In 1948, the founder of information theory, Claude Shannon, proposed modelling language in terms of the probability of the next word in a sentence given the previous words. These types of probabilistic language models were largely derided, most famously by linguist Noam Chomsky: “The notion of ‘probability of a sentence’ is an entirely useless one.” In 2022, […] … learn more→

When I started this blog thirteen years ago I wanted to provide advice and resources about academic writing and doctoral research. Along the way I sometimes meandered into more general academic issues and occasionally things that were more about me. Sometimes I shared what I was writing. As in the last post where I posted […] … learn more→

It is rare to see a newly published book that doesn’t come with a ringing endorsement from at least one or two familiar names. Well known authors will laud a new title as “brilliant”, “moving” or “thought-provoking” and testify that they were “unable to put it down” – or something to that effect. These “blurbs” […] … learn more→

I am currently working on a second edition of one of my co-authored writing books, Writing for peer reviewed journals. Strategies for getting published. The book was published in 2013 and written in 2012. A lot has changed in the publishing world since then. My co-author Barbara and I now have to decide how to address: […] … learn more→

In 2008, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death for the murder of her two-year-old daughter in Texas. The sentence was postponed until 2022. Forensic linguist Robert Leonard, after analyzing the interrogation of Ms. Lucio and her partner, Mr. Alvarez, determined that techniques were used to induce false confessions. This and other evidence served to stop Lucio’s execution […] … learn more→

In a world marked by climate, social and technological crises, preparing younger generations to navigate uncertainty has become a necessity. Very early on, they are invited to take concrete actions, anchored in their daily lives, which are embodied, in particular, in the adoption of simple gestures in favor of the environment  : sorting waste, consuming local products […] … learn more→

Has the bell finally tolled for Shakespeare and Byron? New research conducted by philosophers of science Brian Porter and Edouard Machery suggests that the latest AI-generated poetry is “indistinguishable from human-written poetry” and “rated more favourably”. Ten poets, from the medieval Geoffrey Chaucer to modern writer Dorothea Lasky, were successfully impersonated by AI chatbots, with most of the […] … learn more→

Stories define people – they shape our relationships, cultures and societies. Unlike other skills replaced by technology, storytelling has remained uniquely human, setting people apart from machines. But now, even storytelling is being challenged. Artificial intelligence, powered by vast datasets, can generate stories that sometimes rival, or even surpass, those written by humans. Creative professionals […] … learn more→