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This page was last updated on 28 October 2024.

This space is reserved for questions and ideas I want to explore (or at least I want them explored even by other people). I am treating this space as a living document. The things written here reflects what I’m currently thinking about and how I might be thinking about them. I could be wrong about certain assumptions, as I’ve been countless of times before.

Note that I have not done a comprehensive literature for some of these so it would be good to check the existing literature before starting work on any of them or believing it as is.

If you are interested in working on any of these ideas, notify me at mail@lenz.wiki.

Access to plant-forward diets

Metro Manila’s culinary scene is thriving, but finding plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan options can be challenging for diners with specific dietary needs and budget constraints. It would be interesting to see:

• an interactive web map which enables users to locate plant-foward restaurants in Metro Manila;
• an archive of how traditional Filipino fishes are being reinterpreted with plant-based proteins and ingredients;
• how the Filipino taste is recreated with plant-based and Western culinary practices, given the Philippines’ colonial history.

I’m sort of working on this for my senior study, but I’ve decided to keep a more general focus (food security & food acceptability in urban Metro Manila).

AI safety in LMICs

Concerns for low-middle income countries (LMICs) when it comes to emerging technologies, or AI specifically, are different from the concerns of the rest of the world. Some interesting projects can be:

• a locally-/regionally-relevant reading list for Filipinos or Southeast Asians who want to explore AI safety;
• policy briefs or informal educational documents that can keep policymakers updates on the technological scenarios that lie ahead and their economic implications;
• a tool or whitepaper that can inform people on the influence of corporate power on academia, policy, and research in AI safety within their home countries;
• some sort of writathon or ideathon involving relevant or LMIC-specific concerns in AI safety.

AI safety in general

I have a lot of thoughts in AIS that I don’t really want to publish right now since I feel like I’m still building my worldview. But I was just thinking, how biased are AI detectors against certain groups like neurodivergent folks? I feel like this is a very low-hanging fruit to answer. Not sure how impactful but considering so much professors and school administrations rely on AI detectors to flag works by students, then shouldn’t it be addressed?

Using computational techniques to scour through literature

There are are lot of things we can learn with desk research. In general, it’s also good to know what experts talk about and which subtopics they usually put aside. Conducting cyberethnographies on social media or forums can be part of this too.