Y
HN HRCB new | past | comments | ask | show | by right | domains | dashboard | about hrcb
+0.03 Looks Like it is Happening (www.math.columbia.edu)
134 points by jjgreen 4 hours ago | 94 comments on HN | Neutral Editorial · vv3.4 · 2026-02-24
Article Heatmap
Preamble: +0.11 — Preamble P Article 1: 0.00 — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: 0.00 — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: 0.00 — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: 0.00 — No Slavery 4 Article 5: 0.00 — No Torture 5 Article 6: 0.00 — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: 0.00 — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: 0.00 — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: 0.00 — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: 0.00 — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: 0.00 — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: -0.05 — Privacy 12 Article 13: 0.00 — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: 0.00 — Asylum 14 Article 15: 0.00 — Nationality 15 Article 16: 0.00 — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: 0.00 — Property 17 Article 18: 0.00 — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: +0.29 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: +0.08 — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: 0.00 — Political Participation 21 Article 22: 0.00 — Social Security 22 Article 23: -0.06 — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: 0.00 — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: 0.00 — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: 0.00 — Education 26 Article 27: +0.25 — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: +0.08 — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: 0.00 — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: 0.00 — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Weighted Mean +0.03 Unweighted Mean +0.02
Max +0.29 Article 19 Min -0.06 Article 23
Signal 31 No Data 0
Confidence 43% Volatility 0.07 (Low)
Negative 2 Channels E: 0.6 S: 0.4
SETL +0.04 Editorial-dominant
Evidence: High: 0 Medium: 4 Low: 3 No Data: 24
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: 0.04 (3 articles) Security: 0.00 (3 articles) Legal: 0.00 (6 articles) Privacy & Movement: -0.01 (4 articles) Personal: 0.00 (3 articles) Expression: 0.12 (3 articles) Economic & Social: -0.01 (4 articles) Cultural: 0.13 (2 articles) Order & Duties: 0.03 (3 articles)
Domain Context Profile
Element Modifier Affects Note
Privacy
No explicit privacy policy evidence on-domain in provided content.
Terms of Service
No terms of service accessible from provided content.
Accessibility +0.05
Article 27
WordPress implementation includes screen-reader-text CSS, indicating some accessibility accommodations; however, limited evidence of comprehensive accessibility practices.
Mission
Site is academic blog; mission apparent but not explicitly stated on provided content.
Editorial Code
No explicit editorial guidelines or code evident.
Ownership
Columbia University domain; institutional ownership implied.
Access Model +0.08
Article 19 Article 27
Public blog accessible without paywall or registration; free information access supports Article 19.
Ad/Tracking -0.05
Article 12
WordPress Jetpack tracking pixel (wpstats) present; minimal but observable analytics/tracking infrastructure.
HN Discussion 19 top-level comments
sealeck 2026-02-24 21:34 UTC link
There are many really excellent papers out there - the kind which will save you hours/months of work (or even make things that were previously inviable to build viable).

That said, it is amazing how terrible a lot of papers are; people are pressured to publish and therefore seem to get into weird ruts trying to do what they think will be published, rather than what is intellectually interesting...

wmf 2026-02-24 21:36 UTC link
I assume hep = high energy physics in this context. PI = professor who received a government grant.

Peer review has never really been blind and I suspect PIs will reject papers from "outsiders" even if they are higher quality. This already happens to some extent today when the stakes are lower.

sixtyj 2026-02-24 21:38 UTC link
Well… it is happening. You can’t put spilled milk back to bottle. You can do future requirements that will try to stop this behaviour.

E.g. in the submission form could be a mandatory field “I hereby confirm that I wrote the paper personally.” In conditions there will be a note that violating this rule can lead to temporary or permanent ban of authors. In the world where research success is measured by points in WOS, this could lead to slow down the rise of LLM-generated papers.

mclau153 2026-02-24 21:40 UTC link
What is happening?
zoogeny 2026-02-24 21:42 UTC link
One thing I have been guilty of, even though I am an AI maximalist, is asking the question: "If AI is so good, why don't we see X". Where X might be (in the context of vibe coding) the next redis, nginx, sqlite, or even linux.

