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Joni Salminen Posts

Concerns of Complexity as a Competitive Factor in CHI Conference

CHI research has become more complex (but not more insightful). The reason? Complexity is a competitive factor: it helps separate your paper from others. Lengthy papers with more substudies and details are more likely to do better than short but insightful work that might have more relevance for HCI theory and/or practice. Reviewers are instructed to pay attention to HCI…

Design Ideas for MMM SaaS Platforms

Some ideas on directions toward which Marketing Mix Modeling Software-as-a-Service Platforms should be developed: So, an MMM SaaS tool should not only observe but it should actively suggest and, if suggested policy is accepted by the human manager, implement it in the ad platforms! I think this step from observations to interventions is necessary to unleash the potential of MMM.

The Cross-Sectionality Problem in Machine Learning Benchmarking Datasets

(Written with Claude-3.5-Sonnet. I have checked and edited the content. -Joni) Summary of the Issue The holdout paradigm, commonly implemented as a train-test split, is a fundamental technique in machine learning for assessing model performance. However, when applied to cross-sectional data, it can lead to significant challenges in terms of model generalizability. Cross-sectional data, by its nature, provides a snapshot…

The Agency Theory of Chat-Based AI Personas: Insights from Economics

Written in collaboration with Claude-3.5.-Sonnet. All information checked by human author. Background Because of the utility and value of large language models (LLMs) in tasks supporting persona creation and users’ interaction with personas, chat-based AI personas are becoming increasingly prevalent. However, these personas present unique challenges that can be understood through the lens of agency theory (also known as the…

The illusion of similarity (in academic research papers)

The illusion of similarity: two papers (A and B) look the same.They have the same structure.They have the same number of words.Both use fluent, nearly flawless English.Both reference the same number of papers.They have the same number of tables and figures. For a layperson, both these papers look the same. Yet, one of them is the worst horsesh*t you’ve ever…

List of Research Superpowers (Especially Useful for PhD Students)

Observed myself citing various “superpowers” to my PhD students in occasional emails. So, thought of writing these down (the list might get updated). Currently, I can think of eleven research superpowers [updated: November 11, 2024]. Here they are, in no particular order. 1. SPECIFICITY Be specific. Applies pretty much to any form of communication: Being specific is one #researchsuperpower (but…

What are the real benefits of human educators vs. ChatGPT?

Hi! Saw some interesting claims in this presentation about teacher strengths relative to AI: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/CqKZjoSsoTvWoTMB?ref=Link I’m assessing each one by one below. (Btw, if you’re interested in GenAI for bachelor’s level education, take a look at my tips and experiences.) “Teacher Strengths in Relation to language model ChatGPT:” “Artificial intelligence is an efficient tool that can support teachers in many…

Thoughts on integrating Generative AI in university education (specifically at bachelor’s level): Good and bad use cases

Sharing some thoughts, based on a discussion with colleagues, on how generative AI (GenAI) should and should not be intergrated into teaching at bachelor’s degree level. (Also, since you’re here, you might be interested in this post about human educators’ benefits relative to AI.) First, in my opinion, teachers should have the final authority to decide if and how AI…