Ben WaberIt was an absolutely gorgeous day in Boston, and luckily I was able to go out on a nice run and listen to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist! (1/11)
First was an interesting talk by Zeynep Temel on building adaptive robotics systems for complex environments at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFnIpDmMh0 (2/11) #robotics
Princeton Robotics Seminar - Zeynep Temel
Next was a thought-provoking talk by Mike Zheng Shou on using large multimodal models for video intelligence at the GRASP Lab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0d2p6Fdkvw (3/11) #AI
Spring 2025 GRASP Seminar - Mike Shou, National University of Singapore
Next was an intriguing talk by Daniela Mitterberger on robot/human collaboration in construction at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgxdQiPZOAU (4/11) #robotics
Princeton Robotics Seminar - Daniela Mitterberger
Next was a great talk by Alin Coman on using network experiments to understand emergent memory phenomena at the Psychonomic Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_k3r0TMIng (5/11) #networks #psychology
Psychonomic Society's One World Seminar Series presents Alin Coman (April 23, 2025)
Next was an incredible talk by Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio on soft robots that can evolve on demand at Princeton Robotics. This work is one of the best examples of how research funding for non-technical fields (in this case, on animal biology and archaeology, among others), can lead to technical breakthroughs. In this case, amazing work on morphing amphibious robots inspired by turtles, and future work taking inspiration from plesiosaurs! Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfcK28AbjQw (6/11) #robotics
Princeton Robotics Seminar - Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio
Next was a fantastic panel on analyzing animal creativity to interrogate dominant theories of IP authorship and ownership at the QMUL School of Law with @ProfJohanna and Alexis Alvarez-Nakagawa. The discussion was enlightening, and Gibson masterfully deconstructs arguments around generative AI "authorship." Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TNRqVSOEg (7/11) #law
Book Launch: Wanted, More Than Human Intellectual Property
Next was a nice talk by David Autor on using changes in job description terms to model salary and employment at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV3Lttj85gA (8/11) #economics
David Autor: Does automation replace experts or augment expertise? The answer is YES.
Next was an excellent talk by Kris L. Dorsey on supporting soft robots through better sensor design at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHH9cs4-QRs (9/11) #robotics
Princeton Robotics Seminar - Kris Dorsey
Next was an amazing talk by John Kay on what business is for and how it works at the LSE. Kay gives a compelling account of recent business history, the utter failure of "shareholder primacy" to deliver for any constituency (including shareholders), and paths forward. It also warmed my heart that when asked about AI in the Q&A Kay mostly brushed it aside as a distraction and also admitted that he didn't know what the long run effects will be! Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/live/p9qurXQkXiM?si=sgLJLA8jH14uGr0b&t=350 (10/11)
The corporation in the 21st century | LSE Event
Last was "Unshrinking" by Kate Manne. In this book Manne systematically explores the root of fatphobia, its costs to fat people and society more broadly, and approaches for confronting and dismantling it. She convincingly makes the case that discrimination against fat people is an urgent societal problem that demands immediate action, combining philosophical inquiry, scientific review, and case studies to powerful effect. Highly recommend
Full review: https://bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/review/7425084/s/a-masterful-if-slightly-scientifically-inaccurate-exploration-of-fatphobia#anchor-7425084 (11/11) #philosophy
Johanna Gibson@bwaber Thanks so much!