But I really have to remember, we are at the leading edge here. Things take time. There is an opening (generation) and a closing (discernment). Perhaps AI will first generate a huge amount of noise and then whittle it down to the useful signal.

If that view is correct, then this is solid evidence of the amplification of possibility. People will decry the increase of noise, perhaps feeling swamped by it. But the next phase will be separating the wheat from the chaff. It is only in that second phase that we will really know the potential impact.

sidrag22 2026-02-24 21:49 UTC link
Noise is going to be the coming years biggest issue for so many fields. A losing battle like arguing with a conspiracy minded relative, you can slowly and clearly address one conspiracy and disprove it, by the time you do, they are deep into 8 new ones.
general_reveal 2026-02-24 21:56 UTC link
“And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” - Ecclesiastes 12:12 (KJV)

I suppose we’re entering TURBO mode for of ‘making many books there is no end’.

dang 2026-02-24 21:56 UTC link
> submission numbers in the last couple months have nearly doubled with respect to the stable numbers of previous years

This is showing up (no pun intended) on HN as well. The # of submissions and # of submitters, which traditionally had been surprisingly stable—fluctuating within a fixed range for well over 10 years—has recently been reaching all-time highs. Not double, though...yet.

hmokiguess 2026-02-24 22:00 UTC link
I think this is solid proof that the bedrock of academia is deeply motivated by money and still defaults to optimizing where it impacts its bottom line. If professors can get more grants and more publications in less time with less spending, of course they are going to be doing that. This isn't just because of AI, but also because of how this system is designed in the first place.
guerrilla 2026-02-24 22:07 UTC link
Website's down. What was it about?
pavel_lishin 2026-02-24 22:10 UTC link
Apparently "hep-th" stands for "High Energy Physics - Theory".
8organicbits 2026-02-24 22:20 UTC link
> when AI agents started being able to write papers indistinguishable in quality from [...]

Given that arXiv lacks peer review, I'm not clear what quality bar is being referenced here.

Chinjut 2026-02-24 22:31 UTC link
Note the following comment by Jerry Ling: "The effect goes away if you search properly using the original submission date instead of the most recent submission date. By using most recent submission date, your analysis is biased because we’re so close to the beginning of 2026 so ofc we will see a peak that’s just people who have recently modified their submission."
bitbytebane 2026-02-24 22:43 UTC link
STOP CITING YOUTUBERS AS A CREDIBLE SOURCE OF ANYTHING.
tombert 2026-02-24 22:44 UTC link
I like AI, I use Codex and ChatGPT like most people are, but I have to say that I am pretty tired of low-effort crap taking over everything, particularly YouTube.

There have always been content mills, but there was still some cost with producing the low-effort "Top 10" or "Iceberg Examination" videos. Now I will turn on a video about any topic, watch it for three minutes, immediately get a kind of uncanny vibe, and then the AI voice will make a pronunciation mistake (e.g. confusing wind, like the weather effect or the winding of a spring), or the script starts getting redundant or repetitive in ways that are common with AI.

And I suspect these kinds of videos will become more common as time goes on. The cost to producing these videos is getting close to "free" meaning that it doesn't take much to make a profit on them, even if their views are relatively low per-video.

If AI has taught me anything, it's that there still is no substitute for effort. I'm sure AI is used in plenty of places where I don't notice it, because the people who used it still put in effort to make a good product. There are people who don't just make a prompt like "make me a fifteen minute video about Chris Chan" and "generate me a thumbnail with Chris Chan with the caption 'he's gone too far'", and instead will use AI as a tool to make something neat.

Genuine effort is hard, and rare, and these AI videos can give the facsimile of something that prior to 2023 was high effort. I hate it.

mianos 2026-02-24 22:50 UTC link
This title should have been editorialised. It's like a headline from the daily mirror.
hhsuey 2026-02-24 22:57 UTC link
What's happening? I hate click bait titles like these.
lloydatkinson 2026-02-24 23:23 UTC link
Isn't there a rule about vague titles like this?
NooneAtAll3 2026-02-25 00:05 UTC link
Clickbait title

what would be a better one?

