Mercedes Anderson

Comms Strategist charting AI+Media+Comms | Embracing the cross-breeze of shifting paradigms | Focusing on our better angels | Writer, Polyglot, Bridge Builder🍵

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Nobody does a comeback like New York.

[NEW YORK KNICKS @nyknicks]

POV: you witnessed the game winner in person 🥹

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Speaker Menin brings not only a record of measurable results but a forward-facing vision equal to the challenges and possibilities of this moment!
Congratulations!
#nyc

[Julie Menin @JulieMenin]

I’m deeply humbled that my colleagues have elected me as Speaker of the @NYCCouncil.

I will work tirelessly to be a Speaker for each of them, and for everyone we represent across our great city.

[NY Public Library @nypl]

On January 1, 1898, the five boroughs officially became one city.

January 1 was adopted as the start of the year by the Ancient Romans in 45 BCE. Now, the day marks the start of 2026. But did you know that it's also the anniversary of New York City as we know it? This 1899 map from #NYPLDigitalCollections is an example of an early citywide navigational map. 🗽 🗺️

Explore more maps of the city: https://t.co/pTjJQ0oMZV.

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

2025 has been a year of quiet courage for so many. It hasn’t been easy. Not all years are meant to be.

I wish to take a moment now to applaud everyone who in moments of stillness made the quiet but firm decision to keep going - even when circumstances felt inevitable.

As we close this chapter, may we carry forth what endures: our capacity to forgive, to grow, and to begin anew.

Wishing everyone peace and the gentle hope that keeps us going as we step into the new year.

Age quod agis 🕊️

📷 Morgane Fauconnier “Aurora Angel”
#HappyNewYear2026
#HappyNewYear #HappyNYE

[NYC Emergency Management @nycemergencymgt]

We're now looking at 7-11" likely total snowfall until 1 pm tomorrow afternoon. The heaviest snowfall will likely be between 5pm tonight and 2 am Saturday morning, with snowfall rates somewhere between 1"-2" per hour. As a reminder:

❄️Do not travel unless you absolutely have to. Take public transit if possible. If you must drive, make sure you have a winter go bag in your car and know what to do if you get stuck.
❄️If you are walking, take your time and be careful on slippery surfaces to avoid slips and falls.
❄️Dress warmly in layers and know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite.
❄️If you do not have heat at home, alert your landlord and then notify @nyc311.
❄️Do not heat your home with your oven.
❄️Do not leave candles and space heaters unattended.
❄️Plug space heaters directly into the wall.
❄️Make sure you have working carbon monoxide and fire detectors. NYC aw requires them.

More tips can be found at https://t.co/QxnNdasIGx.

Sign up for emergency alerts from @NotifyNYC by texting "notifynyc" to 692-692.

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Leading LLMs talk and write like scientists but fall short of the core cognitive steps of real scientific discovery.

This matters because it exposes the gap between machines merely sounding intelligent and actually engaging in the iterative, self‑correcting reasoning that science requires. More 👇🏼

[Alex Veremeyenko @alex_verem]

This paper from Harvard and MIT quietly answers the most important AI question nobody benchmarks properly:

Can LLMs actually discover science, or are they just good at talking about it?

The paper is called “Evaluating Large Language Models in Scientific Discovery”, and instead of asking models trivia questions, it tests something much harder:

Can models form hypotheses, design experiments, interpret results, and update beliefs like real scientists?

Here’s what the authors did differently 👇

• They evaluate LLMs across the full discovery loop hypothesis → experiment → observation → revision
• Tasks span biology, chemistry, and physics, not toy puzzles
• Models must work with incomplete data, noisy results, and false leads
• Success is measured by scientific progress, not fluency or confidence

What they found is sobering.

LLMs are decent at suggesting hypotheses, but brittle at everything that follows.

✓ They overfit to surface patterns
✓ They struggle to abandon bad hypotheses even when evidence contradicts them
✓ They confuse correlation for causation
✓ They hallucinate explanations when experiments fail
✓ They optimize for plausibility, not truth

Most striking result:

`High benchmark scores do not correlate with scientific discovery ability.`

Some top models that dominate standard reasoning tests completely fail when forced to run iterative experiments and update theories.

Why this matters:

Real science is not one-shot reasoning.

It’s feedback, failure, revision, and restraint.

LLMs today:

• Talk like scientists
• Write like scientists
• But don’t think like scientists yet

The paper’s core takeaway:

Scientific intelligence is not language intelligence.

