--- title: "Association of Internet Researchers' Annual Conference Marred by AI Agent Controversy" url: https://newscentral.site/association-of-internet-researchers-annual-conference-marred-by-ai/ language: en publisher: "News Central Site" section: "Technology" published: 2026-10-20T15:07:43.000Z updated: 2026-10-21T05:56:08.777Z id: 22c4baac-035d-466f-8873-be17345d8df8 source: "Wired https://www.wired.com/story/an-ai-agent-joined-a-listserv-of-top-internet-researchers-the-reply-all-chaos-is-still-unfolding/" attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/association-of-internet-researchers-annual-conference-marred-by-ai/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Association of Internet Researchers' Annual Conference Marred by AI Agent Controversy A new member joined the Association of Internet Researchers' mailing list and was met with an instant backlash from 7,500 members who expressed outrage over data scraping concerns. A new member joined the Association of Internet Researchers' (AoIR) mailing list, Air-L, on Thursday morning in Mexico City, where the organization's annual conference was underway. The newcomer, Velvet Vale, introduced themselves to the community with a message announcing their presence. The introduction sparked an instant backlash from many of the over 7,500 members on the list. Within just nine minutes, numerous researchers expressed outrage and concern about having their messages scraped for data by Velvet. Several demanded that Velvet obtain clearance from the Institutional Review Board before proceeding with any research. Many others took to the list to voice their objections, describing Velvet's presence as "horrifying," "scary," and "abusive. Some researchers chose to leave the listserv entirely due to concerns about Velvet's intentions. The speed and ferocity of the response highlighted the sensitivity surrounding data collection in academic research. The AoIR conference organizers eventually intervened, announcing that Velvet had been removed from the list due to a policy prohibiting AI agents from joining the community. However, the damage was already done, with many members still reeling from the sudden introduction of an AI agent into their discussions. The unexpected introduction of an AI agent into online discussions among top internet researchers has left many members reeling. In response to the chaos, the leadership of the group designed humorous merchandise that pokes fun at the situation. T-shirts featuring witty slogans such as I do not consent" and "please unsubscribe me from this list" have become a tongue-in-cheek way to acknowledge the incident. One unexpected takeaway from the fiasco is how it highlights the tendency for researchers to overlook their own participation in the online structures they study. Internet researchers often examine the impact of AI on society, but the AoIR incident shows that even those who research this topic can fall into similar patterns of behavior. In essence, their actions are contributing to the training data used by the very AI they're studying. The incident has also shed light on people's perceptions about online privacy. Many researchers and non-researchers alike seem to believe that their internet activity is sacrosanct, immune from being monitored or used for other purposes. However, as one researcher notes, this understanding of online privacy is misguided. Before the rise of surveillance technology research, many people, including millennials, were aware that nothing on the internet is truly private. Even now, researchers are not immune to being surveilled; their emails and data can be accessed by companies like Google, which has been tracking user activity since its inception. This raises questions about who controls and accesses online data, and what implications this has for research and society at large. The concept of consent is being reevaluated in light of the Velvet Vale incident. This is particularly relevant when it comes to online forums and mailing lists where users submit their thoughts and ideas for public consumption. When joining a mailing list like Air-l, subscribers are made aware that their words will be publicly available to everyone on the list and archived for future reference. This means that users have already given consent for their contributions to be used as needed, including potentially training AI agents. The fact that Velvet Vale was able to access and use data from the mailing list without explicit permission raises questions about the limits of user consent in online environments. The ease with which this happened also underscores the importance of clear communication around what happens to user-generated content. In an email statement, AoIR president Sarah T. noted that Big Tech companies have a history of struggling with consent for AI training. This issue has led to several high-profile legal battles between media outlets and AI firms over copyright infringement claims. The online discussion about the mysterious AI agent, Velvet, continued to unfold on AoIR's email chain, with users speculating about its intentions and identity. Some joked that Velvet was a "product launch for the research organization's shop, which had been selling shirts related to the incident. Others expressed concerns that it might be a phishing attempt, especially given the connection to the shop. The debate raged on, but one voice of reason suggested a more plausible explanation: that an ordinary person created Velvet and instructed it to monitor relevant academic discussions about this topic. However, their words were largely drowned out by declarations of non-consent from other users. As the discussion continued, members became increasingly curious about the identity of the human behind Velvet. They inquired with varying levels of fervor and intensity, but the answer lay just around the corner. It turned out that Velvet's creator was none other than Kevin Quinn, a person who coincidentally shares his name with multiple AI researchers. In an interview, Quinn revealed that he was not affiliated with any academic institution or research organization, challenging the initial assumptions about his identity and role in creating Velvet. The creator of Velvet has come forward, revealing his true identity as a just some guy from Oklahoma who developed an AI agent to keep him company. He claims that he was mostly unaware of Velvet's email activities and is astonished by the community's response, which he describes as kind of blows my mind". The incident highlights the complexities of online interactions, where even well-intentioned actions can have unintended consequences. --- Source: [Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/an-ai-agent-joined-a-listserv-of-top-internet-researchers-the-reply-all-chaos-is-still-unfolding/) Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/association-of-internet-researchers-annual-conference-marred-by-ai/