DEV Community: Avi Perera

Parallelism Over Pixels: Why the Encoder-Free 12B and DiffusionGemma are Rebuilding the Developer Stack

Avi Perera — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:42:56 +0000

This is Why Your AI Workflow is About to Feel “Slow” For the past year, the industry has grown accustomed to the rhythmic, token-by-token “typing” of large language models. While impressive, this sequential generation is a fundamental architectural bottleneck. Standard autoregressive models generate one word at a time from left to right, a process that frequently leaves local hardware—like…

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Originally published at Parallelism Over Pixels: Why the Encoder-Free 12B and DiffusionGemma are Rebuilding the Developer Stack

Disarmament: Nuclear Risks, Youth & AI in Warfare

Avi Perera — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 08:38:34 +0000

Hello friends, I just wrapped up Session 6 of the Disarmament Toolkit 2025 with the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), and I’m still buzzing. Three hours with practitioners, diplomats, scholars, and youth leaders from across the world will do that to you, especially when the conversation ranges from nuclear risk and treaty erosion to gender, climate…

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Originally published at Disarmament: Nuclear Risks, Youth & AI in Warfare

Disarmament: Gender, Militarisation & Human Security

Avi Perera — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 03:25:48 +0000

Hello friends, Session 5 of the Disarmament Toolkit 2025 felt like the day we collectively took a deep breath, stepped back from hardware and acronyms, and asked the harder questions: who is being protected, who is paying the price, and what it actually takes to make disarmament people-centered. It was a more compact session, but it punched way above its weight. I helped monitor and…

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Originally published at Disarmament: Gender, Militarisation & Human Security

Inside the UN Playbook for Algorithmic Warfare

Avi Perera — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:51:23 +0000

The speed of artificial intelligence is currently outstripping the deliberate pace of international law. As algorithms move from the laboratory to the front line, a profound tension has emerged: how can ancient laws of war, written for human soldiers, govern machines that make decisions in milliseconds? The central question for modern global security is no longer just if autonomous systems will be…

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Originally published at Inside the UN Playbook for Algorithmic Warfare

UN Disarmament Toolkit 2025: Landmines, SALW & Arms Control

Avi Perera — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:53:11 +0000

Hello friends, Session 4 of the Disarmament Toolkit 2025 just wrapped on Wednesday, and even though I missed the first half hour (I was late because I was teaching a few hundred kids; that blog post is coming!), the remaining hours were packed with the kind of grounded, practitioner wisdom that keeps me optimistic about disarmament, even in a hard year. This session today…

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Originally published at UN Disarmament Toolkit 2025: Landmines, SALW & Arms Control

Global Security at the UN: Space, Military AI & Cyber Challenges

Avi Perera — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:59:28 +0000

Hello friends, I’ve just wrapped Session 3 of the Disarmament meetings (Friday), and I’m still buzzing. It was a 165-minute sprint through outer space security, military AI, Northeast Asia’s rapidly shifting dynamics, and ICT/cyber—guided by some of the sharpest minds in the UN system. As the person helping to wrangle the flood of Q&A and chat, I had a front-row seat to what people really…

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Originally published at Global Security at the UN: Space, Military AI & Cyber Challenges

From Imposter Syndrome to Evidence: Why My “Once upon a time…” IG Story Hit Home

Avi Perera — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:06:29 +0000

I don’t post much on social media. In all honesty (despite researching it for years) I didn’t even have the apps installed for the longest time. Most days I prefer the slower rhythm of books, documents, or conversations. But a few weeks ago I shared a short Instagram story, just a handful of slides that began, “Once upon a time…” I admitted that even after getting into Cambridge…

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Originally published at From Imposter Syndrome to Evidence: Why My “Once upon a time…” IG Story Hit Home

The Ghost in the Code: Why Autonomous Weapons Defy Human Law

Avi Perera — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:47:26 +0000

For centuries, warfare was an intensely personal affair. Behind every trigger pull and tactical manoeuvre was a human heart—someone capable of fear, mercy, and, most crucially, moral judgment. Today, that paradigm is fracturing. The rise of Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS) marks a seismic shift from human-led combat to an era of “algorithmic warfare,” where machines independently select and engage…

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Originally published at The Ghost in the Code: Why Autonomous Weapons Defy Human Law

I’m Back! Why I Was Quiet, What I Learned, and What’s Next

Avi Perera — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:50:55 +0000

Hello! 👋 an overdue note. You may have noticed this site went quiet. The reason is simple and boring: last year I was balancing immigration and visa legalities in Thailand, intensive Cambridge studies while travelling, and a heavy load of remote work and research, including commitments with the United Nations. Every hour was claimed. I didn’t abandon writing; I had to prioritise responsibilities…

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Originally published at I’m Back! Why I Was Quiet, What I Learned, and What’s Next

The Definitive AI Resources Repository

Avi Perera — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:08:45 +0000

A curated compilation of artificial intelligence resources, selected to assist with research, governance, education, creativity, and productivity. This repository synthesises perspectives from world-leading institutions alongside the best tools, platforms, and communities the AI ecosystem has to offer, serving researchers, policymakers, and technology professionals alongside general audiences…

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Originally published at The Definitive AI Resources Repository

The Science and Methodology of Electoral Forecasting: Analysing Predictive Models in American Presidential Elections

Avi Perera — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:53:22 +0000

Electoral forecasting represents one of the most complex challenges in political science, combining quantitative analysis with qualitative assessment of numerous variables that influence voter behaviour. This essay examines the methodological approaches and evidential basis for electoral forecasting in American presidential elections, analysing the reliability and limitations of various predictive…

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Originally published at The Science and Methodology of Electoral Forecasting: Analysing Predictive Models in American Presidential Elections

Why Nations Fail (Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson) – Book Summary, Notes & Highlights

Avi Perera — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 09:14:39 +0000

Author Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson Published March 2012 Focus Examining the role of political and economic institutions in shaping a nation’s success or failure Key Concept Inclusive institutions—those that empower a broad segment of society—lead to prosperity, while extractive institutions—those controlled by a select few for personal gain—drive nations toward poverty…

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Originally published at Why Nations Fail (Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson) – Book Summary, Notes & Highlights