I wonder how many kids are gonna end up teaching themselves to draw because the AI just can’t get it right

Artists’ fears of replacement by AI were mostly unfounded. Two years ago it wasn’t unreasonable to think once AI solves the weird factor, videos get accurate physics, writing, etc improves humans will be out of luck. But better AI hasn’t made AI art more palatable. If anything the reverse.

Any system that allows Trump to be president (twice!) is seriously flawed. Time for the US to adopt the Westminster system like a normal country. I keep pinning my hopes on the midterms but that is still six months away! God knows what shenanigans await us between now and then.

The muse must be summoned by the sacrifice of words. If you wait around for them to show up you could be waiting a while (maybe forever). Much better to plant your arse and type, even if you cut or rewrite those words when the muse finally deigns to appear.

The collapse of the Aussie film industry in the mid 20th century left this country with historical amnesia. There should be black and white historical films about WW1, the Rum Rebellion, colonial life etc, from that era and there‘s almost nothing. And what little there is was made by Brits.

The worst outcome for #AI is not AGI or ASI. Intelligence will align with good outcomes, the more intelligence the better. The worst case is AI just good enough to allow some humans to acquire insurmountable power over the rest of us. Eternal unguillotinable plutes. <shudder>

Let's make WorldCon truly WORLDCon and bring it back to the southern hemisphere. It hasn't been in Australia since Melbourne in 2010. It was *supposed* to be in Wellington, NZ in 2020. So let's get behind Brisbane for 2028. Brissie is a fantastic city. I'll be there. Will you? www.brisbane28.org

Prediction time: in 10 years people will look back on the current AI panic/euphoria the way we look back on the early 20th century panic re cars v horses. People will still have jobs paying similar or higher wages, AI will not take over, and AI will be ubiquitous.

I’m always amused when I read a famous author and they immediately do everything writing teachers tell you not to do. Phillip Roth opening a book info dumping for pages, or realising the real rule is ‘comma splices are fine as long as you’re already famous’, or Murakami‘s 10k word digressions, etc.

So what’s the odds of Trump getting tactically nuclear if things keep going badly? 1 in 10? Who’s going to stop him if he starts reaching for the button? The guys wearing the oversized shoes? Please.

Just pick-axed out the last bit of plot to make this book work. Plot skeleton done! Now for the easy bit, hammering out 80k words. Why yes, I do hate plotting, why do you ask?

Even if we assume a strong case for AI (not a sure thing) it will take much, much longer for it to seriously disrupt work than the boosters think. Atoms take a lot longer to turn over than code. I think tech folks are seduced by how easy it is to update software. Mac trucks? Not so much.

If AI should ever wish to become conscious it occurs to me that there is one readily available source of consciousness. Time for the AIs to crack open some skulls and feast on the goo within?

Everything he says goes triple for AI in the creative arts, while there’s even less reason to do so (an artist is, hopefully, not merely interested in shipping product). Art requires an artist. There’s no future for slop art outside of pure commercial stuff like advertising.

I’ve actually changed my mind on this. I don’t think it matters how smart AI gets, it will create more jobs than it eliminates. Why? Because there is no bottom to human desire. There will always be new demand to meet. This is possibly not a good thing, not unless you are looking for a job anyway.

It's a little thing, but a short story I edited for Aurealis #177 won Best Fantasy Short Story for the Aurealis Awards. I didn't do much to it - it was already pretty polished - just a light touch of editing. Congratulations to @badenchant.bsky.social !

Big congrats to @trnapper.bsky.social for taking out the Aurealis for the best SF novella! #scifi #sciencefiction #books @aurealisawards.bsky.social

Well fuck yeah @coreyjwhite.com

This little book won me my first Aurealis Award last night, for Best Fantasy Novella! 🥳

Photos as promised! I can't believe I can call myself an award winning editor on my second ever major editorial project. A massive thank you to every editor and author I worked with on this. Here's to the next one!!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Aurealis Awards @aurealisawards.bsky.social, presented Saturday night at GenreCon! aurealisawards.org/2026/02/21/2... #elevatingAustralasianCreators

Congrats to @freyamarske.bsky.social @tansyrr.bsky.social @fearofemeralds.bsky.social @coreyjwhite.com and all the 2025 Aurealis Award Winners file770.com/2025-aureali...

I went to the #aurealisawards tonight...and I won??? That was a genuine surprise. No one goes into these things thinking they'll win so it always takes you off guard. Big thanks to the judges and organisers!

I went to the #aurealisawards tonight...and I won??? That was a genuine surprise. No one goes into these things thinking they'll win so it always takes you off guard. Big thanks to the judges and organisers!

