Seen above, a humanoid ponders its existence, instead of studying for its algebra exam.
New theory explores how workers interact with technology in the modern workplace
Sep 2025, phys.org
This is about a new theory of workplace communication; the traditional version is called Social Exchange Theory, and it says we engage with people who are rewarding, and avoid people who are costly. Your co-worker might know a lot about a certain subject, but they talk your ear off.
The new theory is called Socio-Technical Exchange, and it says we develop "machine heuristics" - "When they felt expertise was important, people often preferred a human coworker, finding coworkers more efficient and knowledgeable. However, with simple or embarrassing questions, a machine was deemed a superior collaborator."
via University of Kansas: Cameron Piercy et al, Socio-Technical Exchange with Machines: Worker Experiences with Complex Work Technologies, Human-Machine Communication (2025). DOI: 10.30658/hmc.10.3
Image credit: hahahaha
Robots learn how to move by watching themselves
Feb 2025, phys.org
"Kinematic Self-Awareness"
"We humans are intuitively aware of our body; we can imagine ourselves in the future and visualize the consequences of our actions well before we perform those actions in reality. Ultimately, we would like to imbue robots with a similar ability to imagine themselves, because once you can imagine yourself in the future, there is no limit to what you can do."
via Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science: Yuhang Hu et al, Teaching robots to build simulations of themselves, Nature Machine Intelligence (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-025-01006-w
Teaching AI models the broad strokes to sketch more like humans do
Jun 2025, phys.org
Their method, called "SketchAgent," uses a multimodal language model—AI systems that train on text and images to develop a "sketching language" in which a sketch is translated into a numbered sequence of strokes on a grid. The system was given an example of how things like a house would be drawn, with each stroke labeled according to what it represented — such as the seventh stroke being a rectangle labeled as a "front door" — to help the model generalize to new concepts.
via MIT CSAIL Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory: Yael Vinker et al, SketchAgent: Language-Driven Sequential Sketch Generation, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2411.17673
Study argues online clicks and scrolls are 'thin labor' powering AI
Feb 2026, phys.org
Every time a user solves a reCAPTCHA or browses a social media feed, they provide the training data necessary for AI systems to function. Currently, tech giants extract this value without offering users any bargaining power or fair terms of engagement."We must decide if we are merely horses leaving digital manure behind or if we are the essential workers who build the intelligence of the future"They advocate for the use of data unions, data strikes, and enhanced portability rights to give users a way to negotiate with massive platforms. By treating data as labor, the authors provide a framework for the public to exert collective power against the extractive practices of surveillance capitalism."Data strikes and data unions give the public a powerful tool to talk back to technology companies. When we act together to withhold or redirect our data, we transform from passive sources of information into a collective force that can reshape the digital economy to serve everyone, not just a few billionaires."
via Simon Fraser University and Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business: Tae Wan Kim et al, Are We Horses? Rethinking Data as Labor, Philosophy & Technology (2026). DOI: 10.1007/s13347-026-01033-4
Like for example:
Meta to start capturing employee mouse movements, keystrokes for AI training data
Apr 2026, Reuters
Post Script of Martin Luther King Jr Quote About Greeley Meatpackers:
"As machines replace men, we must again question whether the depth of our social thinking matches the growth of technological creativity. We cannot create machines which revolutionize industry unless we simultaneously create ideas commensurate with social and economic reorganization, which harness the power of such machines for the benefit of man...the new age will not be an era of hope but of fear and emptiness unless we master this problem. Its solution will require forthright creative social planning from the shop level up to the highest levels of government."
--Dr. King to the United Packinghouse Workers Union of America on May 21st 1962, and in response to Thousands of workers strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the US, Mar 16 2026, AP News [link]
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