I mean, you hope this is hyperbole, and the examples are mostly taken from maths, but the writer has pretty impeccable credentials. At the very least I hope it shuts up the "stochastic parrots" copium, it is not helpful
https://www.obvia.ca/en "Obvia is an interuniversity network comprising over 290 research members as well as numerous partners in Quebec...We help maximize the benefits and minimize the negative effects of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on society. "
Does anyone know of some other examples of research groups in Canada OUTSIDE of Quebec with similar focus on lessening negative impact of digital technologies like AI?
At recent library conference I came across an unfamiliar term - "social prescription" - literally prescribing socializing to someone as a way to address depression, loneliness etc.
Had you come across this before? It is simultaneously impressive (that the medical system is recognizing this core need) and staggering (that we have built ourselves a system in which we need to prescribe human connection.)
There was a time I personally could have used such a prescription, grateful to say no longer
finally got around to reading the actual Terms of Reference for the Post-Secondary Review taking place in BC and holy wow, the gaslighting & rewriting of history is wild. I know institutions made choices in backing the international student play as well as some of the programming choices, but you got to recall WHY those choices had to be made - system never recovered from Campbell-era cuts and like so much public-sector funding, did not keep up with rising costs
https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/ReviewofSectorSustainability_TermsofReference.pdf
zero amounts of schadenfraude at hearing either of Instructure's hack or the resolution (presumably via cyber insurier payment of the ransom)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/canvas-instructure-hackers-deal.html
But holy shit - if it's true that they "accessed the data of more than 275 million users across 9000 schools" then there have got to be serious questions about architecture and processes. This wasn't an application-level hack. This speaks to deep infrastructure compromise.
Yet there by the grace of the computing gods go us all
in a previous work lifetime I worked on "repositories" (both of "learning objects" and "open textbooks") </ shudder>.
It always struck me that we were constantly reinventing a wheel that other sectors had dealt with. While I know they are not exact replicas, I was reminded by it again when I came across this open source "Digital Asset Management" software https://www.resourcespace.com/ I'm probably way off base but thought to share it in case anyone still works on that kind of thing
Scott Leslie