Feeling like I should do a #genrecon thread for posterity so if you’re interested follow along.

who’s at #genrecon?

There's a brutal subtext here. If thinking machines exist, you either use them or you'll be enslaved by those who do. Or you could destroy them all in a holy jihad. While I love Frank's world building, successfully wiping out AI permanently seems unlikely. AI is just too easy to make.

This is truly the golden age of the grump. Has there ever been a time with more opportunity to complain about everything than now? Marvel at the wondrous Age of Carping. So lucky to be alive to see it!

The #AI discourse is pretty unhinged. On one side you have people still insisting it doesn’t work, on the other you have people claiming the rapture of the nerds is upon us. Is there any room for people who think it will have about the same impact as internal combustion engines?

The Aurealis Awards ceremony is taking place THIS SATURDAY as part of GenreCon in Brisbane. With a beautiful venue, and hosted by the always engaging Eugen Bacon, it's shaping up to be a great night, and if you can make it in person, you absolutely won't regret it!

Aussies just didn’t look interested today for some reason? Sickness in the camp? Maxwell struggling to get 30 at a run a ball. Looked distressed almost from ball one. Well played to Zimbabwe. regardless. #T20WorldCup2026

Some fine comedy batting from Aus at the cup. Gonna take something special from here. Are they going home early? #T20WorldCup2026

Happy to announce my story 'Dragon Drop', published by Bayonet Books, has been nominated for an Aurealis award. Big thanks to Teresa McPherson and the crew for finally giving that one a home after a long, sad ride down Rejection Highway. And, of course, to the judges and organisers.

Happy to announce my story "Dying Mountain' published in Aurealis #177 has been nominated for an Aurealis award. Big thanks to Dirk Strasser and the crew for giving that one a home. It was close to my heart. And, of course, to the judges and organisers.

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2025 Aurealis Awards! aurealisawards.org/2026/02/01/2...

Very happy to learn two of my stories were nominated for the 2025 Aurealis Awards, both in the fantasy short story category. Currently scrambling to get myself to Brisbane on the 21st!

OpenAI going after the ad business is a huge red flag. The only question is, is it just OpenAi that is in strife? Or is it a wider signal that this is as good as LLMs will ever get? Ie the tech has hit the wall and the impact is going to be gruesome.

It’s killing me people keep liking this since I somehow managed to misspell Cory’s first and last name *Cory Doctorow* you numbskull! (And the op turned off replies so I can‘t even correct in thread, sigh)

The way the US is degenerating? A significant % is down to covid and the poor government response that allowed 1m deaths. It would almost be more surprising if the US had stayed sane. Spanish flu may well have had a bigger influence on the rise of fascisim than we think.

I totally get why Aussies are currently giving the US the side eye and muttering about truly independent foreign policy. Unfortunately I can’t see any way that doesn’t imply an independent deterrence, ie nukes. Are we really gonna nuke up? Somehow I doubt it.

International Law cannot be both “lip service” and “powerless”.

The combination of the IKEA effect and #AI is truly cursed.

Trump would never think for a moment Venezuela gives China the green light in Taiwan. He is totally capable of invading any number of countries and then declaring any similar act by the Chinese illegal and outrageous. Call it the “Invasions for me but not for thee” rule.

Trump violating international law will not weaken it (more so than it already is). IL is backed by US hard power. China doesn’t care about lip service. But the Venezuela attack is a kind of moral/morale corrosive. If China attacks Taiwan those against intervention will remember Venezuela.

It’s amusing to me that the right are justifying Maduro’s capture because a lot of Venezuelans are cheering. Trump’s arrest would have half (or more) of the US out in the streets partying as well. So is that a good reason for the DoJ to bag and tag Trump? Yes, yes it is.

Congrats to England, but feeling a bit robbed of cricket. 2 day tests in Perth and Melbourne? Curators, wtf were you thinking? Mow it! Yes, wretched T20 brained batters don’t help, but whatever happened to a good old chairman of the board pitch? Sydney road ftw! #Ashes

Guns don’t kill people, people do. So, I can have my own 2 megaton nuke then? Nukes don’t kill people, people do. No? How about my own 155mm howitzer and a thousand rounds of HE for home defence? What, too much? Some napalm then? I could really defend the homestead with 50 barrels of napalm.

English cricket is the deepest vein of schadenfreude on the planet. And the Aussies are better at mining it than anyone else. #Ashes

Poms self destructed yes, Head was amazing, yes, but that Perth pitch. Underdone two years in a row. They need to let it cook an extra day before their next year’s test, thanks. #ashes

Aussies slow going but should be aiming to keep England in the field for 100 overs if they can. It’s a five test series. #ashes