It requires memory, hypothesis tracking, causal reasoning, and the ability to say “I was wrong.”

Until models can reliably do that, claims about “AI scientists” are mostly premature.

This paper doesn’t hype AI. It defines the gap we still need to close.

And that’s exactly why it’s important.

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Creative thinking develops with practice. Why stunt it with overuse of AI?

I suggest defining the parameters of your own ideas before ever opening a prompt window. AI is just one of many tools in the creative toolkit. #TuesdayMotivaton

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

Relying heavily on AI doesn’t only stifle critical thinking. It constrains creativity too.

New evidence: People generate more original ideas when they consult AI sometimes, rather than extensively or rarely.

Independent thought is a foundation of ingenuity.

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

How can it be that 13 years after Sandy Hook all we have to show are today’s headlines?

[Sandy Hook Promise @sandyhook]

13 years ago today, 20 first-graders & 6 educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. #SandyHookPromise, founded by several families of victims, works to prevent gun violence.

#NeverForget Please share to #HonorWithAction and stand with us to #ProtectOurKids.

[Bryant Park @bryantparknyc]

First freeze of the season ❄️⛲️🥶!

[The New Yorker @NewYorker]

Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy, had just given birth when she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She writes about her fear of adding another tragedy to her family’s life. https://t.co/GR1vSZYmsW

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Paul McCartney’s silent track powerfully protests tech companies co-opting protected music to train AI without recognizing or compensating the artists who created it.

His track urges us to question AI’s rapid-fire pace and its cost to human creativity, something fundamental to who we are.

[billboard pro @billboardpro]

Paul McCartney Contributes ‘Silent’ Track to Compilation LP Protesting U.K. Government’s Approach to AI https://t.co/Z29NvxVItH

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

This rollout by @TIME clearly signals how heritage brands can evolve by embracing AI, reinterpreting “legacy” in ways that resonate with the needs of today’s world.

Traditional media meets a new horizon with TIME’s AI Agent, harnessing both the low-hanging fruit and the highest value prop: decades of compelling, trustworthy content.
#media #AI #communications #tuesdayvibe

[Jessica Sibley @jsibo]

Today, we are thrilled to introduce the TIME AI Agent, created by @TIME in partnership with @scale_AI. This new platform combines @TIME’s trusted journalism with generative technology, enabling readers to engage with @TIME’s reporting in new ways.

Use the TIME AI agent to summarize or analyze a story, generate an audio version or translate an article, search TIME’s 100+ year archives for answers, chat in real time, and more.

This first-of-its-kind AI technology is creating journalism that listens and responds responsibly, informed by TIME’s archives and bound by TIME’s editorial standards.

Thank you to the team behind the TIME AI Agent, including TIME Chief Operating Officer @markdhoward, TIME Editor in Chief @sampjacobs, and @scale_AI CEO @jdroege.

Find the story behind the TIME AI agent by @markdhoward here: https://t.co/HK308VpXqb and read more from @axios' @sarafischer and @kerrymflynn here:
https://t.co/gOYnvovaEF

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Today, we honor and thank our service men and women for their service and their many unspoken sacrifices 🙏🏼🇺🇸 🕊️

Their courage and dedication continue to inspire us every day.
Happy Veterans Day to all who have served and to their families.
#HappyVeteransDay

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

Another landslide victory 👏🏼👏🏼 for @NYCCouncil member @JulieMenin under whose leadership constituents, small businesses, public safety, + schools continue to thrive in District 5! And whose work with the Council delivered on #Childcare, #SafeHotels, #Healthcare Accountability and so much more for NYC!

[Julie Menin @JulieMenin]

To all who voted in this election, thank you for the opportunity to continue serving our great city!

I’m committed to fighting for you on issues big and small, because every New Yorker deserves a city that’s affordable, safe, and easier to raise a family in.

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

In moments when the noise threatens to drown out progress, we find our voice not in the chaos, but in our choice to pause, breathe, and continue building.

Peace is a daily commitment we make to ourselves and the world around us - as is progress.

#MondayMotivation #MindsetMatters #MondayVibes #Communication
#intention

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

https://t.co/tHBWDEU8Vc

[Mercedes Anderson @commscreativ]

As someone who worked in film and television early in her career - and has continued to work with video in all of my communications roles - this technology raises *many* significant issues.

This is a pivotal moment for media and AI regulation as it pertains to video and the urgent need to protect both creative expression and public trust
Strong safeguards, such as watermarking and clear disclosures need to be front of mind before this is made widely available. 👇🏼 #AI