Professor, Santa Fe Institute. Research on AI, cognitive science, and complex systems. Website: https://melaniemitchell.me Substack: https://aiguide.substack.com/https://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mkuvcdw3222hExcellent thread "We risk all of science if we rush to build 'AI Scientists' before we understand the value of human science." ⬇️ [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 May 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuvcdw3222hhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mkbfcbtlbs2n@mjcrockett.bsky.social is totally killing it (pun intended) in talk about DEAD cognitive benchmarks. DEAD = Decontextualized, Engineered, Anonymized, Disembodied Super insightful talk at @sfiscience.bsky.social 's annual Science Symposium.24 Apr 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkbfcbtlbs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mjk2cebot226So sad to hear that Michael Rabin passed away. One of the most brilliant computer scientists ever, and a very caring, thoughtful teacher. I was lucky to be able to take a theory of computation class from him, way back in the day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Rabin15 Apr 2026 13:55 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjk2cebot226https://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mjiub73bes2lPhilosopher click-bait, par excellence:15 Apr 2026 02:34 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjiub73bes2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mj5r5xr3zs24Very good article what it would take for AI to have "agency" and self-preservation goals (w/ a few quotes from me). & I appreciate the reiterated debunking of the "GPT-4 on its own lied to a TaskRabbit worker to solve a captcha" story. https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-we-tell-ourselves-scary-stories-about-ai-20260410 https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-we-tell-ourselves-scary-stories-about-ai-20260410/?mc_cid=086b8aff43&mc_eid=aa3ef184b010 Apr 2026 16:39 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5r5xr3zs24https://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3miwsa4oyns2wWhile we wait for the end of civilization, I'm stuck at the Denver airport, and the music they're playing on the speakers is Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire. Incredible song.07 Apr 2026 22:10 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3miwsa4oyns2whttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3miwruwubsk2v👍 🎧 [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Apr 2026 22:03 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3miwruwubsk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mibxzoap3c2rI enjoyed this discussion with @benjaminjriley.bsky.social ⬇️ https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/reflections-on-ai-from-melanie-mitchell https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/reflections-on-ai-from-melanie-mitchell?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2417618&post_id=192550826&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=91j0p&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email30 Mar 2026 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mibxzoap3c2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mi4zrq6dfc2aPittsburgh! #NoKings28 Mar 2026 16:16 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi4zrq6dfc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mhstgtyluk2whttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/self-driving-car-technology-tesla-crash/686054/?gift=1https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/self-driving-car-technology-tesla-crash/686054/?gift=1 Good article about the dangers of trusting "almost perfect" technology ⬇️24 Mar 2026 14:56 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhstgtyluk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mhr3c7463s2uFriends, please come to this one if you can: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=5... https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=5050123 Mar 2026 22:11 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhr3c7463s2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mhr2y4n72s2dCan attest to this -- just underwent such a nightmare myself. A "half hour" is a vast underestimate.... [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Mar 2026 22:05 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhr2y4n72s2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mhqmvyj4vc2qI'm looking forward to visiting Carnegie Mellon University this week. I'll be giving a talk on 3/26 at noon at the AI Institute for Social Decision Making. For people in Pittsburgh, here's the link: https://events.cmu.edu/ai-sdm/event/27680-ai-sdm-seminar-series-melanie-mitchell I don't know if there will be an option for virtual streaming.23 Mar 2026 17:53 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhqmvyj4vc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mgvszhit6k2wA very good article on AI and coding from the NYT by @clivethompson.bsky.social Here's a gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.zcAC.15xqbTdRHndt&smid=url-share13 Mar 2026 02:01 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgvszhit6k2whttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfxfxcbn722rBack in the 1980s-2000s, there was an organization called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility that worked to oppose irresponsible and dangerous uses of computers in warfare. Maybe it needs a reboot, in our new age of AI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Professionals_for_Social_Responsibility28 Feb 2026 23:47 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfxfxcbn722rhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfuospnqbc2xEvery sentence in this post is a masterpiece of anthropomorphic absurdity: https://substack.com/home/post/p-18917783827 Feb 2026 21:48 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfuospnqbc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfrmfryo3k2uI enjoyed talking with @kensycoop.bsky.social on the Many Minds podcast about the metaphors we use to conceptualize AI. https://manyminds.libsyn.com/seven-metaphors-for-ai26 Feb 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfrmfryo3k2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfpijlexxs2y👀 I'm looking forward to seeing what Dileep will do at Astera! [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Feb 2026 20:12 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfpijlexxs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfmrtt2tjc22I'm always interested in reading what @quiltydunn.bsky.social and @johnwkrakauer.bsky.social think about thinking. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Feb 2026 18:21 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfmrtt2tjc22https://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfklrmcryc2nPop quiz: Name the American academic whose career had this trajectory of positions at US institutions:23 Feb 2026 21:27 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfklrmcryc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3mfckqtpdjc2bNew acronym just dropped. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Feb 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfckqtpdjc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3meyexu2rdk2eAnalogy and metaphor galore! I was interviewed by the @nightsciencepod.bsky.social podcast about metaphor and analogy in science: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1hqUvEoTmheM9XAVPYducD?si=da7c2d691a124e3b Pairs well with @sflusberg.bsky.social's interview on metaphor on the @manymindspod.bsky.social podcast https://disi.org/the-aura-of-metaphor/ https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:scxow674sogt5zjyo42eiyop16 Feb 2026 15:37 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3meyexu2rdk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3meosu3pcfs23Mood: (h/t @lettersofnote.com)12 Feb 2026 20:19 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3meosu3pcfs23https://bsky.app/profile/melaniemitchell.bsky.social/post/3meol473qbc2pI enjoyed this fun discussion with Meghna Chakrabarti and @kmahowald.bsky.social about thinking, human or machine, on WBUR's On Point show. (Top of page is condensed version, scroll down to "On Point Full Broadcast" for full version.) https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026/02/11/brainwaves-artificial-intelligence-human-behavior12 Feb 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:p72jkscm4rt4xuep3lzv6doh/app.bsky.feed.post/3meol473qbc2p