I’m the Dean of the Library, Vice Provost for Information Collaboration, and Professor of History at Northeastern University. (more about me)
Recently
“How Can We Minimize the Environmental Impact of Our AI Use?” — It’s not easy being green when there’s little research on the energy consumption of specific AI tasks. August 11, 2026
“The Breath of the Author” — The palpable presence of someone else’s mind in our best writing should give us pause about the encroachment of AI text. July 30, 2026
“Perils of the New Armchair Scholarship” — Like nineteenth-century scholars who wrote about the world without deeply engaging with it, academics who lean too heavily on AI risk becoming paper-thin. July 14, 2026
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Humane Ingenuity looks in depth at technology that helps rather than hurts human understanding, and human understanding that helps us create better technology. New issues are sent to subscribers about once a month.
Of Note
“The Books of College Libraries Are Turning Into Wallpaper,” The Atlantic. University libraries around the world are seeing precipitous declines in the use of the books on their shelves. Why is this happening and what does it mean for the future of libraries? May 26, 2019
“The Narrow Passage of Gortahig” — On the rugged western coast of Ireland, a critical road is a bit too narrow, and the locals like it that way. August 26, 2018