The perfect headline doesn’t exi…
05.03.2026 20:24
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New post: Can AI Replace Social Science Researchers? (No. No it can't. Come on, now.)
davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/can-ai-rep...
This is a good post. Highly recommend it as a companion to my earlier writing regardless of where you personally stand on the issue.
When I'm not doing congressional communications analyses I'm working on making sure each generation gets to know our system of government and their power in it.
Today we got some neat recognition!
On sabotage of our young scientists, by @holdenthorp.bsky.social @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The effects of Facebook and Instagram political advertisements on the 2020 US election
Is the "AI takeover" a looming reality or a clever illusion created by human steering?
@soubhikbarari.bsky.social, a Senior Research Scientist at @norc.org’s SDC, breaks down why the "Moltbook" phenomenon is less about sentient agents and more about "dogs with walkie-talkies." #Moltbook 🧵
🏆 Our science communication awards are now open!
These awards recognize exceptional science journalists, communicators, and researchers whose work in 2025 made #STEM accessible and engaging for broad audiences.
Deadline: April 3, 2026
Apply now: www.nationalacademies.org/awards/excel... #scicomm
We're kicking off March with two data-driven talks, from 🏙️ cities to ⚾ baseball.
𝗥𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗛. 𝗠. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗮 explores spatial accessibility and equitable urban policy.
𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 applies modern stats to baseball, from pitch models to MLB pickoff strategy and bat-tracking data.
tinyurl.com/mpr87m6t
In their book, Move Slow and Upgrade: The Power of Incremental Innovation, Evan Selinger and Albert Fox Cahn argue society is over-fixated on disruptive innovation and needs to adopt an “upgrader’s mindset,” which should be applied whenever “disruptive changes would pose the greatest social risk.”
A line graph showing NSF grant awards made through 2/27/26 for fiscal year 2026 compared with grant awards for fiscal years 2021-2025 for the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.
7/10
Wow that is bleak
A lot of my academic focuses on public attitudes about foreign policy and the use of force. The just initiated bombing of Iran lacks many of the components that build and sustain domestic support for military action.
For no particular reason, I find myself thinking this morning of this recent @davidlazer.bsky.social paper, suggesting that seeing themselves represented amongst scientists improves trust in science for a variety of demographics
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Are you Chicago-bound for SPSP 2026?
Quick plug to the Politics & Social Change Lab affiliates presenting talks & posters on coalitions, issue advocacy, media framing, inequality, social media & well-being, and other topics. Very proud of them and their work! 😀
Details below 👇
![4-panel comic. (1) [Person with white hat talking to another person.] PERSON 1 with white hat: As Sherlock Holmes said, When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. (2) PERSON 2: What about the possibility that you forgot to eliminate a possibility? Or that you eliminated one incorrectly? Both of those remain, too. (3) PERSON 1: You’re being pedantic. It’s just a general rule for deduction. PERSON 2: But it’s a *bad rule*. (4) PERSON 2: How often have you thought, “I can’t find this thing, and I’ve searched the whole house. The only place I haven’t looked is the car, so it *must* be there.” PERSON 2: ...And then it’s never in the car. PERSON 1: *It’s never in the car!*](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreifiy7vve3vnzcdv2ptjmuvd3twrsyuu2s5tkyvonqzk56mvinoxae@jpeg)
4-panel comic. (1) [Person with white hat talking to another person.] PERSON 1 with white hat: As Sherlock Holmes said, When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. (2) PERSON 2: What about the possibility that you forgot to eliminate a possibility? Or that you eliminated one incorrectly? Both of those remain, too. (3) PERSON 1: You’re being pedantic. It’s just a general rule for deduction. PERSON 2: But it’s a *bad rule*. (4) PERSON 2: How often have you thought, “I can’t find this thing, and I’ve searched the whole house. The only place I haven’t looked is the car, so it *must* be there.” PERSON 2: ...And then it’s never in the car. PERSON 1: *It’s never in the car!*
Eliminating the Impossible
xkcd.com/3210/
In my little corner of the social sciences, data that should be collected are not being collected, and simple data services (disclosure review) that used to take 2 weeks now take 11 months and counting.
So, yes.
But, Hassett has never let facts get in the way of his conclusions.
Journalism job alert: @wired.com is hiring an experienced politics writer. I might be biased, but WIRED is doing some of the best political coverage out there. This is your chance to join our amazing newsroom! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CondeC...
This is hilarious and now I’m kind of glad I screen recorded the site yesterday. I especially love that they deleted the “Will my professor know?” question.
Watching dystopian sci-fi movies as a kid: Uh, major plot hole here. Are we supposed to believe the human race would be dumb enough to allow robots to become its master?
Watching the world today: Oh.
"President Donald Trump's administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies' handling of foreigners' data" www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Cover of I Told You So!
"In his new book, I Told You So!, Matt Kaplan—a longtime science correspondent for The Economist—traces a lineage of internal resistance to paradigm-changing scientific ideas from the Victorian era to today."
Read the #ScienceBooks Review: https://scim.ag/4c70qjX
[ #GenAI-post warning] Almost every researcher I know is using Claude Code, and talking about the huge productivity gains. Are we actually producing more scientific papers yet? Since its release in May 2025, arXiv submissions are indeed *12%* above what we'd expect. Details in thread:
The Epstein files document what many women researchers have long experienced but rarely seen laid bare so starkly: exclusion operating behind closed doors, shaping who gets funded, invited, mentored, and taken seriously. How many of these networks, norms, and gatekeepers remain in place?
“Are you steering the technology or is it steering you?” asked a slide on the classroom whiteboard at Washington Park High School. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/t...
We're hiring! KGI is hiring for a Student Research Assistant (Summer 2026) to join a new project examining AI and the future of content markets. Applications due by March 6, 2026. Learn more and apply here: kgi.georgetown.edu/student-rese...
📆 10-12 weeks (Summer 2026)|📍 Hybrid / Washington, D.C.
The 3 million-plus people applying for immigration status changes will now be required to provide the government with their social media handles. This expansive new requirement poses a serious threat to constitutional rights.
bit.ly/4aE5uKa
Come work w CSMaP!
We're hiring two postdocs.: one with a focus on AI; other is general focus.
Let me know if you have questions about the roles. And please share widely.
apply.interfolio.com/181817
apply.interfolio.com/181820
Want to promote transparency and clarity in network research by helping develop 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 (𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃)?
Sign up to get involved here: tinyurl.com/help-with-GR...
▪️ All career stages welcome
▪️ All fields welcome
▪️ Be compensated for your time
