Dispatches From The Internets

Why I’m Betting Against AI Agents in 2025 (Despite Building Them)

I think it’s really key to understand what AI is good for and where it falls short. Not just in terms of results, but in terms of externalities as well.

To that end, this is a piece worth reading. To me, the golden nugget is this (when discussing who will succeed with AI agents):

[T]he winners will be teams building constrained, domain-specific tools that use AI for the hard parts while maintaining human control or strict boundaries over critical decisions. Think less “autonomous everything” and more “extremely capable assistants with clear boundaries.”

Why AI Won’t Destroy Us with Microsoft’s Brad Smith

In this episode, Trevor Noah and Brad Smith talk about a lot of things, but I think the most prescient is their discussion of information bubbles and organizing around labels. Trevor astutely observes how the source of information often colors how we receive that information and whether we consider it or reject it out of hand. In today’s media ecosystem, the system of “in groups” and “out groups” creates deep division and makes us more susceptible to misinformation.

Passing Your CSS Theme to canvas

While working on a recent project I noticed an issue with a canvas-based audio visualization when I toggled between light and dark modes. When I’d originally set it up I was browsing in dark mode and the light visualization stroke showed up perfectly on the dark background, but it was invisible when viewed using the light theme (which I’d neglected to test). I searched around, but didn’t find any articles on easy ways to make canvas respond nicely to user preserences, so I thought I’d share (in brief) how I solved it.

Symbol Creator AI

About a year ago, the folks at Global Symbols pitched me on their vision for using image generation models to create new AAC symbols that fit thematically within an existing set. It was a truly compelling use case for generative AI and I was thrilled to fund their project through the AI for Accessibility grant program.

Fast forward to today and their project has launched! Please check it out and share it with any AAC users in your life!

On Diversity

I’ve been broadly working in the DEI (or DEIA if you like) sphere for decades now. Most of my work has been coming at it from the accessibility side of things, but I got really involved in allyship and more traditional DEI work starting in 2019. Seeing the current U.S. administration taking an axe to DEI programs in the government and bully private businesses to do the same has me incredibly frustrated, confused, and (yes) angry. I want more equality and more opportunity in the world, not less. And so, when I was listening to the latest episode of The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, I was struck by how the left and right may actually be more aligned on DEI than the headlines lead us to believe.