Score Breakdown
+0.11
Preamble Preamble
Medium F: Implicit defense of open discourse and peer review mechanisms
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Blog post engages with systemic issues in academic publishing; implicitly advocates for transparency and quality in scientific communication. Modest positive lean toward human dignity and open discourse values underlying UDHR.

0.00
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to equal dignity and inalienable rights.

0.00
Article 2 Non-Discrimination
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to non-discrimination.

0.00
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to right to life, liberty, and security.

0.00
Article 4 No Slavery
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to slavery or servitude.

0.00
Article 5 No Torture
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to torture or cruel treatment.

0.00
Article 6 Legal Personhood
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to legal personhood.

0.00
Article 7 Equality Before Law
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to equality before law.

0.00
Article 8 Right to Remedy
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to effective remedies for rights violations.

0.00
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to arbitrary arrest or detention.

0.00
Article 10 Fair Hearing
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to fair trial rights.

0.00
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to criminal liability or ex post facto law.

-0.05
Article 12 Privacy
Low P: Minimal tracking infrastructure (wpstats pixel) limits privacy protection
Editorial
+0.05
Structural
-0.08
SETL
+0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Blog implements basic analytics tracking (wpstats). Editorial content does not address privacy concerns. Slight structural negative from presence of tracking mechanism, though at minimal scale.

0.00
Article 13 Freedom of Movement
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to freedom of movement.

0.00
Article 14 Asylum
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to asylum or refuge.

0.00
Article 15 Nationality
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to nationality.

0.00
Article 16 Marriage & Family
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to marriage or family.

0.00
Article 17 Property
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to property rights.

0.00
Article 18 Freedom of Thought
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to freedom of conscience or religion.

+0.29
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
Medium A: Explicit defense of open discourse and peer commentary F: Framing of AI and academia transparency as public interest issue C: Covers systemic scientific publishing phenomena
Editorial
+0.25
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.16
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Editorial explicitly invokes freedom of expression values: author resists censoring AI-generated comments ('won't delete comments just because they are non-human'), welcomes substantive discourse, and frames scientific communication as public concern. Structural: blog platform enables open publication and reader comments. Modest positive lean toward Article 19 protections.

+0.08
Article 20 Assembly & Association
Low A: Implicit advocacy for freedom of association in academic discourse
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Blog permits community participation through comments and open discussion. No explicit association advocacy, but structural design permits collective engagement. Minimal positive signal.

0.00
Article 21 Political Participation
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to democratic participation or free elections.

0.00
Article 22 Social Security
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to economic and social rights.

-0.06
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay
Medium F: Critical framing of exploitative labor practices in academic publishing (grad students/postdocs producing 'mediocre papers')
Editorial
-0.10
Structural
0.00
SETL
-0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Editorial implicitly critiques labor practices in academia: describes system where PIs use grad students and postdocs to produce quantity over quality papers. This frames hierarchical exploitation, though not as direct rights advocacy. Slight negative due to descriptive rather than prescriptive framing of labor concerns.

0.00
Article 24 Rest & Leisure
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to rest and leisure.

0.00
Article 25 Standard of Living
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to adequate standard of living.

0.00
Article 26 Education
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to education.

+0.25
Article 27 Cultural Participation
Medium A: Defends value of peer review and scientific integrity standards P: Free public access to academic discourse
Editorial
+0.15
Structural
+0.20
SETL
-0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Content engages with scientific and cultural participation. Editorial defends peer review mechanisms and scientific standards as communal good. Structural: blog provides free public access to academic commentary, supporting participation in scientific culture. Moderate positive lean.

+0.08
Article 28 Social & International Order
Low F: Frames scientific publishing as requiring just social order
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

Implicit appeal to fair and just system for scientific communication. Editorial critiques current system breakdown, suggesting values alignment with Article 28 principles, though not explicit. Minimal positive signal.

0.00
Article 29 Duties to Community
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to duties or community responsibilities.

0.00
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights
Editorial
0.00
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND

No observable content relating to prohibition on destruction of rights.

About HRCB | By Right | HN Guidelines | HN FAQ | Source | UDHR
build fc56cf0+0q5s · 2026-02-25 01:32 UTC