Substrate

A living collection of notes, ideas, and reflections from Doug Belshaw.

notes updated

On the importance of Open Source AI

Below is a formatted transcript Yann LeCun's keynote speech from a couple of days ago at the UN Open Source Week 2026.

He's saying some important things here, not least that fears around AI are overblown, probably to ensure that regulation destroys legitimate Open Source AI alternatives. I like his analogy of the printing press and use of the phrase "medieval obscurantism".

notes updated

Legitimisation, amplification, and the structure of permission

Laurens Hof writes about decentralised online social networks and does so very well, covering the wider social, political, and technical aspects. In his most recent post/newsletter he connects Elon Musk calling for race-based pogroms, the (unrelated) resignation of Keir Starmer as UK Prime Minister, and both the "structure of permission" and "amplification layer" that decentralised social networks could make even worse.

notes updated

I, for one, would like to be able to re-grow a finger if necessary

This gif is in no way accurate but I had fun making it in Midjourney.

Scientists have taken a surprising step toward unlocking regeneration in mammals, showing that the ability to rebuild complex body parts may not be lost after all—it may simply be switched off. Using a two-stage treatment, researchers redirected the body’s normal healing response away from scar formation and toward regrowth, successfully restoring bone, joints, ligaments, and tendons after amputation in animal studies.